Navaranga entryway - east

The Grand and magnificent main entrance to the east

The entrance to the temple facing east is the main entrance. Its richly decorated façade with perfect symmetry is a delightful sight to watch. The structure is symmetrical about the east-west axis, although carvings are different on either side.

Manmatha and Rathi on the door jambs

The door at the entrance opens into the Navaranga. A variety of sculptures and sculptural reliefs adorn the façade of the temple at the main entrance.

Carved on the bottom part of the left door jamb is Manmatha and the right door jamb is his wife Rathi. Manmatha, who is also known by many names, including Kamadeva, is the Hindu god of love.

Manmatha is standing elegantly in the Tribhanga (bent in three places) stance, holding a sugarcane bow with his left hand and the floral arrows with his right hand. He is wearing a variety of jewellery, including necklaces, anklets, armbands, and udiyana (waistband).

Rathi is also wearing a variety of fine jewellery, including necklaces, anklets, armbands, and udiyana (waistband), and standing elegantly in the Tribhanga stance.

Garuda and Narasimha on the pediment

Carved on the pediment, which is above the door, is a relief of Narasimha, the fourth avatar of Vishnu, carried by his vahana, Garuda, a mythical eagle-like bird with human body. Enclosing this pediment is a creeper disgorged by the Makaras (mythical animals with the face of a crocodile) sitting atop the beautifully crafted pilasters that are standing on either side of the doorway. Garuda is also on the roof, flanked by two female figures.

Jālandharas- Perforated stone-screens

Known as the jālandhara, the perforated stone window is a unique element of the Dravida style architecture and is a common feature in Chalukya and Hoysala temples. The perforations allow light and air into the mantapa (covered hall). When the temple was built, the Navaranga was an open mantapa, which means there were no jālandharas. King Veera Ballala II (1173 – 1220 CE), a grandson of King Vishnuvardhana, was responsible for covering the Navaranga windows with the jālandharas, likely for security reasons.

The facade of the main entrance has four pillars, two on the left and two on the right of the door. As you can see from the images below, the jālandharas occupy the space between the pillars. Not only do the jālandharas provide ventilation and light, but also make the temple aesthetically pleasing due to the beautiful patterns of the perforations and the carvings around them. Some of the jālandharas are carved with the themes from the Hindu epics and ancient Indian texts, such as the Puranas.

Sculpted stone-screen on the left of the main door

The jālandhara on the left section of the main entrance facade has a sculptural relief depicting the court of King Vishnuvardana and the right section has the relief depicting the court of King Vira Ballala II.

As you can see from the image, the diamond-shaped perforations are at the top and bottom of the window. Carved between the perforations are the beautiful sculptural reliefs depicting three distinct themes. The top-level relief depicts Narasimha, the fourth avatar of Vishnu. The reliefs of kneeling Garuda are at the ends. The middle-level relief depicts the āsthāna (royal court) of Vishnuvardhana (1108 – 1152 CE), one of the great kings of the Hoysala dynasty and the builder of this temple. The bottom level has lions carved in between the perforations.

Mounted at an angle on the pillars are the two bracket figures, Nātya Sundari (the dancing girl) and Gāna Sundari (the singing girl).

Sculpted stone-screen on the right of the main door

This jālandhara is on the right side of the facade. It also has the diamond-shaped perforations and the carvings between the perforations depict three distinct themes. The top-level relief depicts Vishnu standing with his consort Lakshmi, and Hanuman and Garuda are at the ends. The middle-level relief likely depicts the āsthāna (royal court) of King Veera Ballala II (1173 – 1220 CE), a grandson of King Vishnuvardhana and one of the great kings of the Hoysala dynasty. The bottom level has lions carved in between the perforations.

Mounted at an angle on the pillars are the two bracket figures, Darpana Sundari (girl with the mirror) and Shuka Bhasini (girl talking to a parrot).