The beautiful 13th century CE temples of the Hoysala Dynasty in Karnataka, have been inscribed on Monday on the World Heritage list of UNESCO, making India’s total sites on the World Heritage list as 42. Presently, India has the sixth largest number of sites in the World.
The Hoysala temples site has been on the UNESCO’s tentative list since 2014. They are protected monuments of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which takes care of their conservation and maintenance.
Reacting to the development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on social media X, “More pride for India! The magnificent Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas have been inscribed on the @UNESCO
World Heritage List. The timeless beauty and intricate details of the Hoysala temples are a testament to India’s rich cultural heritage and the exceptional craftsmanship of our ancestors.” India had submitted the nomination dossier for The Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas to the World Heritage Centre early last year.
With this successful nomination, India has 42 world heritage properties overall, which includes 34 cultural, 7 natural and 1 mixed property.
A statement from the ASI said, “the Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas, has been nominated as a serial property comprising three temples in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, namely the Channakeshava temple in Belur, the Hoysaleshvara temple in Halebidu and the Keshava temple in Somanathapura, reflects the creative brilliance of the 13th century architects.”
These temples are a culmination of various temple building traditions prevalent in the Northern, Central and Southern India such as the Nagara, Bhumija and Dravida styles. Hence the inscription of these temples in the World Heritage List is a combined homage to the great temple building tradition of India.
The Temples are richly experiential, with their exquisite architecture, sculptures and intricate carvings, reflecting the genius of the sculptors in translating religious beliefs, stories and abstract ideas into the medium of stone.
The practice of having sculptural panels narrating stories from the Hindu Epics and puranas along the walls of the temple deepened the religious experience of circumambulation path was first introduced by the Hoysalas.
