VELUDHARAN TEMPLES VISIT : Sri Hanumandeswara Temple / Sri Hanumandeshwara Temple, Bannur, Karnataka.

Friday, 1 February 2019

Sri Hanumandeswara Temple / Sri Hanumandeshwara Temple, Bannur, Karnataka.

26^th January 2019.

This Bannuru in T. Narasipura Taluk was an ancient Agrahara known as Vanniyur alias Jananatha Chaturvedi Mangalam during the Chozha period and Vakinipura during the Vijayanagara Period.

Presiding Deity : Sri Hanumandeswara

Consort : Sri Anandavalli / Sri Parvati

Some of the salient features of this temple are…

The temple faces east with a balipeedam and Nandi. The entrance, up to ceiling level (mottai Gopuram) is on the south side. In front of the entrance is a Garuda gamba or Deepasthambham. On the square base, reliefs of Hanuman, Nandhi, and a Man in worshiping posture, may be a donor.

In the outer prakaram a mandapa, Sandikeswara sannadhi, Nagars and Ambal Sannadhi. Ambal sannadhi also faces east on the right side of the main shrine, built during the Vijayanagara period.

ARCHITECTURE

The sanctum sanctorum consists of Sanctum, Antarala, Ardha mandapa and a Mukamandapa. Moolavar is a little big, called Hanumandeswara, and believed to have been installed by Hanuman. A single-tier vimana is on the sanctum. The sanctum was built on a simple adhisthana with jagathy and three-faced Kumudha. The arthamandapa has the virutha kumudha. The mandapa pillars of Ardha mandapa/Navrang mandapa are in a cylindrical shape with cushion capital.

HISTORY AND INSCRIPTIONS

As per the architecture and inscriptions, the original temple up to the sanctum was built by Sri Purusha, a Ganga King, and later expanded by Rajaraja Chozha-I and Vijayanagaras. The Rajaraja Chozha-I's, Kannada inscription, starts with his title “ThirumakaL pola … and goes up to 7 lines and mentions a land was gifted for construction of a mandapa. Tamil inscriptions state that land was donated for building Temples to the Mahajana Sabha and Thathanur Merchants. Vishnuvardhan’s Kannada inscription mentions this place as “Vadakarai Nattu Vanniyur alias Janarthana Chaturvedi Mangala….” The 1162 CE inscription speaks about the donation of a perpetual oil lamp to this temple. In addition to this, there are inscriptions belonging to Hoysalas, Vijayanagaras, and Mysore Wodeyars. The inscriptions are white-washed completely and are not in readable condition. These details may be referred from Mysore Records.