Editing Hoysala architecture (section)

===Vimana===
[[File:Stellate shrine outer wall with relief in Lakshminarayana temple at Hosaholalu.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Star shaped ''Vimana'' (shrine) at [[Lakshminarayana Temple, Hosaholalu|Hosaholalu]]]]

The ''[[Vimana (shrine)|vimana]]'', also called the [[cella]], contains the most sacred shrine wherein resides the image of the presiding deity. The ''vimana'' is often topped by a tower which is quite different on the outside than on the inside. Inside, the vimana is plain and square, whereas outside it is profusely decorated and can be either stellate ("star-shaped") or shaped as a staggered square, or feature a combination of these designs, giving it many projections and recesses that seem to multiply as the light falls on it.<ref name="cross-in-square" /> Each projection and recess has a complete decorative articulation that is rhythmic and repetitive and composed of blocks and [[Molding (decorative)|mouldings]], obscuring the tower profile. Depending on the number of shrines (and hence on the number of towers), the temples are classified as ''ekakuta'' (one), ''dvikuta'' (two), ''trikuta'' (three), ''chatushkuta'' (four) and ''panchakuta'' (five). Most Hoysala temples are ''ekakuta'', ''dvikuta'' or ''trikuta'', the Vaishnava ones mostly being ''trikuta''.<ref name="iconography">Hardy (1995), p. 245</ref><ref name="kuta">Sometimes a ''trikuta'' may not literally mean "three towers", as only the central shrine has a tower (Foekema 1996, p. 25)</ref> There are cases where a temple is ''trikuta'' but has only one tower over the main shrine (in the middle). So the terminology ''trikuta'' may not be literally accurate.<ref name="inaccurate">Foekema (1996), p. 25</ref> In temples with multiple disconnected shrines, such as the twin temples at [[Nageshvara-Chennakeshava Temple complex, Mosale|Mosale]], all essential parts are duplicated for symmetry and balance.<ref name="quad">Sastri (1955), p. 428</ref><ref name="twintemples">Foekema (1996), p. 81, section:''Mosale''</ref>

The highest point of the temple (''kalasa'') has the shape of a water pot and stands on top of the tower. This portion of the ''vimana'' is often lost due to age and has been replaced with a metallic pinnacle. Below the ''kalasa'' is a large, highly- sculptured structure resembling a dome which is made from large stones and looks like a helmet.<ref name="helmet">Foekema (1996), p. 27</ref> It may be 2&nbsp;m by 2&nbsp;m in size and follows the shape of the shrine. Below this structure are domed roofs in a square plan, all of them much smaller and crowned with small ''kalasas''. They are mixed with other small roofs of different shapes and are ornately decorated. The tower of the shrine usually has three or four tiers of rows of decorative roofs while the tower on top of the ''sukanasi'' has one less tier, making the tower look like an extension of the main tower (Foekema calls it the "nose"). One decorated roof tier runs on top of the wall of a closed ''mantapa'' above the heavy eaves of an open ''mantapa'' and above the porches.<ref name="nosy">Foekema (1996), p. 22, p. 28, section:''The plan of the temples''</ref>

[[Image:Wall sculptures and molding frieze in relief in the Chennakeshava temple at Somanathapura.jpg|thumb|right|Outer wall panel with six horizontal mouldings at [[Somanathapura]]]]

Below the superstructure of the ''[[vimana (tower)|vimana]]'' are temple "[[eave]]s"<ref name="eave">under the projecting roof overhanging the wall (Foekema 1996, p. 93)</ref> projecting half a meter from the wall. Below the eaves two different decorative schemes may be found, depending on whether a temple was built in the early or the later period of the empire. In the early temples built prior to the 13th century, there is one eave and below this are decorative miniature towers. A panel of Hindu deities and their attendants are below these towers, followed by a set of five different mouldings forming the base of the wall. In the later temples there is a second eave running about a metre below the upper eaves with decorative miniature towers placed between them. The wall images of gods are below the lower eaves, followed by six different mouldings of equal size. This is broadly termed "horizontal treatment".<ref name="horizontal">Kamath (2001), p. 134</ref> The six mouldings at the base are divided in two sections. Going from the very base of the wall, the first horizontal layer contains a procession of elephants, above which are horsemen and then a band of foliage. The second horizontal section has depictions of the Hindu epics and ''[[Puranas|Puranic]]'' scenes executed with detail. Above this are two friezes of ''[[yali (motif)|yali]]''s or ''makara''s (imaginary beasts) and ''hamsas'' (swans). The ''vimana'' (tower) is divided into three horizontal sections and is even more ornate than the walls.<ref name="yali">Art critic [[Percy Brown (scholar)|Percy Brown]] calls this one of the distinguishing features of Hoysala art. (Kamath 2001, p. 134)</ref>