After two detours and some beautiful memories, we were at the Ishvara temple in Arasikere – our final destination.
Beauty of this temple is hard to put in words. I would start by saying – it is art in Stone, but wait that doesn’t define it completely; it is much much more than that. The best I can say is – its like “music is carved into stone”.
The moment you look at it, you feel like it will come alive right in front of your eyes, don’t blink or you will miss it. The star-shaped structure is rhythmic, it appears as though it will twirl to the sound of music.
The temple dates back to c. 1220 – during the Hoysala rule. It is built in soapstone with intricate designs and elaborate architecture – it is “Captivating”. There is one shrine where the idol is placed and two different halls (Mantapa, in Sanskrit). One of the halls and the shrine are artistically crafted in star shapes and the second hall is more simpler. The entire structure is a testimony to our exquisite heritage.
After clicking some amazing pictures, we ventured into the temple. A priest helped us, and we offered our prayers. The temple is uniformly designed, even the interiors are ornate and there are so many stories associated with it. The priest told us some of those, but the one that stood out was about the construction of the temple.
He told us, that “The central part of the ceiling of the star shaped hall (mantapa) is designed in such a way that – its the center of gravity for the whole structure. It is engineered to balance, hold and maintain the weight of the ceiling”. Such sophisticated construction techniques were used in those days (almost 800 years ago) – what a great blend of craftsmanship and architecture.
We spent quite a while going in and around the temple.There was a small well near the premises, and some of the statues and inscriptions were kept outside to look at.
The surroundings were peaceful and it must have been so lovely to just immerse oneself in it. Its artistry and charm was beyond words and we didn’t want to leave.
We stepped into a dream and came out of it.
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For more information, See the website.
For information on how to reach Arasikere, check Makemytrip website.
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Gallery of Pictures in this post.
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