Same...yet different.
BELAVADI VEERANARAYANA TEMPLE According to one estimate , the Hoysalas (Kings, Queens, Commanders and Ministers) built close to 1500 temples, big and small, between 1026 CE when they came to power to 1343 CE when they were finished off by Muslim forces from Madurai. Among those, about 550 temples have survived ruin and remain standing to this day, in various states of preservation. Hoysala architecture, though much influenced by Chalukyan idiom, took on a very unique character when soapstone quarries were discovered and worked by them. Soapstone being a better material to work with than granite, which was being used till then, the architects and sculptors went all out to explore all possibilities with the material and came up with stunning results. Building on a raised jagati ( platform), incorporating multiple shrines within a single temple, creating remarkable 'lathe turned' pillars and giving importance to profuse ornamentation became their hallmark. Many celebrate...