Introduction to Hindu Art and Architecture | Lecture 4.1 | SCHG_FOC21_IHAA | Vesara Temple Style

Hello and welcome all to our course on Hindu Art and Architecture and in this lecture we are going to discuss about the Vesara style of temple architecture. As discussed in the previous classes the Shilpa Shastra gives us three types of the temple architecture namely the North Indian or the Nagarashtain, the South Indian or the Dravidian style and the Vesara style of temple architecture. The North Indian and the South Indian style has already been discussed in the previous classes. In this class we are going to talk about the Vesara style of temple architecture. The Vesara style is also called the Tekin style of temple architecture and it became popular in and around the mid of the 7th century CE. This temple architecture is an hybridized style with the elements of the both North and the South Indian temple architecture. The main features to look out for in a Vesara style of temple is that the emphasis is mostly on the Vimana or the superstructure, the mandapa, the portico region, there is an open ambulatory, doorways and the ceilings are highly ornated with many number of decorations. The Vesara style of temple architecture has been patronized and developed by a number of dynasties which are the Chalukyas, the Rashtrakutas, the Vijay empire and many more. As I referred regarding that there were a number of dynasties which helped in patronizing and developing of the Vesara style of temple architecture, we will be starting off with the Chalukyas. So the Chalukyan dynasty was founded by CE. So in the southern part of the Deccan which is the region of Karnataka where some of the most experimental hybrid styles of Vesara type of temple architecture are found. So the early Chalukyan activity was divided in the form of rocket caves while the later activity was on the structural caves. So the earliest is the Ravan Padi caves at Aihole which is known for its distinctive structural style. One of the most important sculptures at the site is that of Nataraja which is surrounded by larger than life-size depictions of Satyamatrikas, three to the Shiva's left and four to the Shiva's right. The next temple in the line is that of Ladkhan temple at Aihole and this temple is also dedicated to Shiva and it dates to 5th century CE and if you just look at the roof of this temple it is inspired by wooden roofed temples but built in stone and this temple is named after a person Ladkhan who used this temple as his residence for a very long time. The next temple is the Durga temple which is an 8th century Hindu temple located in Aihole, Karnataka. Originally this temple was dedicated to Surya and it has the most embellished and largest relief panels in Aihole depicting the artwork of the Shaivas, the Vaishnavas, the Shakthas and the Vedic deities. Apart from its fine carvings it is also notable for its absidle plan which is a rare example among the early Chalukyan Hindu temple architecture. Though this temple is dedicated to Surya the temple is now named as the Durga temple which means a Durga or a fortification which looked out for constructed on the top of it after the 13th century during the wars between the Hindu kings and the Islamic Sultanates. The most elaborate of all the Chalukyan temples at Pattatakal made in the reign of Vikramaditya II and by his chief queen Loka Mahadevi. There are a group of 10 temples namely the Papanath temple and the temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and it shows the fusion of both the styles. Then there are a group of Jain temples, the Jain Narayan temple, then the Virupaksha temple which was built in 740 CE to commemorate the victory of the Chalukyas over the Pallavas and last but not the least is the Kailashnath temple at Kanchipuram which depicts all the mature features of the Vesara style of temple architecture. After the Chalukyas declined in 7th or 8th century CE the Rashtrakutas took over the area of Deccan and their greatest achievement in architecture is that of the Kailashnath temple at Ellora which is a culmination of at least a millennium long tradition in Rocket architecture in India. It is a complete Travita building with a Nandi shrine since the temple is dedicated to Shiva. There is a Gopuram like gateway surrounded with Cloisters, subsidiary shrines, staircases and an imposing tower or a Vimana rising to 30 meters. Importantly all of this is carved out of a living rock and one portion of the monolithic hill was carved patiently to build the Kailashnath temple and the Kailashnath temple is a part of the UNESCO world heritage site and it is known as one of the architectural splendors of ancient India. The succeeding dynasty up to the Rashtrakutas came the Hoysalas and their main shrines have been erected at Belur, Halebidu and Somnathapuram. The main features to look out for the Hoysala architecture is that of the extremely complex with a number of projections on the temple. Now the temples looked like a star and based on a stellate plan. Usually these temples were made out of soapstone. The Hoysaleshwar temple is a specimen built in dark schist stone in 1150 CE and it is dedicated to Shiva as Najaraja. This temple as the image showcases that the intricate ornamentation of the sculptures of the temple is a marvel of architecture. So the next important dynasty which comes is that of the Vijayanagara empire also called the Karnataka kingdom and it was based in the Tekin plateau region in south India. It was established in 1336 CE by the brothers Harihar I and Bukka Raya I of the Sangama dynasty. During this period a number of international travelers such as Ibn Battuta came here. Vijayanagara empire's architecture synthesizes the Islamic style of the neighboring southerners. So this was all about the vassal style of temple architecture for which I will be also providing you with a number of references. So we meet in the next lecture where we will be discussing about the Shiva iconography.