Famous Vijayanagara temples in Karnataka Hazare Rama temple at Hampi Someshvara temple at Kolar Agoreshwara temple at Ikkeri Ranganatha temple, Rangasthala, Chikkaballapur district, Karnataka

Salient features 

Vijayanagara architecture can be broadly classified into religious, courtly and civic architecture, as can the associated sculptures and paintings. The Vijayanagara style is a combination of the Chalukya, Hoysala,

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During the Vijayanagar period the local hard granite was preferred in the Badami Chalukya style, although soapstone was used for a few reliefs and sculptures.

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While the use of granite reduced the density of sculptured works, granite was a more durable material for the temple structure.

Temple structures 

Vijayanagara temples are usually surrounded by a strong enclosure. Small shrines consist simply of a garbhagriha (sanctum) and a porch.

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Medium sized temples have a garbhagriha, shukanasi a navaranga (antrala) connecting the sanctum and outer mandapa (hall), and a rangamantapa (enclosed pillared hall).

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Large temples have tall Rayagopuram built with wood, brick and stucco in Chola style. The top of the gopuram has a shalashikhara resembling a barrel made to rest on its side. Large life sized figures of men, woman, Gods and Goddesses adorn the gopuram.

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In addition to these structures, medium sized temples also have a closed circumambulatory (Pradakshinapatha) age around the sanctum, an open mahamantapa (large hall), a kalyanamantapa (ceremonial hall) and a temple tank to serve the needs of annual celebrations.

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The horses on some pillars stand seven to eight feet tall. On the other side of the pillar are usually carvings from Hindu mythology.

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Some pillars have a cluster of smaller pillars around a central pillar shaft. The bottom s of these pillars have engravings of Gods and Goddesses.

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The Mantapas are built on square or polygonal plinths with carved friezes that are four to five feet high and have ornate stepped entrances on all four sides with miniature elephants.

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The Mantapas are ed by ornate pillars. The 1000 pillared Jain basadi at Mudabidri is an example. Larger temples have a separate shrine for the female deity. Some examples of this are the Hazara Rama, Balakrishna and Vitthala temples at Hampi.

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Each shrine has its own enclosure, and a separate kitchen and pilgrim feeding hall. The water storage tank inside the royal center, the stepped tank called Pushkarni, is a recent archaeological discovery.

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The stepped tank is fashioned with finished chlorite schist slabs arranged in a symmetrical formation with steps and landings descending to the water on all four sides. This is clearly a Western Chalukya-Hoysala style tank and is seen in many parts of present day Karnataka

Terminology 1.Mandapa - pillared hall 2. Mahamantapa - Open pillared hall 3.Rangamantapa - Closed pillared hall

4.Kalyanamantapa - Hall meant for celebrations

5.Garbhagriha - Sanctum where the idol of God is placed

6. Shukanasi-Antechamber

7.Navaranga or Antrala - age the connects different Sanctums

Western Chalukya architecture Mahadeva Temple at Itagi in the Koppal district, Kasivisvesvara Temple at Lakkundi in the Gadag district, Mallikarjuna Temple at Kuruvatti in the Bellary district. Kedareshvara Temple at Balligavi, in Shimoga district, Domical bay ceiling in Kaitabheshvara temple at Kubatur, 1100 CE, in the Shimoga district

Overview 

The Western Chalukya decorative inventiveness focused on the pillars, door s, lintels (torana), domical roofs in bays, outer wall decorations such as Kirthimukha (common in Western Chalukya architecture), and miniature towers on pilasters.

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The doorways are highly ornamented but have an architectural framework consisting of pilasters, a moulded lintel and a cornice top.

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The sanctum receives diffused light through pierced window screens flanking the doorway; these features were inherited and modified by the Hoysala builders. The outer wall decorations are well rendered.

Vimana Kirthimukha decoration at Kasivisvesvara Temple at Lakkundi 

The walls of the vimana below the dravida superstructure are decorated with simple pilasters in low relief with boldly modeled sculptures between them. There are fully decorated surfaces with frequent recesses and projections with deeper niches and conventional sculptures.

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The decoration of the walls is subdued compared to that of the later Hoysala architecture. The walls, which are broken up into hundreds of projections and recesses, produce a remarkable effect of light and shade,an artistic vocabulary inherited by the Hoysala builders in the decades that followed. Open mantapa (hall) at the Mahadeva Temple at Itagi, the Koppal district, 1112 CE

Mantapa 

An important feature of Western Chalukya roof art is the use of domical ceilings,and square ceilings. Both types of ceilings originate from the square formed in the ceiling by the four beams that rest on four pillars.

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The dome above the four central pillars is normally the most attractive. The dome is constructed of ring upon ring of stones, each horizontally bedded ring smaller than the one below.

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Pillars are a major part of Western Chalukya architecture and were produced in two main types: pillars with alternate square blocks and a sculptured cylindrical section with a plain square-block base, and bell-shaped lathe-turned pillars.

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Notable in Western Chalukya architecture are the decorative door s that run along the length of the door and over on top to form a lintel.

Sculpture Yali Balustrade at Tripurantakesvara Temple, Balligavi, the Shivamogga district Figure sculpture 

Figural sculpture on friezes and s changed during the period. The heroes from the Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, depicted often in early temples, Erotic sculptures are rarely seen in Chalukyan temples;

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the Tripurantakesvara Temple at Balligavi is an exception. Here, erotic sculpture is limited to a narrow band of friezes that run around the exterior of the temple.

Figure sculpture at Mahadeva Temple at Itagi, the Koppal district Deity sculpture 

In what was a departure from convention, the Western Chalukyan figure sculptures of gods and goddesses bore stiff forms and were repeated over and over in the many temples. This was in contrast to the naturalistic and informal poses employed in the earlier temples in the region.

Badami Chalukya Architecture 

The Badami Chalukya Architecture is a temple building idiom that evolved in the time period of 5th to 8th centuries in the area of Malaprabha basin, in present day Bagalkot district of Karnataka state, sometimes called the Vesara style and Chalukya style.

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The earliest temples dating back to around 450 in Aihole when the Badami Chalukyas were feudatories of the Kadambas of Banavasi are also reflected during this period.

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According to historians, the Badami Chalukya contribution to temple building matched their valour and their achievements in battle. Their style included two types of monuments, namely the rock cut halls (caves) or cave temple features and the surface structural monuments.

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The Chalukya style had originated in Aihole and was brought to perfection in Badami. Badami cave temples are striking examples of architecture of Badami chalukyas.

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Badami cave temples have rock cut halls with pillared veranda, columned hall and a sanctum cut out deep into rock. Rock cut halls were also experimented in Aihole where they built three cave temples, each one in Vedic, Buddhist and Jaina styles.

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Later the styles were refined and four marvellous cave temples at Badami were constructed. The running frieze of Ganas in various postures caved in relief on each plinth is a striking feature of these rock cut cave temples.

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The verandas of the cave temples are comparatively plain however the inner hall contains rich sculptural symbolism. The finest structural temples are located in Pattadakal in Karnataka.

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Among the ten temples of Pattadakal, six are in Dravidian style and four in Rekhanagara style. The main sanctum has a Pradakshinapatha and mandapa. Some of the important Badami Chalukya temples are:

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In the history of Indian architecture the period of Badami Chalukyas was a glorious era. Badami Chalukyas established the cave temple architecture on the banks of the Malaprabha River between 500 and 757 AD. They were built out of sandstone cut into enormous blocks.

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Aihole has around 150 temples scattered around the village. The Ladkhan temple is the oldest among them. The Durga Temple is also notable for its semi-circular apse and the gallery that encircles the sanctum sanctorum. Other temples include Hutchimali Temple, Konthi temple and the Meguti Jain temple.

Islamic architecture Islamic architecture in Karnataka evolved during the period of the Adil Shahi dynasty of Indian sultans and Bahamani kings who ruled the Sultanate of Bijapur (1490 to 1686); Gol Gumbaz is the most popular monument of this period.

Gol Gumbaz 

Gol Gumbaz of Indo Islamic architectural style, is the mausoleum of Mohammed Adil Shah (1626 – 1656). at Bijapur of the Adil Shahi dynasty of Indian sultans, who ruled the Sultanate of Bijapur from 1490 to 1686. The tomb, located in the city of Bijapur was built in 1659 by the famous architect, Yaqut of Dabul.

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The construction of this building was completed and the deceased king was interred in this building in 1656 and contains the sepulcher containing the tombs of Muhammad Adil Shah, the seventh Sultan of the Adil Shahi dynasty, his wives and daughters.

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The structure, built of grey basalt and decorated plaster, consists of a massive square chamber measuring nearly 50 metres on each side and covered by a huge dome 37.9 metres in diameter making it the second largest pre-modern dome in the entire world. the building is ed by domed octagonal corner towers.

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Gulbarga, Bijapur, Bidar, Srirangapattana and Bangalore are some important examples where in this architecture has flourished for long. Many other places in the neighbouring regions and else where contain illustrations for this school of architecture.

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Islamic architecture in India has borrowed hugely from the Persian and the European schools of architecture. Actually Islamic architecture that prevails in India is a fusion of the Persian, the Hindu and Arabic elements.

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The style that typifies the Islamic architecture of Karnataka is known as the Deccan style. Islamic architecture had its own impact on the Indian architecture.

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New elements were introduced into the Indian architecture that include: use of shapes (instead of natural forms), the Islamic architecture was arcuate i.e. an arch or dome was adopted as a method of bridging a space.

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The Muslims used the cementing agent in the form of mortar for the first time in the construction of buildings in India. They further put to use certain scientific and mechanical formulae, which were derived by experience of other civilizations, in their constructions in India.

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This amalgamation of the Indian and the Islamic elements led to the emergence of a new style of architecture called the Indo-Islamic Architecture.

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The architectural facets of Gulbarga represented by the tombs of Fairoze Shah built during the early stage Bahmani architecture occupy a pride of place among the tombs of Karnataka.

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The ancient structures in Bidar represent a more developed second stratum of Bahmani architecture. These are greatly influenced by the Persian style. Baridshahi structures in Bidar are small but more decorative.

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Colored tablets, wood carvings and pearl shell work which are the hall marks of this style can be seen in Rangeen Mahal and the tomb of Al BarIdi. Bijapur is known for the achievements of the Adilshahi dynasty.

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This style is characterised by domes that are mostly circular, arches that are unique, thick rectangular walls instead of pillars etc. Jami Mosque, Ibrahim Roza, Gol Gumbaz, Mihrath building which gives an entry in to a mosque are the more important achievements of Bijapur.

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Srirangapattana the capital of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sulatan contains a few architectural highlights. Lal Mahal which is said to be a palace of Tipu Sultan is totally destroyed. Jumma Mosque has two minars,

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Gumbaz which contains the tombs of Hyder Ali, Fakrunnisa Begum, and Tipu Sultan is known for its black pillars and its wood work. Dariadaulath a summer palace built by Tipu Sultan is better known for its mural paintings. It has semi-spherical arches and pillars in the shape of lotuses.