dedicated to Shivain his form as Lord
of the Hoysalas.
At both Belur and Halebid, the tem-
ples were built from a particular type of
stone—variously described as chlorite
schist, steatite, or soapstone—that is
quite soft when newly quarried, but
gradually hardens with exposure to air.
This initial malleability makes the stone
easy to carve, and resulted in the lush
detail characteristic of Hoysala temples.
Architecturally speaking, Hoysala
temples have certain unique features:
a central hall connecting three star-
shaped sanctuaries, and temple towers
(shikharas) composed of well-defined
horizontal tiers, rather than the
continuous upward sweep characteris-
tic of the northern Indian Nagaraarchi-
tectural style.
Hampi
Deserted city in central Karnataka,
about 170 miles northwest of the state’s
capital, Bangalore. Hampi was the capi-
tal of the Vijayanagar empire (1336–1565
C.E.), which at its peak in the early six-
teenth century controlled most of the
Indian peninsula south of the Narmada
River. The empire’s wealth primarily
stemmed from its control of the spice
and cotton trade—both highly valuable
commodities at the time—and the
city of Hampi was built on a scale to
reflect its importance. The empire came
to an abrupt end after the battle of
Talikota in 1565, when the last
Vijayanagar king, Rama Raja, was
defeated by a coalition of Muslim sul-
tans from further north in the Deccan.
The city was sacked by the invading
sultans, and has been deserted ever
since. See also Vijayanagar dynasty.Hamsa
The name for the Barheaded Goose
(Anser indicus), a bird with several
important symbolic associations; the
most significant is purityand transcen-
dence, since the bird’s color is largely
white. It flies at very high altitudes,
and it is reputed to nest in Lake
Manasarovar in the high Himalayas,
the region believed to be the land of
the gods. Since it is popularly believed to
be able to separate milk and water—Hampi
Ruins of the city of Hampi. These structures were once a part
of the capital of the powerful Vijayanagar empire.