Poetry in Stone - 11

This is eleventh in the series on the rich cultural heritage of ancient temples in India. Today we move to South India for exploring the sculptural marvels at two ancient temples at Belur and Halebid. On the walls of the temple the stories from Hindu epics have been carved with great detail with attention to every minute aspect.


At Belur, there is a 12th century Chennakesava Temple beautifully carved out of soapstone as various sculptures on its walls. 

At Halebid there is a 12th century Hoysaleswara Temple beautifully carved out of soapstone. 


Once upon a time in the forests there lived a king of elephants named Gajendra. One day he went to the lake with his herd to cool off in its fresh waters. Suddenly a crocodile living in the lake attacked Gajendra and caught him by the leg. Gajendra tried in vain to escape from the crocodile's clutches. When there was no hope he prays Lord Vishnu to save him, holding a lotus up in the air as an offering. This act of rescue has been carved very intricately covering all details.



There are many more sculptures all around on the walls of the temple. Some of them are shown here above. In the rightmost image one can see a man in the Western getup - dress, hairstyle.


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