Lakshmi Narayana Temple
The Lakshminarayana Temple is located in Hosaholalu, a small town in the Mandya district of Karnataka state, India. It was built by king Vira Someshwara Hoysala Empire in1250 C.E.Hosaholalu was part of the Ganga and Chola dominance up to eleventh century AD.The hoysala built an agrahara and was enclosed with in a fort during the Vijayanagara rule.The Lakshminarayana temple is an specimen of ornate vesara variety of Hoysala temples,assignable to thirteenth century AD.Stellate on plan,it is Trikutachala temple.Only the main shrine facing east has a Sukanasi,Navaranga and a super structure. The pillars of the Navaranga are lathe-turned and we’ll polished dancing female sculptures in different mudras adorn the capitals of this pillars.On the exterior the temple stands on a high rasied platform with conventional mouldings the stalllet corners on which are provided with sculptures of elephant denoting Ashtadigajas the images scurved on the wall are about two and half feet high finds specimen of Hoysala workmanship. These images revolving around the chaturvimsathi aspect of Vishnu and devotees are interrupted by double storeyed chariet like shrines like west,north and south of the satillete garbhagraha the sculptures of Panduranga , Govardhandari, Sarasvathi, Madhava, Dhanmanthari, Dhakshinamurthy and Mohini are noteworthy amongest the wall sculptures. The friezes and scroll work and the railing panels of the adishtathana are of much interest.This monument has been declared to be national importance under the ancient monuments and archeological sites and remains act 1958. The interior of the temple consists of a closed hall (mantapa) of modest size with four polished lathe turned pillars supporting the roof. The four central pillars divide the hall into nine equal "bays" (compartments) and nine decorated ceilings. The sanctum of the three shrines contain the images of venugopala , narayana in the middle and lakshminarayana; all forms (Avatara) of Vishnu.
