Amrutesvara Temple, Amruthapura -Part 2

The temple deity is worshiped on all days of the year, complete with Naivedya, accompanied with the chanting of mantras. Surrounded by lush greenery on all sides, the age-old temple is a feast for the eyes. Even though, the Amruthapura temple in itself very interesting with its Instinctive intelligible art. However, the tranquility is all around, which is the most beautiful part about this village.

 

Scenes from the Epic Ramayana are sculpted on the south side wall on 70 panels with the story proceeding anti clockwise which is unusual. On the north side wall, all depictions are clockwise, the normal Hoysala style. 25 panels depict the life of Lord Krishna and the remaining 45 panels depict the Epic Mahabharata. The large stone inscription near the porch is an excellent example of medieval Kannada poetry composed by the famous poet Janna.

This temple stands out for its exquisite images of intricately sculpted figures of women in different poses found on the exterior walls. The facade of the temple is filled with intricate sculptures and friezes with no portion left blank. The intricate workmanship includes elephants, lions, horses, episodes from the Indian mythological epics, and sensuous dancers.

The bull Nandi stands guard at the entrance in the porch. I observed that these temples had barely any light inside, giving them a very private, sacred feel. When you come out, the sun’s glare seems particularly strong and you are forced to shade yourself such is the contrast between inside and out.

It’s aesthetically crafted by experts in compliance with set quality standards and is highly durable in existence and magnificent in appearance. The tranquility something inexplicable happens here is only to be experienced in solitude. I spent hours just savoring each piece of artwork and understanding its significance. The whole environment gets aromatic by saffron shower on idols from sky at some times.