The marriage hall at this exquisite Shiva temple is one of the most remarkable I've ever seen, with beautifully carved granite columns. The best part, however, is the floor of the hall, and one can easily imagine a 700-year-old Hindu marriage ceremony taking place, complete with fire in the centre.
The original temple apparently dates back to the Chola dynasty - one of the longest ever in world history (300 BC - 1279 AD) - but the architecture seen today is clearly in the Dravidian style of the Vijayanagara Empire, and would date to the early 14th Century.
A huge gopuram stands at the main entrance, and can be seen across the relatively small town of Kolar. In the centre, the main temple is lined with, again, some of the most ornately carved columns of any Vijayanagara-era maha mandapa. Only the temples of Hampi - the capital of the empire - can boast such detailed carvings as these or, should I say, of the temples I've seen across Karnataka.
This video was recorded 29 November 2019
7 сен 2024
