Hazara Rama Devasthana - part 2

..continued from Hazara Rama Devasthana - part 1

Hazararama Devasthana as seen from backside. The Shikhara dominates this view. Chalukyan temple Shikharas are made of stone but Vijayanagara temple designers preferred brick and mortar crowns. Probably logistics and ease of handling were the reasons. Bricks would be manufactured at construction sites itself, so lesser transportation. Bricks being smaller and lighter, the need for equipment and manpower to haul heavy material is eliminated. Builders had cut down construction costs. Technological changes and cost cutting continued to the point where stones were used only in the foundation.

In the temple backyard is a Kalyana Mantapa, a water tank and canal system. The Kalyana Mantapa is built on a platform and besides it is a long pillared hall which could be used as a lodge or dining hall. Water was supplied to the front of the temple using the canals.

Besides the Hazara Rama temple is another temple, smaller in size, dedicated to a Devi. The smaller temple's Shikhara condition is better.

A closer look at the walls.

This looks like a flower vase with some kind of flora in it. Check out the humanoid figures.. a goddess with four arms, a bearded man doing Namaskara and a man with pot belly standing on one leg. Interesting sculptures. Wish I'd paid closer attention to them around the temple.

Grandeur in Garbhagudi drain pipe. The holy mixture of water, milk, honey, etc. flowing out from the deity can't be let out in a simple manner.

Warriors engaged in a battle. Three arrows are flying out towards the warrior standing on the ground. No idea who these images depict.

Another battle scene. Two warriors are being shot at.

That's the facade of Devi temple.. simple but elegant.

Turning our attention back to Hazara Rama temple, you get to see more scenes from Ramayana such as king Dasaratha giving the divine kheer to his queens Kaushalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi; Dasartaha with his four sons; Rama, Sita and Lakshmana in exile; and other events.

This is the portico over the northern door. Notice the wood-work like canopy. Such design can be seen in Chalukyan Mahadeva Devasthana, Itagi. The pillars have sculptures of Bala Krishna i.e. Krishna as a young boy eating stolen butter and slaying the snake demon Aghasura. On the wall to the right is a scene of Lakshmana mutilating Shoorpanaki.

At the top of this wall two panels depict the Vanara army marching over the stone bridge across the sea, towards Lanka. The second layer from the top shows Shoorpanaki eyeing Rama as Lakshmana watches her. The lowest layer shows the scene of Dasaratha performing a Yagna to beget sons, receiving the divine kheer from Agni and he distributing the kheer to his three wives. Many of the stories / events have repeated. Nothing wrong with it, just an observation.

A closer look at monkey army on Rama Sethu, fishes in the sea shown so nicely. Also the scene of Shoorpanaki, Rama, Sita and Lakshmana.

A collage of a voluptuous woman, chained elephant and a sculptor's outline of a flower on a column.

Images of Krishna.. eating butter as a kid and as Muralidhara.

These are some of the sculptures that caught my eye, there could hundreds that escaped. Do see it with your own eyes, once at least.
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