Vijaynagar Period Temples

Features of Vijaynagar Period Temples

• • Vijayanagar architecture has a major influence on the Chalukyas, Hoysalas, Cholas, and Pandyas. It was a manifestation of the previous empires from before. It also had impressions of the later Dravidian architecture.

•  Inspired from the Chalukyas, hard granite was selected for construction because of its availability.

• • Vijayanagar period temples feature pillared halls that are extensively decorated and rayagopurams, or sculptured towers. The towers are decored with depictions of Hindu Gods that guard the entry gate of the temple.
• The courts in Vijayanagar depict secular styles inspired by the Islamic-influenced arches, domes, and vaults. This is built of a mortar and stone mixture.

The Vijayanagar Empire – overview

In the south, the Vijayanagar Empire emerged as a Hindu Empire in the Deccan plateau. Harihara I founded the kingdom in 1336. He reigned for twenty years from 1336–1356 CE. The Empire fell in 1646 before it was annexed by the Sultans of Bijapur and Golkonda. During the period of Emperor Krishna Deva Raya, the empire reached its peak political and cultural potential.

 Patronage of the rulers helped the fine artwork and literary pieces inside the Vijaynagar period temples to achieve a new height. The rich legacy of sculpture, painting, and architecture deeply influenced the development of the arts in Southern India even after the empire fell. Many distinct architectural traditions and designs in South India came together in the Vijayanagar architecture, the most refined instances of which are situated in the Empire’s capital, Hampi.

Sneak peek into Vijayanagar Architecture

• Vijayanagar era architecture is divided by experts in terms of religious, civic, and courtly aspects. The design trend is a warm collaboration of the Chalukya, Pandya, Hoysala, and Chola cultures that developed in previous centuries. Thus it encourages a reflection of the simplicity and beauty of the previous kingdoms. Hard granite was selected for construction because of its availability; soft soapstone was used for monuments and prominent sculptures as it could be easily carved.

Vijaynagar Period Temples

Strong enclosures bound the Vijayanagar period temples. The temples are characterized by fancy pillared Kalyana mandapa that served as marriage halls; tall rayagopurams (monumental towers built to welcome guests to the temple) built of wood material, brick, and rusty stucco as per the Chola style.

Carved pillars that depicted charging horses, Hindu mythology figures, and yali or hippogryphs, adored the Vijaynagar temples. Some Hindu temples indicating the Vijayanagar cultural reflection include the Virupaksha Temple at Karnataka’s Hampi and the remarkable temple of Hazara Rama built by Emperor Deva Raya I. The prominent temples are dedicated to a male deity, with a separate shrine dedicated for the worship of his female counterpart as well. 

The architecture of palaces and noble courts 

• There is no evidence of royal palace structures from the Vijaynagar Period. The majority of the knowledge has been extracted from excavations at Hampi. The royal palaces embraced within compounds guarded by high earthen stone walls. The temples faced east or north. The palaces were constructed on elevated granite platforms. Palaces that exhibited several levels had tall strands of stairs bordered on each side by railings marked with yali or gigantic elephants. The different tiers of the moldings are decorated with intricately carved friezes. We could witness wooden pillars and the roofs were built of concrete. The courts in Vijayanagar depict secular styles inspired by the Islamic-influenced arches, domes, and vaults. This is built of a mortar and stone mixture.

One of the remarkable landmarks of Vellore is the majestic fort, inside which is located the beautiful temple for Shiva dedicated to Jalakanteshwarar. The temple was built in the 16th century AD. During the reign of Chinna Bomma Nayaka (Veluri Bommi Nripati), a chieftain of Vellore. This was at a time when a very large part of south India was annexed by Emperor Sadasiva Raya of the Vijayanagara dynasty.

The Vijaynagar period temple entrances were made via a couple of gopurams. The outer side gopuram is about 15 m in height. It consists of seven stories. They consist of the sculptural figures of Chinna, Sadasiva Raya, Bomma, and Nayaka with palms positioned as ‘Namaskar’ portraying as if they are praying to the Hindu deity.

History has witnessed the hundred-pillar hall also known as the Kalyana Mandapa, this is the focal point of this temple. Similar to Srirangam, the Ranganatha Swami temple adorned halls with hundred decorated pillars. Other examples include the Varadaraja Perumal temple of Kanchipuram and other Tamil temples. This Vellore mandap architecture too is a remarkable milestone of architecture, crowded with multiple sculptures on the immovable pillars. The outside pillars depict the signature Vijayanagara riding-horse and yali structures, the pillars on both ends inside the temple have many carvings featuring deities. 

Conclusion

The actual sanctum for Jalakanteshwara is east facing, it housed two big door-guardians termed as dvarapalakas protecting the entrance. This holy place consisted of a prakaram or enclosure space around it. There also remains one large outer prakaram. Goddess Parvati as Akhilandeshwari is revered by the people here. Inscriptions suggest that seven nearby villages were once designated to the temple’s deities.