Arakere, Chennakeshava temple

                                 Arakere is a small village close to Banavara near Arasikere in Hassan district, Karnataka. Earlier the place was known as Sarvajnapura. As per the inscriptions found at the temple, it was built by Davodara Shetty, a powerful trader in the year 1220 during the period of Narasimha II. The temple has been restored by ASI. 

                             The trikutachala temple is built in granite with Kadamba Nagara sikhara style. The three garbhagrihas of the trikutachala temple opens into a common sabhamandapa and a mukhamandapa. The temple is dedicated to the main Vishnu deity of those times Channakesava. The other two sanctums  house Venugopal and Lakshmi-Narasimha as usual.

                            The sculptural depictions on the outer walls are not of high quality. In between sculptural depictions, slender tall pilasters and single pilaster turrets are inserted to break the monotony. The sculpture depictions include the Dashavatara, twenty four forms of Vishnu and Dikpalakas. All types of people are also depicted on stone around the temple. This is a rare feature among Hoysala temples to exhibit warriors on par with Gods. Thus the temple depicts the life, culture and life style of the period.








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