JOIN USA visit to Brahmeshvara Temple in Mandya district evokes a different feeling – spiritual.
While the famous Hoysala temples of Belur, Halebid or Somanathapur draw attention for their sculptural glory, the less popular Brahmeshvara in the small town of Kikkeri makes one to brood over the very name of the temple itself – a combination of Brahma and Ishvara.
Gods are symbolised to help a seeker to completely surrender his ego and seek spiritual bliss – Brahmatva.
Brahma is not just the creator in the limited sense one understands. He is beyond that. The omnipresent Brahma is enlightenment, ‘Brahmajnana’ – a spiritual awareness that makes a man lift himself up to the world of ‘Brahman’ and merge with him.
Here, Ishvara becomes secondary as a product of Brahma. He is second to Brahma, though Ishvara is among the trinities along with Brahma and Vishnu. Although Brahmesvara is worshipped in the linga form in this Hoysala temple of the 12th century, it is Brahma who plays a superior part.
Together they merge into one, Ishvara, the destroyer of darkness leading to the formless Brahma, spiritual bliss, and hence Ishvara is worshipped here in the form of linga, one entity, taking the name, Brahmeshvara.
With this broad spiritual conceptualisation perhaps, the builders of this Temple must have aptly chosen to name it Brahmeshvara. It is interesting to note that an inscription refers to this temple as Brahmesha.
With these thoughts, I stepped into this Temple, another jewel of the Hoysalas, lesser known and isolated and set amidst rural surroundings near a beautiful and sprawling tank in KR Pet taluk. Kikkeri must have been a prominent place in those days.
It has a ruined fort, two other ruined temples, Janaradhana and Malleshvara, making one sad on as to how we neglect our architectural heritage.
Brahmeshvara is a temple complex surrounded by an old wall. The courtyard consists of the inseparable Nandi of Shiva in a shrine opposite Brahmeshvara.
There are also subsidiary shrines dedicated to Bhairava and Chandikesvara, the shrine of Goddess Parvathi, beautiful naga stones, a temple pond and an almost defaced inscription.
Sadly, almost all the carvings on the outer walls of the Temple are damaged, but yet they are worth observing for their unique features carved by the hands of the master sculptors of the Hoysala period.
A distinctive style
Built of both granite and soapstone, this Temple is a mix of Dravidian and Hoysala styles. It has certain distinctive features, offering an eye-catchy convex view from outside. It is an ekakuta temple, a single sanctum sanctorum exclusively dedicated to Brahmeshvara surmounted by a lofty and attractive stone tower facing east.
The interior consists of a sukhanasi, a navaranga and the porch, housing the well-carved Nandi, besides the garbhagriha.
The lintel of the sanctum sanctorum has a figure of Gajalakshmi. The sukhanasi has a beautiful ceiling with elegantly carved square panel of nine lotuses, each lotus enclosed by ornamental knobs, making it to be the best of the ceilings of this Temple.
The two sides of the sukhanasi entrance have niches with figures of Ganapathi and Mahishasura mardhini, generally seen in other Hoysala temples too.
There are figures of a linga, Subrahmanya seated on a peacock, a magnificent figure of Vishnu, Saptha Matrika panel, among others. Two stone Shaiva dwarapalakas holding a three-hooded serpent in a hand, opposite the Nandi, greet visitors.
On the walls outside are well-executed figures, some defaced beyond recognition. The ornamental turrets on the bhitti have attractive patterns.
Among the figures of gods and goddess, some are worthy of notice, like dancing Ganesha with one foot on mouse, Bhairava wearing footwear and holding trident, drum, sword and severed head and a dog below, Surya holding a lotus bud and the pedestal portion showing his chariot drawn by seven horses, six-handed Nataraja with Ganesha standing in the bottom corner, Bhairava in a ferocious mood, and Bali and Vamana.
Brahma is seated with Saraswathi on his lap and his right leg is placed on Hamsa. Vishnu has Lakshmi on his lap with Garuda seated below. Ishvara, with Parvathi on his lap, has Nandi on one side and Subrahmanya on the other side.
These three panels complete the presence of the trinity couple, the most magnificent trimurthi concept of the manifested universe, in the Brahmeshvara Temple.
Graceful sculptures
A highly ornamented darpana sundari and a lady, Mohini, standing in a casual manner are seen on both sides of Vishnu who is in the central piece. What is interesting is both these young ladies are wearing footwear indicating that footwear was common those days.
These two female figures on either sides of Vishnu on whose lap Lakshmi is seated and Garuda is shown below, makes it a beautiful panel.
A woman is standing in tribhanga posture. She is alasa kanya. These graceful kanyas generally adorn the walls of other Hoysala temples too, standing in different postures like the other one, sukhabashini, who is talking to her pet parrot in a cage.
Wonder who could be this man with a long coat and peculiar head gear? He is dakshina murthy. A couple is in playful mood in another carving.
One of the most attractive features of the Brahmeshvara Temple is its bracket figures on the four pillars in the navaranga. They are no less superior to those mystique beauties seen in the Belur temple.
They exhibit the superb command of the sculptors on soapstone. These madanike carvings deserve a separate treatment for their beauty and magnificence.
Bammavve-nayakiti, wife of Samanta Barmmayya, who was responsible for the construction of this temple in 1171 A.D. during the reign of Hoysala king Narasimha I, must have been a great devotee of Ishvara to have conceptualised the form of Brahmeshvara.
Her virtue is eulogised in glorious terms in an inscription seen on the southern basement slab of the Temple:
“To bless the unshaken faith of Bommavve in the town of Kikkeri did this Brahmesha come from Kailasa, along with his Parvathi? Can men say that the virtue of Bammavve on earth is equal to Meru? Can anybody be austere on earth like Bammavve who is adorned with jewels of virtues, an abode of good qualities, a chintamani in devotion at heart and a bee at the lotus fee of Brahmesha?”
As I leave the place, I humbly bow to this pious lady for giving us such a marvellous monument.