Narasimha sculpture - Belur Chennakeshava temple

One of the classical works of the Hoysala architecture is the carving of Narasimha avatar of Vishnu killing king Hiranyakashipu. This sculpture made from a single stone, adorns the wall of Chennakeshava temple, Belur, in Hassan district of Karnataka. This particular version of the scene is well preserved, compared to the many that have been done on the walls of Hoysaleswara temple, in Halebidu (guides say there are 14 sculptures of same scene of Narasimha there).

The imagination, skill, planning and execution are exemplary, parts of which I would like to highlight in this article. The ability to chalk out the idea of all the parts to be carved from this single stone, preserving it, while also removing pieces from nooks and corners behind all the hands, legs, fingers, objects held, etc., is amazing.

One of the first things we can notice is that the fierceness depicted in the face of Ugra Narasimha. Though the crown of Narasimha does not seem to be as well polished, it could be the deterioration due to exposure to nature - winds and rains.

To carve out the killing of Hiranyakashipu, as per the story, involves showing the ripping of the stomach and removal of intestines. Here, some of the intestines are shown just lying on the stomach and Narasimha disembowels the demon king. Also some of the intestine has been pulled up and worn like a victory garland, in the imagination of the sculptor.

One can also observe that one of the paws of Narasimha has dug deep into the leg of Hiranyakashipu, with the claws deep inside the skin, hidden away, while the rings on the fingers are nicely in place. Ornamentation on the dress of Hiranyakashipu is portrayed well too.

The mini sculptures on both sides of the scene are intricately worked too. Here is an illustration of Garuda, the vahana of Vishnu, paying obeisance to Narasimha, clearly indicated by the wings and the long nose.

In order to represent Hiranyakashipu as a demon, the canine teeth are shown protruding. He holds a sword in the right hand, which is firmly restrained by one of the hands of Narasimha. In the other hand he holds a shield, but lying in an awkward position as he is incapacitated, lying on the lap of Narasimha. The intricacy and attention to detail is seen in the pieces of rock behind the hands and the crown having been perfectly removed to give a realistic and proportional 3-dimensional work of art.

One of the challenges in the portrayal of the Hindu Gods and Goddesses, is to carve the many hands, legs, ornaments, weapons, tools, and other objects. Here is the superb work done on the right hand side arms and the weapons, though looking complex, faultless finger positions and ideal looking illustration of the hands.

The details on the conch, bell, clapper, etc., on the left hands, are even more stunning.

Finally we can look at the consummate form of a courtier of Hiranyakashipu attempting to help / defend against Narasimha, below the legs. Here the two legs highlighted in this portion of the photo show the ideal position of Narasimha's right foot resting on the floor, and Hiranyakashipu's left foot hanging, with intricate work on the toes, anklets, etc.

To get a real feel of being in Belur, you can view a stereogram (pair of photos giving 3-dimensional view) of this sculpture that I have uploaded to Wikimedia commons. A high resolution single picture can also be seen in their repository. The carvings at Halebidu are not that well maintained, especially the damaged portions of the garland of intestines, which are mostly missing.

Art lovers should definitely visit such places at leisure, to not only take in the details, but appreciate the skills and abilities of the people of this land. The real sculpture beholden with our own eyes is priceless.

Govinda, Janardhana, Chamunda, and Shiva at Belur

Belur was the early capital of Hoysala Empire, which was referred as Velur or Velapuri too. At Belur, we have one of the classical examples of Hoysala architecture, in the form of the Chennakeshava temple, built by the king Vishnuvardhana. This temple is said to have taken about a century to complete and is the home of the famous figurines, referred variously as Salabhanjikas, Madanikas or Shilabalikas.

Wall of Chennakeshava Temple, Belur - Govinda, Janardhana, Chamunda, and Shiva

In this post, we will look at the back-half of the temple's walls, with focus on one set of carvings and a pillar shown below. This photo includes Govinda on the left, Janardhana next, depiction of Chamunda, the 32 corner pillar (16 corner star seen), and Shiva killing a demon. Govinda and Janardhana are two of the 24 names of Vishnu, the depiction differing only by the hands holding the 4 items, namely, Shanku (conch), Chakra (disc), Padma (lotus) and Gadha (mace). Chamunda is the fierce form of Devi, usually depicted as an old lady (while Kali is not depicted as old).

As per sources I found on the internet (PDF), the first sculpture on the left is that of Govinda. Govinda holds the chakra (disc) in right lower hand, and a gadha (mace) in the right upper hand. On the left hands Govinda holds a padma (lotus) on upper hand and the shanku (conch) in lower hand. The well preserved detail work is classic example of Hoysala carvings done on single stone.

The second sculpture from the left is that of Janardhana, as per the source, who holds the chakra (disc) in right upper hand, and a padma (lotus) in the right lower hand. Janardhana has a gadha (mace) on left lower hand and the shanku (conch) in left upper hand. One can refer to other pictures of Janardhana temple, from the internet websites, to confirm that this is the right depiction. The planning and execution of all the details of Vishnu and attendants, done as a relief from stone is mind boggling.

In the panel facing to the right is a sculpture of Ganesha, which is barely seen side-on - trunk of elephant, the hand holding Modhaks (dumplings). Next to this part we see the detail carving of the fierce Chamunda, who is a fierce form of Devi, but usually depicted as an old hag. The wrinkles of the skin is shown in all parts - the face, hands, legs, sagging parts of her body, etc. The detail carving of each hand, holding the different weapons, damaru (drum), staff (with skull head), etc., has been exquisitely done - though the wrinkled and horrific effect is the best part of the sculpture.

Scorpion carved on the belly, wrinkled skin

One other small item to note is that there is a scorpion depicted on the belly of Chamunda. The dresses, borders of the ornaments, jeweles like the anklets, have been beautifully done too. Some guides mention that this is a sculpture of a Vishakanya, which does not seem to be right as per all the information dug out from various websites.

One of the classic pillars of Hoysala architecture separate Chamunda sculpture from the Shiva sculpture. Many of the pillars are 16, 32 or 64 cornered star shaped works in the Hoysala style. This one is a 32 corner star structure, with 16 corners visible to us, facing us.

Shiva sculpture shows a demon being killed, which the guides mention is the destruction of Jalandhara. The detail work in showing the feet and toes in classic dance position, careful carving of the entire scene within a single stone, including the flying demon surrendering to Shiva, the bow, skull-headed staff, other weapons, etc., is typical of the attention to detail of this period.

Comparatively, Belur temple has sevaral frieze works, including blocks separately carved and inserted in place. Halebidu, a small sample of which was shown in last 4 posts, has lot more work, with not a bit of space left un-carved. The entire walls in Halebidu is one big exquisitely carved cover for the temple. In Belur, the front half shows sculptures of every day life, epics, animals, creepers, etc., while the back half has carvings of Gods, Goddesses, works displaying the various avatars.

A high resolution picture has been uploaded to Wikimedia Commons, along with some of the above details. One can also see pictures of the Madanikas there.