‘Filigree in Stone: Hoysala Temples’ by Benoy K Behl

Online Event, India Habitat Centre, 10th May, 2025
Talk and Screening of Film Produced for Doordarshan.
By Benoy K Behl
Introduction by Sujata Chatterji 00:07; Subject Intro 02:51; Film 11:35; Talk 35:03

The Chennakeshava Temple at Belur is a classic example of the ornate style of temple art under the Hoysalas. The temple has the richest surface texture seen in any in India. The bands of carving which go around the temple run for over 700 feet. The elephants we see below number about two thousand.

The Hoysala artist paid the greatest attention to detail. Every limb of each figure, every decorative design shows this preoccupation. There appears to be a limitless devotion and time which the sculptor must have put into his laborious work. Every unit of work is remarkable in its intricacy of design, depth of detail and skillful craftsmanship.

The figures and decorative motifs are deeply undercut and stand out most effectively against dark shadows. The best-known sculptures here are of the Madanakais, the female bracket figures, beneath the overhanging roof of the mandapa. These are Nayikas, or beautiful women, who are seen in Indic art from early times. They represent the fertile abundance of nature. The fullness of the figures and ornamentation is somewhat similar to the idiom of nearby Kerala.

The Hoysala temples mark one of the most exuberant periods of Indian art. The artists of this time must have been among the most assiduous in their detailed work and most prolific in their output. It is the stylization in Indian art which is marked here, with less of the naturalism which was also seen before.