Pillars Profound!!!

I pushed everyone aside to get a good glimpse of the art. From the word go, I began shooting pictures. This is where destiny showed its game. The batteries were totally drained out and I could click no more. I had to be content with the camera on my mobile for the rest of the time. As far as my ability with words extends, I shall try to explain what I saw.

The plan is star-shaped for spatial economy. Maximum carvings on minimum built-up area is the intent. The lower portion of the outer walls had carvings of elephants, lions and horses. There are 1248 elephants carved and no two resemble each other. I have no words to explain the intricacies of the sculpture. Besides these, there are carvings of important incidents from Hindu mythology. Each sculpture seemed more enchanting than the previous.

A carving of the dancing 'Mohini' (the lady incarnation of Lord Vishnu) spiked me up. The posture of has been depicted, incorporating the most trivial details. If one observed this picture closely, the contours on the left foot match perfectly with a dancer's foot in the same pose. Even the fingernails have been carved with deft precision. The pillars inside the temple have been carved into exquisite shapes. The polishing is just outstanding. I could go on and on, but I would like to leave the rest to the seeker's thirst and destiny.

After this visit, we proceeded to a Jain temple in Halebeedu. The sculptures here were slightly different, though of the same quality. If one had to practically learn ray optics in physics, I would advocate this place. For the first time in life, I saw stone polished into concave and convex mirrors. The entrance to the temple faced the east from where the sun shed its light and revealed these wonders. On one pillar, the image would be diminished, one gave inversions, and another magnified images. One of them also gave two images, one erect and one inverted, formed with a common junction. If one showed five fingers, the image revealed ten - five on the top and five below. Yet another pillar had the unique property of revealing the colors of the object in front of it, from its image. The pillar closest to the sanctum sanctorum was special, for its top portion sounded like glass and the bottom sounded like copper when struck - two distinct clangs, highly uncharacteristic of stone.A researcher there was courteous enough to show us around and throw light on the amazing art and saved the temple from being called yet another monument with pillars for support.

Archaeologists affirm that these were built in the 12th century. But what is more absorbing is the fact that the work went on for a hundred and ninety two years (five generations) and was left incomplete due to Mughal invasion. Alauddin Khilji is believed to have plundered all the wealth here and destroyed most of the priceless art. This is from where Halebeedu gets its name. In Kannada, it means "spoilt place".

I really do not know how much the reader benefits from this seemingly monotonous essay, but I can swear that the sculptures on the walls also get carved in one's heart on seeing them. We sat down near the temple for our mid-day meal, but only the little ones ate well. The rest of us had digested so much from the spellbinding art that there was little place left for food...