Hoysala insignia at Belur

 

The big exquisite Belur Channakeshava Temple was built in the 12th century AD by one of the most successful emperors of India, King Vishnuvardhana. The temple took a whopping 103 years to be built, across 3 generations of the Hoysalas! In fact, just beside the temple in the complex is the prototype that was first built. It is stated that this  prototype took 18 years to be built!

 

The Hoysala Empire enveloped the valleys of three main rivers, the Krishna, the Tungabhadra, and the Kaveri, whose systems facilitated the growth of crops and generated an agricultural output that was immense  Their  capital was initially located at Belur and was later moved to Halebidu.  The origins of the Hoysalas are legendary. The founder of the dynasty was Sala. The legend goes that, whilst in a forest at "Sosevur" located at present-day Angadi Village in Chikkamagaluru district a wild animal attacked his guru’s Ashram. Sala, on being commanded by his Jain guru Sudatta, “Hoy Sala”, the man killed the Lion  with bare hands. “Hoy” in Old Kannada language meaning “Kill” (verb) and “Sala” being the man’s name.   The legend purporting to show how Sala became the founder of the Hoysala dynasty is shown in the Belur inscription of the Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana.

 
Here is a picture of the insignia at Belur taken by me  on 8.10.2022
 
Regards S Sampathkumar