Hoysala Temples of Hosa Budanur, Mandya Karnataka

          "Budanur",  is a very familiar name for people travelling from Bangalore to Mysore. Though many are aware of the name of Budanur, very few people know about the hidden treasures in this place .Until recently, we did not know about Budanur,  though we have crossed this place many a times. This time around, we went in search of this place particularly. Erstwhile Budanur today is divided into two villages named 'Hosa Budanur' and 'Hale Budanur'. These villages are located in Mandya district. Hale Budanur  is on the Bangalore - Mysore Highway   and Hosa Budanur is about half a kilometer from the highway .

        Hosa Budanur has two temples built by the kings of the Hoysala dynasty . These temples are dedicated to 'Anantha Padmanabha' and 'Kasi Visveswara' . They were built around the 12-13 th century, during the reign of  the Hoysala King Vira Ballala III . These temples have been renovated  by the ASI to resemble the older structure. New stones have replaced the older missing stones. Other reconstruction works around are being carried out briskly.

Anantha Padmanabha Temple

Kasi Visveswara Temple

   Both the temples are constructed on a multi angled raised platforms. Striking differences from many other Hoysala temples are the six pattikas which are simple and the absence of sculptures  on the walls.The sculptures of  both the deities are very grand and prove an excellent example of Hoysala art. The pillars of  these temples are similar and extensively decorated .

Anantha Padmanabha

Kasi Visveswara

Pillars

Pillar

Note the detailed work

     "Anantha Padmanabha temple" : This temple is dedicated to 'Lord Anantha Padmanabha' . The sculpture is in standing position , one of the rare forms of this god . He is holding a Chakra, Astabandha, Gada and Shanka.The door frames of the temple are heavily decorated . There are two small devakothas with sculptures of Ganapathy and Lakshmi. There is a inscription stone in the temple which is a very important source of information about the temple. There is a board put up by the Archeology and Museum Department of Karnataka, which provides some information about the temple.

Decorative Door frame

Inscription Stone

     "Kasi Visveswara Temple": This temple is considered as 'Dakshina Kasi'. There is a big Nandi statue in front of the Linga . Though very less is known about this temple, it is considered to be built along with  the Anantha Padmanabha temple .This temple resembles the other temple in most of the respects. This temple  is having  4 devakothas which are currently empty. There are sculptures of Ganapathy and Shanmuga in the temple . The ceilings are heavily carved.

Outer Ceiling

Central Ceiling

Ceiling

Inner Ceiling

     There is a sculpture of 'Sapthamatharikas' in the Kasi Visveswara temple, which is seen in many temples across India. Sapthamatharikas represent the seven mothers who are mentioned specifically in the Rigvedas. The sculpture usually has nine figurines instead of seven. The first  is of Goddess  Parvathi (Lord Shiva's consort ) and the last is of Lord Ganapathy (Lord Shiva's Son). The other seven represent the motherly aspects of the great goddess (devi) and constitute the female counterparts of the gods Brahma (Brahmani), Maheshvara (Mahesvari), Kumara (Kaumari), Vishnu (Vaisnavi) , Varaha (Varahi), Indra (Indrani) and Yama (Chamunda). The mothers are armed with same weapons as their respective gods and also have the same mounts and banners. The number seven is especially sacred in India and is used to express indefinite plurality , Hence the seven divisions of the world , the seven sacred cities , rivers , etc . There are many Sapthamatharikas sculpture preserved in Aihole (Bagalkot District) museum .

Sapthamatharikas at Budanur

Sapthamatharikas at Aihole Museum

Aihole Museum

   The keys to  the temple remain with the concerned priest. The priest of Anantha Padmanabha  temple lives in the same village and is accessible any time during the day and the priest of Kasi Visveswara  temple lives in the neighboring village of Hale Budanur . The latter comes in the morning to perform the daily pooja and rituals and returns back to his village, since his accommodation in this village is yet to be arranged. He can be contacted over phone (# 9611695091 , Name: Nanjappa ) and will take some time to reach the temple. Prior information to the priest  is always appreciated . Luckily, we caught him during his routine timing , which according to him is 9:00 am. The former priest had considerable knowledge on Hoysala architecture and temples and was very interactive .Both the priests were visitor friendly .

Directions from Bangalore : Via SH 17 Mysore road, Cross Hale Budanur- Take a right turn (Land mark Lemon Grass Restaurant) - Hosa Budanur . 

Distance :  About 95 kms

Place is being developed by ASI ,requires more maintenance and development. 

Trip Date : 28 Nov 2010. 
Places to visit near by : Mandya , Chikka Mandya, Basaralu , Srirangapatna , Tonnur Lake , Kokkere Belluru, Maddur , Ramanagara , many more.

References used : 

1 Publications of Government of Karnataka on Mandya .

2  About Sapthamatharikas, from the book " The Illustrated Dictionary of Hindu Iconography" written by Margaret Stutley.