Output details

Hoysala Temple [Design for Shree Kalyana Venkateshwara Temple, Venkatapura, Dist. Kolar, Karnataka, India]

Aim

To satisfy the client’s brief for a large new temple, using traditional stone construction, hand carved, ‘authentically’ following the style of the Hoysala dynasty in the twelfth century, and not a copy of any existing temple; and, in order to achieve this, to exemplify, imaginatively and practically, the architectural vocabulary, design principles and mode of development, of the Karnata Dravida tradition of temple architecture.

Context

Traditionally built temples have undergone a resurgence in India, and among Hindu and Jain diasporas. While lineages of practitioners from Tamil Nadu and Gujarat continue to build traditional temples in their respective styles worldwide, no Hoysala temple has been built since the 14th century, hence the need for Hardy’s expertise. The research context for the project largely comprises Hardy’s own work on temple forms and design principles, proportion and geometry, construction methods and textual canons.

Methodology

Knowledge of the tradition in question, acquired through years of familiarity and systematic study, is being tested, and its lacunae filled, through the task of designing a complete and realisable building. The approach being followed is svayambhu or ‘self manifesting’. In other words, the design is ‘chanelled’ rather than imposed, and entails (a) following the formal logic underlying the increasing complexity observable over the course of the tradition in question, and (b) taking into account the ritual and iconographical requirements given by the client and their religious advisors.

Dissemination

The design process has been disseminated through four academic conferences, and the project has been reported in the press and broadcasting media in the UK and India.