Lakshmi Narasimha Temple
Overview:
The
Lakshmi Narasimha temple was built in the year 1246. It lies in the town
of Nuggehali in the Hassan district. The district of Nuggehali is home
to intricately carved Hoysala temples which include the Lakshminarasimha
temple and the Sadasiva temple. It was built during the rule of the
Hoysalas by the King Virasomeshwara. King Vishnuvardhana patronised the
temples built during his era.
Religious Significance:
The
temple was built in the year 1911. It is a beautifully decorated
Hoysala temple. It has three towers, the vimana which has intricately
carved wall sculptures. Soapstone is the material that was used for
building the temple.
Lord Narasimha is an avatar of Lord Krishna.
As per Hindu scriptures, Upanishads and Puranas, Vishnu took the form of
Narasimha for destroying the demon. Narasimha is visualised as half
lion and half man. The upper is in the form of a lion with claws. The
lower is human form. The Lakshmi Narasimha temple has Lord Narasimha
with Goddess Lakshmi who is the wife of Lord Vishnu.
Architecture:
The
art and architecture of the Lakshmi Narasimha temple boasts of the
Hoysala culture and tradition. The idol of Lakshmi Narasimha temple is
made of intricately carved stone. This temple was built by Bommanna
Dandanayaka, a commander in the court of King Vira Someshwara during
1246 AD. One gets to see lathe turned pillars at the Lakshmi Narasimha
temple and at most of the temples built during the Hoyasala rule.
The
entire structure of the temple is in fact trikuta, but it appears as
ekakuta from the exteriors. What is quite interesting here is that the
tower of the temple has been built in typical North Indian style. There
is a very big hall with attractive sculptures. There are a number of
sculpted deities on the pillars and there are close to 120 sculpted
panels. You can see exclusive Hoysala style sculptues on the friezes.
These include men and soldiers riding elephants and horses, processions
with elephants and so on which are finely sculpted. Stories from
Ramayana and Mahabharata are also beautifully depicted on the pillars.
Many
of the Hoysala temples are ekakuta, dvikutta or trikutta. Ekakutta
refers to single tower, Dvikutta is two towers and trikutta means three
towers. The carvings depict Western Chalukya era and is made of green
schist or soapstone. The Hoysala kings encouraged this form of
architecture. The main shrine has five projections on every side. There
are three smaller roofs which have rich architecture and are decorated
beautifully.
You can see three different layers of paintings. At
the base there is a procession of elephants, horsemen and foliage. The
second section has stories from the puranas and Hindu epics. The topmost
frieze depicts imaginary beasts or makaras along with swans. Since it
is a Vaishnava temple, one gets to view images of Keshava, Venugopala
and Lakshminarasimha (all Vishnu forms).
How to Reach:
Nuggehalli
lies on the Tiptur Channarayanapatna state highway. The city of Hassan
is about 50 kilometres from Nuggehalli. There are State Road Transport
buses that ply between Hassan to Nuggehalli. With increasing visits to
this beautiful temple, many private bus operators are also available.
Nuggehalli
is well connected to Bangalore by road. The closest airport is
Bangalore and you may have to book in advance. Once you reach Bangalore,
you may either book tickets for a passenger train or a bus, depending
on the availability. You can visit the temple anytime between September
and April, which is the hottest month.
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