Garuda

Another exquisite piece of sculpture from these artistes of stone. Garuda! The divine vehicle of the Lord of the Universe--Sri Maha Vishnu. However, it is Garuda that takes the focus in this piece. Carved out of a single block of rock. Look at the leaves sheltering the image of Garuda. Doesn't it look like they are just hanging there? Look at the way the sculptor has followed his art from the right hand of Garuda to the divinity sitting on his left shoulders via the boughs at the top.On the left shoulders are the Lord and his wife, Sri Mahalakshmi. To adjust within the space and the mass of rock available, the sculptor has made Garuda kneel with grace and respect in a  posture that goes along with the flow of the sculptor's art.

The Lord of the Universe

Rarely do you see a sitting Vishnu. The lord of the universe is frequently portrayed as standing or reclining on his celestial bed, Adi Sesha, with the many hoods of the divine snake guarding his visage.

Here in this exquisitely carved statue, you see the Lord, sitting on the Adi Sesha. Begin from the back ground. It looks as if this figure of Vishnu has emerged from the pillar like Narasimha, only in a benign pose. If you measure the distance between the nose of Vishnu and the core of the background pillar, you will realize that the sculptor has been meticulous, and has done a might good job.

Vishnu has a body structure like that of a dancer, and the proportions are exquisitely figured out. If Vishnu sitting is unusual, so is his right hand that carries a conch instead of the usual chakra.

Needless to say that the details are worked out with great care and craft!

Dancing Lakshmi

Are the gods real? What inspired these sculptors to chisel such exquisite forms? They say that the gods in the Hindu pantheon are not somewhere in a cloudy heaven. They are inside you. They are the subtle powers that drive the energy in you. Imagine when these powers inspire men, possess them, and drive them to inspired works of art.

One such inspired art is what you see here—the Dancing Lakshmi.

Begin from the top—the tree. Look at its three-dimensional projection that works to enhance the light on the face of the Goddess! And the face, ah, a divine serenity. The mother is full of love and benediction. The angle in which she has bent her face—the sculptor must have also known dancing.

The four hands of the mother carry weapons—all symbolic of the war within, the good and the bad, the man and the beast, the suras and the asuras. The waist has been so beautifully carved that it brings the torso to the forefront such that the weapons in the hands do not look like clumsy pods of stone.

The very form is enticing—from the top to the bottom, the right outline of the body appears like a snake dancing. Snake, the kundalini, the energy within!

Granite Ceiling III

It is difficult even to write about this sculpture. Human figure, gods or geometric patterns symbolizing divinity--the craftsmen and the master were at their best. Look at the circle--what compass did they use to get this near perfect 360 degrees?

What tools did they use to etch those small dots or the small pieces of rectangles? What spirit fired them to go into these micro details?

It looks like art is basically 'a great firing of neural network with skill ready at hand'.

While some ceiling delineate natural vegetation such as a banana or a lotus flower, some indeed are forms so recondite that only an initiate can understand.

Granite Ceiling II

You will be amazed when you look at this picture. Imagine carving intricate details of a foot-thick granite. Unless you have a crystal clear image of what you are going to carve, working on this kind of art is impossible.

Zoom your vision from outside in. At the first turn of your imaginary lens, you focus on the peripheral design; that is on the square block. Intricate patterns reminding you of the entrance to a temple. from these patterns, you cross seven steps as it were, of artwork to hit the inner block. dots, curves, squares and stars form the artwork.

Ancient symbols indicating arcane powers of consciousness? Only the master-sculptor should know!

Whether it is a plain pattern from a banana flower or it is a pattern emerging from the sub-conscious mind speaking about the way the inner consciousness opens up, the work on stone: indeed  a very kaleidoscopic pattern  in stone.  Mind-blowing!

It is a masterpiece of concept and workmanship.

Where are the artists of stone today?

Cement and mortar seem to have destroyed ancient art.

Granite Ceiling

Granite is not an easy medium for sculpting. However, the masters who worked on this knew how to handle stone like clay.

The Hoysala architecture is known for its beauty, symmetry and meticulous execution.

This ceiling in one of the chapels is a good example. Look at the near perfect circle, look at the symmetry in form and size of the smaller pieces that go into decorating the concentric bands.

The sculptors not only knew their art, but also a great deal of Hindu mythology. The symbol of banana flower represented here is noteworthy.

The banana plant, flower and fruit have been considered sacred, worthy of offering to Gods and Goddesses

Here in the intricate art, particularly the designs in miniature, you find the banana flower.

Brahma

There may be not temples for Brahma on this earth, but you find his icon in a few temples, and here in Hoysala art and architecture, he figures predominantly. You see him carrying a rosary, a pot of elixir, a lasso, certainly not the noose of death,  and a staff, in each of the four arms he has.

The first command from his own creator to Brahma was ‘meditate’. Does the rosary symbolically indicate this command to the first of the created kind?

The Lord of All Beginnings

No Hindu prayer or worship begins unless Lord Ganesha is satiated. Lord Ganesha, the Lord of Elements, is the huge pot bellied elephant headed God.

So turning away your eyes from the presiding deity, Lord Keshava or Krishna, you now see Lord Ganesha. The next piece of wonder in granite!

Ganesha clears all hurdles in the venture you embark upon. Maybe, the sculptors worked on this piece first. It’s dancing Ganesha, and the craftsman has brilliantly capture the motion in stone. Look at the left leg on which the Lord stands. It seems to bearing not only his weight, but also the massive stone as well!

The drummers accompany Ganesha with the rhythmic beat of the drums to the rhythm of his movements.



The square block below carries the signature of the sculptor, but the writing is no longer legible.

Beauty frozen in time

Travel for 35 kilometres, you enter the temple town of Somanathapura. It is not that the city is full of temples, but one temple, that of Chennakesava, is enough to make the town to be called a temple town. Such is the grandeur of this twelfth century temple.

The strain of travelling 35 kilometres by van vanished the moment we saw the temple. The sheer beauty of the temple hit us. We were not prepared to see something like this.

Somnathapura, once an important city during Hoysalas, has stood the test of time. Built around AD 1268, the architecture and sculpture in the temple have frozen in time, the exquisite concepts and workmanship of people who we today think were backward in science and technology.

The Hoysalas were known for the patronage to art and architecture, and this temple stands as a supreme testimony to their concept of art. Now under the protection of the Archeological Society of India, the temple is open to visitors between 9 am and 5 pm.

There is no worship in the temple, and the gods seem to be happy with the adoration that art lovers and art critics give.

The first sculpture to catch your attention and heart is the icon of Krishna. Carved in granite, the piece is an exhibit of exquisite workmanship.


The Hoysala architecture is known for its rococo style. And what theme than the Hindu myths and Gods can better suit this style?

Look at the ways the stone is carved to represent the branches  of a tree under which Lord Krishna stands with his famous signature—body bent at three different places in three different angles!

Is he not a lad here? The size of the limbs, the body proportions, and the final touches to the polish of the stones—surely the sculptor must have had a young Krishna in mind. The dress, the long necklace, and the workmanship make the whole piece worth its weight in gold.