A small village at present, Nuggihalli was a flourishing town during the Hoysala period. The temple of Lakshmi Narasimha in this village is a good specimen of Hoysala architecture. There are a number of fine stone sculptures around this temple. Particularly notable among them is a rare creation of Natya Laksmi or Dancing Lakshmi. According to available inscriptional records, it is believed that Nuggihalli was a famous Agrahara formed during the reign of Hoysala king Someshwara Ballala and that the temple of Lakshmi Narasimha was consecrated during his time in 1246 AD.

It is the most beautiful Hoysala Nagara style temple that survives today. The temple is in a good state of preservation, although some of the idols on the outer walls have been mutilated due to the vandalism of the local people. It almost resembles the Chennakeshava temple at Harnahalli, although the tower is modified slightly in a different design. This is a trikutachala type or a three-celled temple. The three different gods are set up in separate cells facing the three cardinal points, the entrance facing the fourth. A beautiful idol of Keshava is enshrined in the centre, the main idol of Lakshmi Narasimha in the north and the idol of Venugopala in the south. The exterior of the temple is divided into several faces and interesting groups of idols are executed. There is a row of carved elephants wearing armour, above which is a frieze of horsemen moving in procession. There is creeper work above with lion faces in the corner and figures of birds, flowers, monkeys, deer, etc. in the convolution. All the sculptures on the outer walls are complete and nothing is left unfinished like some of the other temples of that time.

It is interesting to note that unlike the other Hoysala style temples, the images on the outer walls have in most cases their names engraved below, often with the names of the sculptor who executed them. The figures on the south wall were sculptured by Baichoja of Nandi and those on the north wall were sculptured by Mallitamma, the famous sculptor of that time. Altogether, there are 52 such short descriptions around the temple and their period is stated to be about 1249 AD, the year in which the three idols of deities were enshrined in the three cells of the temple.

There is an excellent figure depicting Natya Lakshmi on the outer walls of the temple. It has been sculpted by Mallitamma, as indicated at the bottom of the figure. This idol has eight hands holding various attributes and has been executed with great care. It is in the Tribhangi posture, ornamented with a Hoysala style crown, necklace, sacred thread, earrings, etc.

Many Hoysala temples have idols depicted in the dancing posture, such as Natya Saraswathi, Natya Ganapathi, Natya Parvathi, Thandaveshwara, etc., but Natya Lakshmi, as such, appears to be a rare conception of the sculptor. The actual sculptural significance of this rare figure is not known. There is no reference to such a figure either in the Hindu mythology or Agama Shastras. The Sri Sukta mentions various forms of Lakshmi, but nowhere is any mention made of Natya Lakshmi. Even scholars of Hindu iconography, such as Gopinatha Rao, have not mentioned the name of Natya Lakshmi.

The conception of Ashta Laksmi - Jayalakshmi, Gajalakshmi, Varalakshmi, Santhanalakshmi, etc. - has been popular over the years. This idol appears to be the sculptor's imaginative conception. Therefore, this rare form of Lakshmi in sculpture would interest students of archaeology and sculpture. It may be mentioned here that a similar idol is found in the Lakshmi Narasimha temple at Javagal near Hassan, which almost resembles Natya Lakshmi. Even this idol is sculpted by the same sculptor Mallitamma.

TRAVEL TIPS

Nuggihalli can be easily reached from Channarayapattana, which is on the National Highway from Bangalore to Hassan. A deviation from Channarayapattana, 20 km away from the main road, is Nuggihalli.

The distance from Bangalore to Channarayapattana is 148 km through an excellent road. Nuggihalli is only 57 km from Hassan via Channarayapattana.

There is a PWD Traveller's Bungalow at Channarayapattana for overnight stay, but Hassan would be the best place to camp.