Hoysala Temples of Krishnaraja Pet (KR Pet)

KR Pet is a small town on Mysuru – Channaraya Patna highway. Many temples constructed during Hoysala times are present around this town. In our previous visit, we had covered a few of those temples. Recently, we went again to visit the remaining temples. This post gives a brief overview of these temples.

Huniseshwara Temple, Agrahara Bachalli

On the outskirts of KR Pete is the village of Agrahara Bachalli. It is not good to rely on Google maps to find the route to this village as it leads to the wrong location. Ask locals, and they happily guide you to the village. During our visit, the roads around KR Pete was generally good, but the road leading to the village was in a bad condition. The road got narrow inside the village, but it was not difficult to find a parking place near the temple. The temple was locked, but the house of the caretaker was nearby, and we could get the key.

 

The unique feature of this temple is Garuda Lenka Kambhas (Pillars). The sculptures on the pillar top are interesting. There are a lot of hero stones in the temple complex. It was a good practice session for my daughter, who is learning about the inscriptions and manuscripts, in her history classes.

 

While the walls of the temple are simple, the Gopura is intricately carved.

 

The interior of the temple. The temple has been renovated with the help of the Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatha Trust.

Lakshminarayana temple, Sindhaghatta

Sindhaghatta has many beautiful Hoysala temples, and one of them is the Lakshminarayana temple, which is built upon a raised platform. It is a non-ornate variety of Hoysala style of architecture. A board in the temple complex provides a good explanation about the temple.

 

 

 

Sangameshwara – Jangameshwara Temple, Sindhaghatta

Another beautiful temple in Sindhaghatta is the twin temples of Sangameshwara and Jangameshwara. It was about a 5-10 mins walk from Lakshminarayana temple. The village roads were narrow, and they had kept grains on the road. So, we decided to walk that distance. The outer walls are uncarved similar to the Lakshminarayana temple, but the interior is intricately carved.

 

 

 

Malleswara Temple, Aghalaya

The striking feature of the Malleshwara temple in Aghalaya is the large area around the temple. Having seen the temples situated in between houses, this provides a welcome respite. It is a tributary temple with three chambers. An excellent example of Hoysala architecture.

 

 

 

 

As mentioned earlier, this was our second visit to this area. In our previous visit, we had covered the following temples.

• Sri Bhrameshwara Swamy temple, Kikkeri  
• Sri Panchalingeshwara temple, Govindanahalli
• Lakshmi Nayarana Temple, Hosaholalu
• Varahanatha Kalhalli, an interesting place. I heard it is now renovated and very popular!