What you need to know about the Hoysala temples of Karnataka, now on the UNESCO World Heritage list

Chennakeshava Temple, the main temple in a 1.59-hectare temple complex at Belur, is one of three Hoysala style Karnataka temples on the UNESCO World Heritage List. (Photo by Bikashrd via Wikimedia Commons 4.0)

Shortly after his marriage, Amarashilpi Jakanachari, a sculptor, left home, about 9 kilometres from Tumkur in Karnataka, for better prospects. He went on to work on temples for the Kalyani Chalukyas and the Hoysalas and was apparently so dedicated to his art that he forgot about his wife and son, whose birth he didn’t witness. Jakanachari is said to have worked at the Chennakeshava Temple in Belur, the Hoysaleshvara Temple in Halebid, and the Keshava Temple of Somnathapura, the ‘sacred ensembles of Hoysala temples’ that were constructed around the 12th and 13th centuries.

At the 13th century Keshava Temple in Somnathpur, Karnataka. (Image source: Dineshkannambadi via Wikimedia Commons 3.0)

New status

On September 18, this holy temple trinity secured a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List 2022-2023, making them the 42nd such site in India. It is to be noted that this property had been on the UNESCO tentative list since 2014 and in 2019, the Bengaluru chapter of the Indian National Trust for Culture and Heritage (INTACH) was asked by the Karnataka government’s Department of Archeology, Museums and Heritage to work on the nomination dossier. The combined efforts finally bore fruit and the news was greeted with great jubilation in the city and the state.

On the UNESCO World Heritage website, the Sacred Ensembles has been described as: Serial property (which) encompasses the three most representative examples of Hoysala-style temple complexes in southern India, dating from the 12th to 13th centuries. The Hoysala style was created through careful selection of contemporary temple features and those from the past to create a different identity from neighbouring kingdoms.

Hoysala style: A sacred architecture

The Hoysala style infers to an eclectic blend of styles, from the Bhumija style of central India, Nagara traditions of northern India, and the resplendent Karnata-Dravida style. The architects of the Hoysala temples not only demonstrated their knowledge of different temple building traditions and forms but incorporated them differently in the three temples.

The temples were built on star-shaped circumambulatory platforms and had large-scale sculptural galleries and multi-tiered friezes. The early Hoysala temples were made from granite and didn’t have the intricate detailing of the later temples done during the peak of the Hoysala empire, represented by the trio of Belur, Halebid and Somnathapura temples. The temple carvings were made from soapstone, a soft stone that is easier to carve, and the sculptors did elaborate, ornamental and delicate carvings, hyper-real sculptures with complex hairstyles, clothing, and jewellery. The Hoysala sculptors like Malloja, Maniyoja, Dasoja and Malitamma, the last being famous during the later Hoysala period, had a practice of leaving their signatures on the sculptures they had carved.

What does the UNESCO recognition mean?

It is hoped that the UNESCO World Heritage designation for the trio will help garner attention for the other Hoysala temples in the region, some off the grid and neglected. Brand strategy expert Harish Bijoor said, “The tag has taken time but has finally come. The heritage we boast of is unparalleled. The UNESCO World Heritage designation will have a whole world of travellers looking it up.”

The designation of the UNESCO World Heritage Site has increased the expectation of tourism and revenue. A listed site gains international recognition and legal protection, and can obtain funds from among others the World Heritage Fund to facilitate its conservation under certain conditions.

What happened to Jakanachari?

Why did we bring up Jakanachari? His story is a legend and firmly entrenched in the local lore which has made it to pop culture as well. When Jakanachari’s son, Dankanachari, grew up, he left home to search for his father. He went to Belur where he got work as a sculptor. While working, he pointed out a flaw in a sculpture not knowing that it was done by his own father. Jakanachari was furious that someone had implied that there was a live toad living in a recess within the sculpture and hence the flaw, but on being proved wrong, cut off his right arm. Years later, Jakanachari had a vision of a temple at his hometown Kaidala and on its completion, his right arm was restored miraculously.

There is a Hoysala temple at Kaidala but the fact that there is no epigraphic evidence of Jakanachari, scholars suggest that it is highly likely he was a mythical figure. Also, the temples in Belur and Halebid were built in the early 12th century and the temple at Somanathapura has been dated to the mid-13th century, making it extremely unlikely that a single artisan could have worked on all three temples.

It is suggested that the name could have represented a guild of artisans who were accomplished in Karnata-Dravidan style, and may have been active during that period. Scholars suggest that the name Jakanachari may have just been derived from the terms dakshinacharya or tenkanacharya, meaning ‘sculptor of the southern region’ or ‘of the south’.

Fact File

Chennakeshava Temple is the main temple in the temple complex at Belur. It is a living temple. The complex is located at the centre of the traditional settlement which is surrounded by the remnants of a mud fort and a moat. The area of the temple complex is 1.59 hectares.

Hoysalesvara Temple is located on the banks of Dorasamudra tank, in Halebidu. The town has many protected and unprotected temples, archaeological ruins and mounds. There are remnants of the fort and gateways that once protected the town. The area of the temple complex is 7 hectares.

Keshava Temple is in the centre of the village of Somanathapura. The temple is enclosed by a multi-celled prakaara. Several artefacts are displayed in the open ground. The area of the temple complex is 1.88 hectares.

Early on, the western world was introduced to the grandeur of the Hoysala temples through the photographs of Captain Linnaeus Tripe, one of the first few official photographers employed by the East India Company. In 1854, Tripe took leave to photograph the temples at Halebid and Belur and the outcome was 56 prints and successful exhibition of his work at Chennai in 1855.