Chennakeshava Temple, Belur

Karnataka Tourism says King Vishnuvardhana built the temple to commemorate a victory over the Cholas. According to Wikipedia, an inscription on the east wall of the main hall records that he commissioned it for the god Vijayanarayana in 1117 CE, the same date UNESCO gives for the start of worship. Karnataka Tourism and Wikipedia both say the complex took about 103 years to complete over three generations of rulers. Historians have recorded 118 inscriptions in the complex, dating from 1117 CE to the 18th century.

Wikipedia records that later Hoysala kings added to the temple; a high enclosure wall and perforated stone screens for the open hall were added around the reign of Veera Ballala III. The temple was damaged in 14th-century raids, and under the Vijayanagara rulers it was repaired, a new gateway tower (gopuram) was built and further shrines were added. Further repairs followed in the 18th century. The tower over the sanctum was removed in the late 19th century because it was collapsing, and UNESCO lists this lost superstructure among the past alterations to the site.

UNESCO inscribed the Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas on the World Heritage List in 2023 under criteria (i), (ii) and (iv). The Deccan Herald reported that the decision was made on 18 September 2023 at the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in Riyadh, and that the Hoysala temples had been on India's Tentative List since April 2014.

Architecture and sacred features

UNESCO states that all three Hoysala temples are built of chloritic schist, often called soapstone. Wikipedia explains that the stone is soft when quarried, which allows very fine carving, and hardens over time. The main temple stands in the middle of a walled courtyard, faces east and rises from a raised platform (jagati). Karnataka Tourism describes friezes of elephants and horses along the base, bracket figures of celestial dancers (madanikas) under the eaves, and a figure of Garuda facing the shrine. According to Wikipedia, the outer walls carry about 80 large reliefs, most of them of Vishnu and his avatars.

Inside, Wikipedia records that the pillared hall (navaranga) has 48 pillars, most of them lathe-turned, including the elaborately carved Narasimha and Mohini pillars. The four central pillars are later supports added in the Vijayanagara period. The image of Keshava in the sanctum has four arms, and Karnataka Tourism notes that the ten avatars of Vishnu are carved on its halo. Other shrines in the complex include the Kappe Chennigaraya, Viranarayana, Soumyanayaki and Andal shrines.