The art-loving Hoysala dynasty of Karnataka were responsible for building a number of temples between the 10th through the 14th centuries. They lent their name to a timeless standard of architecture, iconography, and aesthetics, a fine example of which could be seen on this page. It is a murti of Lord Vishnu with His wives, Bhudevi and Shridevi.
The tall, slender form. The proportions between limb and crown and plinth. The textually perfect iconography, complete with complex adornment. The same has been sculpted with remarkable precision. The spine-chilling presence of Kirtimukham. All these things are signature elements of Hoysala iconography. The semi-circular plinth with hollowed out lotus petals and the complex vine motif along the frontal midline is particularly pleasing to the eye. Note the miniscule Garuda right above the vine.
At the twin base of the elongated aureole are Bhudevi and Shridevi, both of whom are distinctive aspects of Lakshmi. Their husband towers over them. Zoom in on that divinely handsome face, set off by the unsightly Kirtimukham at the base of the crown.
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