Editing Hoysala architecture (section)

===Sculpture===
[[Image:Sthambha buttalika sculpture in Chennakesava temple at Belur.jpg|right|thumb|upright|''Sthamba buttalika'', Hoysala art at [[Belur, Karnataka|Belur]]]]
[[Image:Shilabaalika on pillar bracket in Chennakeshava Temple at Belur1.jpg|right|thumb|upright|''Madanika'' [[bracket (architecture)|bracket]] at [[Belur, Karnataka|Belur]]]]

In Hoysala art Hardy identifies two conspicuous departures from the more austere Western (Later) Chalukya art:ornamental elaboration and a profusion of iconography with figure sculptures, both of which are found in abundance even on the superstructure over the shrine. Their medium, the soft chlorite schist (Soapstone) enabled a virtuoso carving style.<ref name="iconography">Hardy (1995), p. 245</ref> Hoysala artists are noted for their attention to sculptural detail be it in the depiction of themes from the [[Hindu]] epics and deities or in their use of [[motif (visual arts)|motif]]s such as ''yali'', ''[[kirtimukha]]'' (gargoyles), [[aedicula]] (miniature decorative towers) on [[pilaster]], ''makara'' (aquatic monster), birds (''hamsa''), spiral foliage, animals such as lions, elephants and horses, and even general aspects of daily life such as hair styles in vogue.<ref name="attention">Sastri (1955), pp. 428–429; Foekema (1996), pp. 28–29; Kamath (2001), p. 135</ref>

''[[Salabhanjika]]'', a common form of Hoysala sculpture, is an old Indian tradition going back to Buddhist sculpture. ''Sala'' is the [[Sal tree|sala tree]] and {{transliteration|hi|bhanjika}} is the chaste maiden. In the Hoysala idiom, ''madanika'' figures are decorative objects put at an angle on the outer walls of the temple near the roof so that worshipers circumambulating the temple can view them.<ref name="ramayana1">{{Cite web |title=Hoysala Heritage |url=http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl2008/stories/20030425000206700.htm|author=Settar S |publisher=Frontline, From the publishers of the Hindu |work=Frontline, Volume 20 – Issue 08, April 12–25, 2003 |access-date=13 November 2006}}</ref>

The {{transliteration|hi|sthamba buttalikas}} are pillar images that show traces of [[Chola]] art in the Chalukyan touches. Some of the artists working for the Hoysalas may have been from Chola country, a result of the expansion of the empire into Tamil-speaking regions of Southern India. The image of ''mohini'' on one of the pillars in the ''[[mandapa|mantapa]]'' (closed hall) of the Chennakeshava temple is an example of Chola art.<ref name="ramayana1"/>

General life themes are portrayed on wall panels such as the way horses were reined, the type of stirrup used, the depiction of dancers, musicians, instrumentalists, and rows of animals such as lions and elephants (where no two animals are identical). Perhaps no other temple in the country depicts the [[Ramayana]] and [[Mahabharata]] epics more effectively than the Hoysaleshwara temple at Halebidu.<ref name="ramayana1"/><ref name="ramayana">The epic [[frieze]] is the most exciting feature of their sculptures (Foekema 1996, p. 29)</ref>

Erotica was a subject the Hoysala artist handled with discretion. There is no exhibitionism in this, and erotic themes were carved into recesses and niches, generally miniature in form, making them inconspicuous. These erotic representations are associated with the ''Shakta'' practice.<ref name="ramayana1"/>

Apart from these sculptures, entire sequences from the [[Hindu]] epics (commonly the [[Ramayana]] and the [[Mahabharata]]) have been sculpted in a clockwise direction starting at the main entrance.<ref name="clockwise">Foekema (1996), p. 29</ref> The right to left sequence is the same direction taken by the devotees in their ritual circumambulation as they wind inward toward the inner sanctum. Depictions from mythology such as the epic hero [[Arjuna]] shooting fish, the elephant-headed god [[Ganesha]], the Sun god [[Surya]], the weather and war god [[Indra]], and [[Brahma]] with [[Sarasvati]] are common. Also frequently seen in these temples is [[Durga]], with several arms holding weapons given to her by other gods, in the act of killing a buffalo (a demon in a buffalo's form) and [[Harihara]] (a fusion of Shiva and Vishnu) holding a conch, wheel, and trident. Many of these friezes were signed by the artisans, the first known instance of signed artwork in India.<ref>{{Cite book
| first= Binda
| last= Thapar
| year= 2004
| title= Introduction to Indian Architecture
| publisher= Periplus Editions
| location=Singapore
| pages= 69
| isbn= 0-7946-0011-5}}</ref>