Ishvara Temple, Arasikere

The Ishvara Temple in Arasikere town of the Hassan district in Karnataka state, India, dates to c. 1220 CE rule of Hoysala Empire. Arasikere is located 140 km north of the historic city of Mysore and 41 km east of Hassan city. The temple, which is dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva, though modest in size and figure sculpture, is considered the most complex one in architecture among surviving Hoysala monuments because of its ground plan: a 16-pointed star shaped mantapa, in addition to an asymmetrical star shaped shrine, whose star points are of three different types.Temple planThe temple faces east as in all Hoysala constructions, uses soapstone (also known as steatite or soaprock) as its basic building material, and is a ekakuta shrine (single shrine or cella) with two mantapas (hall), one open and one closed. All three units are connected to form a unity. The sanctum enshrines a linga, the universal symbol of the Hindu god Shiva. The mantapa is where the devotees gather. The closed mantapa does not have any windows. The ceiling in the closed mantapa is divided into nine compartments or "bays" by the four lathe turned pillars that support the ceiling. The unusual stellate design of the open mantapa is a deviation from the "staggered square" - a standard in Hoysala constructions, and offers no opening for devotees to enter the temple. The entrance is through a "bay" between the two mantapas.