VishwakarmaOne

Ancient and medieval texts central to the Vishwakarma tradition

The Vishwakarma community—traditionally the architects, engineers, sculptors, and artisans of India—traces its lineage to Lord Vishwakarma, the divine craftsman. Because their work was both a physical trade and a spiritual practice, their literature is found in the Shilpa Shastras (treatises on arts and crafts) and the Vastu Shastras (science of architecture).

Sri Garuda, Chennakesava Temple, Belur, Karnataka

Sri Garuda, the sacred steed of Sri Vishnu, greets devotees at the portals of the Chennakesava Temple, Belur, Karnataka

The Chennakesava temple was built by the Hoysalas under the rule of King Vishnuvardhana in 1117 AD. The deity of this temple is Sri Vishnu and the word 'Chennakesava' literally translates to ‘Handsome Vishnu’. The temple is remarkable for its architecture, sculptures, reliefs, friezes as well its iconography, inscriptions and history and is considered one of the crown jewels of Hoysala Empire.

Wonders of Vishwakarma Community 01

The entire outer wall of the temple is decorated with exquisitely carved parallel horizontal bands of artwork. It has three major section, the basement band, the wall band and the top band. The lowest band in the basement section is about 6 inches tall and shows a row of elephants mostly marching to the left in the clockwise direction. The band above the elephants is of horses with armed riders, depicting a military march. In some spots, camels substitute for horses suggesting that the Hoysala had adopted camels into their army. The band above the horsemen friezes is a scroll of nature. It shows flowers, fruits, occasionally some peacocks and wildlife. The band above it is the mythology frieze.