This is a good example of a richly decorated Hoysala temple built in the
trikuta (three towers)
vimana (shrine) style with fine sculptures adorning the walls. The material used is Chloritic Schist, more commonly known as
Soapstone) and the temple is built on a
jagati (platform) that closely follows the plan of the temple. The size of the original temple can be considered small, to which a larger open
mantapa(hall) was later added. The three shrines are located around a central closed
ranga-mantapa with 9 "bays" (compartment between four pillars). The ceiling of the closed
mantapa is supported by four lathe turned pillars which is deeply domed in the center. The central shrine is the most prominent one and has a large tower. This shrine has a
vestibule that connects the shrine to the
mantapa (hall). Consequently, the vestibule also has a tower (or superstructure,
shikhara) that looks like a shorter extension of the main tower. It is called the
sukanasi. According to Foekema, it looks like the "nose" of the main tower. The other two shrines have smaller towers and because they have no vestibule to connect them to the central
mantapa, they have no
sukanasi. A large open hall with tall pillars was added during later times making the original porch and closed
mantapa look like the inner portion of the temple. The central shrine has five projections per side and the tower is complete though has lost its
kalasha (decorative structure on top). Since the shrine is square in plan, the topping roof (a helmet like sculptured stone) follows the same plan. There are three tiers of decorative smaller roofs bearing their own
kalasa that form the body of the main tower. and below the superstructure of the
vimana where the roof meets the outer walls of the temple, two
eaves all round the temple. The upper eaves projects about half a meter from the wall. There is a second eaves running about a meter below the upper eaves with decorative miniature towers (
aedicule) between them. The wall images of Hindu deities and their attendants are below the lower eaves, and there are 120 such sculptured panels in all. Below these are six
moldings of equal size with decorations in
frieze. This according to historian Kamath is the "horizontal treatment" that is a hallmark of the later Hoysala temples. The six moldings at the base of the wall is divided into two sections. Starting from the base where the wall meets the
jagati, the first horizontal lmolding contains procession of elephants, above which are a horsemen, and a band of foliage on the third. The second horizontal section starts with depictions from the Hindu epics and
puranic scenes executed with detail. Above this are two friezes of
yalis (or
makara, an imaginary beast) and
hamsas (swans). The
vimana tower is divided into three horizontal sections and is even more ornate than the walls. The images in the panels are mostly
Vaishnava in faith and they are attributed to two well known Hoysala sculptors, Baichoja and Mallitamma. However, like many Hindu temples, other traditions are included. There are a few images of the god
Shiva in the form of
Bhairava along with his consort
Bhairavi. Baichoja's sculptures are on the south side of the temple and according to Foekema, have a certain peace and dignity about them. Mallitamma's sculptures are on the north side. According to him, while they are not as fine, they are lively and have greater variety. ==Gallery==