Belur’s beautiful bracket belles

Chennakesava Temple in Belur is known for its friezes, its pillars and stone lattices. Even the star-shaped platform on which it stands, a feature of its style of architecture.Β People...

Bracket figures: Darpana Sundari, Chennakesava temple, Belur

Chennakesava Temple in Belur is known for its friezes, its pillars and stone lattices. Even the star-shaped platform on which it stands, a feature of its style of architecture.Β People who have visited there will tell you that between those sculpted pillars and decorative eaves are some beautiful stone ladies who also seem to have become some the of the major attractions of this temple in Hassan, Karnataka. These bracket figures really do steal the show here at this Hoysala masterpiece.

Built by the Hoysala rulers, this temple is like a gem on the architectural crown of the dynasty. The craftsmanship on the sculptures that this temple is covered in, is beyond awe-inspiring. And the bracket figures that we talk of here, make another specimen of the excellence of the handiwork of the sculptors of the time.

Call them Bracket figures, ‘Shilabalikas, Salabhanjikas or Madanikas,they will definitely make an impression on you, like they did on me. These, like the other sculpted features of the temple are carved out in soapstone. As our guide took us around the temple and pointed out the many Shilabalikas that support the roof of the temple, I noticed the work that has gone into making them. These voluptuous beauties seemed to be decked up in a lot of jewellery; from head gear to anklets, from necklaces to bangles and armlets, they had them all. Even heavy girdles for their waists. And their creators made sure that the details on the ornaments stood out too. Looking at the clothes that were draped on them, I noticed there were creases on them, making them more realistic.

Another thing that impressed me were the complete-scenes they made and the stories these bracket figures told. While each Shilabalika stood playing the protagonist, below them were supporting characters playing the roles of maids-in-waiting, assistants, musicians and companions putting together quite a picture of a time, aeons ago. Look at them carefully and you will see what I mean.

Darpana Sundari, Bracket figures, Belur:
Darpana Sundari.
This beauty-with-the-mirror is probably the most popular Salabhanjika, here.
Bracket figures: Lady with the parrot
The lady with the pet parrot.
Bracket figures - lady with the betal leaves, Belur
The lady with the betal leaves.
And her ladies with coloured water in pot and a water squirter.
Bracket figures, Chennakesava temple
The beauty who’s all dressed up.
Bracket figures: Monkey pulling saree, Bracket figure, Belur
The lady with a monkey (pulling her clothes).
And she in turn is trying to discourage the naughty primate.
Bracket figures, Belur Chennakesava temple
The lady who’s dressing her hair.
Notice her maids helping her with her accessories and cosmetics.
Bracket figures, Chennakesava temple
The dancer doing the Thribhangi Nritya.
Thribhangi refers to her dance pose in which her body is made to bend in three places.
Bracket figures: Chennakesava temple
The saint lady.
Bracket figures, Belur
The Bewitching Beauty.
And the lizard trying to catch a fly.
Bracket figures, Belur Chennakesava temple
Bracket figure, Belur Chennakesava temple
The curly haired beauty who is looking into a mirror and positioning her curls.
Bracket figures, Belur Chennakesava temple
The Masculine lady.
Bracket figures, Belur Chennakesava temple
The successful huntress.
This lady is supposed to be on her way back from hunting, with her fellow hunters carrying game.
Bracket figures, Belur Chennakesava temple
The Bhasma Mohini Dance.
Bracket figure, Belur Chennakesava temple
The beauty and the scorpion.
This is said to be the lady who has just had her bath and who has shaken out a scorpion from her clothes.
Bracket figure, Belur Chennakesava temple
Bracket figures, Belur Chennakesava temple
The Nagaveena Dancer holding her snake shaped stringed instrument.
Bracket figures, Belur Chennakesava temple
The lady holding on to a vine and letting her maid help her with a toe ring.
Bracket figure, Belur Chennakesava temple
The arch dancer.
Bracket figure, Belur Chennakesava temple
This must be the songstress and her musicians.
Bracket figures, Belur Chennakesava temple
This, I believe is one of the four bracket figures inside the temple.
This must be the Kesha Shrungara.
The lady who is wringing out the water in her hair.Take a better look and you will see Β the water seems to have flown down from her long hair and is accumulated at the tips, ready to drop down.
Bracket figures, Belur Chennakesava temple
The Gandharva Dancer.

That seems to be all the pictures I have of these soapstone ladies. I am told that there are 42 bracket figures in the temple, with 38 of them inside and the remaining four adorning the four central pillars inside the temple. The information in the cutlines is what I gathered from my guide at the temple, one Mr. Satyanarayan and a guide book I picked up. If you have any tidbits about these beautiful bracket belles of Belur, that you’d like to share, I’m all ears.

Linking to the meme–

If you’d like to see more of the temple, which is the home of these beautiful stone figures, visit —Β A Sculptural Banquet in Belur; Hoysala StyleΒ 

Also visit:

Hoysaleshwara Temple in Halebidu

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Art and ArchitectureCultureIndiaLandmarksManmade Marvels

Dee (Divya) Blogger, Freelance Content Writer & Content Strategist. πŸ“Έ Loves tripping.πŸ›£ Tipsy from every TRIP!😬🫣 🏞Follow > for intoxicating virtual trips!πŸ₯‚πŸ˜‰
65 Comments on this post.
  • rupam sarma
    16 February 2016 at 4:13 am
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    Wonderful.
    Beautiful pics Thanks for sharing.

    • dNambiar
      16 February 2016 at 8:37 pm
      Leave a Reply

      Yes, they ARE wonderful, these Shilabalikas. πŸ™‚
      Thank you, Rupam.

  • jaish_vats
    16 February 2016 at 5:37 am
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    Have been there in my teens… Want to visit again….timeless beauties

  • jaish_vats
    16 February 2016 at 5:37 am
    Leave a Reply

    Have been there in my teens… Want to visit again….timeless beauties

    • dNambiar
      16 February 2016 at 8:38 pm
      Leave a Reply

      Timeless indeed.
      You should go see it now, I'm sure you'll appreciate it even more now, Jaish. πŸ™‚

  • Prasad Np
    16 February 2016 at 6:23 am
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    I remember seeing only one or two of them, you did a great job to find each one of them. I have never seen such intricately carved and well preserved figurines anywhere else. Hope to spend more time next time I am there.

    • dNambiar
      16 February 2016 at 8:47 pm
      Leave a Reply

      Almost all of them, Prasad. And our guide pointed out to the important ones, so it added more meaning to that trip around the temple.

      I'm sure you'll go that way again and this time, you'll be there WITH your camera. πŸ™‚

  • ladyfi
    16 February 2016 at 7:00 am
    Leave a Reply

    Wow – such beauty!

  • R Niranjan Das
    16 February 2016 at 8:34 am
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    Absolute marvels! Gorgeous belles. Imagine the days of hardship the creator must have gone through to make them look so beautiful. Your frames accentuates the beauty of each figurine. Wonderful post, Nambiare!! πŸ™‚

    • dNambiar
      16 February 2016 at 8:41 pm
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      Exactly. And because they are working on stone, there's little room for mistakes.
      Thank you, Nomad. πŸ™‚

  • Ravish Mani
    16 February 2016 at 12:48 pm
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    Just awesome, Divya! Superb sculptures and equally brilliant photography. As you said, each one is telling a story I'll definitely visit the place someday. πŸ™‚

    • dNambiar
      16 February 2016 at 8:43 pm
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      That was what stood out most — the fact that they had a whole story up on top of those pillars.
      You should, Ravish. This temple will be a feast for your eyes.

  • Alok singhal
    16 February 2016 at 12:53 pm
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    Fantastic sculptures they are. I can't help admiring the architects of these wonders.

    Thank you for posting.

    • dNambiar
      16 February 2016 at 8:44 pm
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      They ARE little wonders in stone. Did you see how the little figures in the bottom added more meaning to the bracket figures?
      You're welcome, Alok. πŸ™‚

  • Bikram
    16 February 2016 at 4:10 pm
    Leave a Reply

    those are fantastic and beautiful sculptures…

    Bikram's

    • dNambiar
      16 February 2016 at 8:45 pm
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      I have to agree with you, Bikram. πŸ™‚

  • magiceye
    17 February 2016 at 1:21 am
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    Indeed amazing! Leaves you speechless! You have done a great job of documenting it too!!

    • dNambiar
      18 February 2016 at 9:03 am
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      It is, Magiceye.
      I never thought I'd be THIS fascinated by Chennakesava temple, its pillars, the ladies on the pillars and all the sculpture that this temple is rich in.

      Thank you so much. I wish I had pics of all of those Shilabalikas.

  • Shweta Dave
    17 February 2016 at 2:12 am
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    Wow Dee amazing, each of them mesmerising would love to write a poem on Shilabalikas πŸ™‚ you captured them so well πŸ™‚

    • dNambiar
      18 February 2016 at 9:05 am
      Leave a Reply

      These ladies do inspire poetry. Let me know if you want some pictures to go with your verse, Shweta. πŸ™‚

      Thank you so much. πŸ™‚

  • ArchanaC Kapoor
    17 February 2016 at 3:03 am
    Leave a Reply
    • dNambiar
      18 February 2016 at 9:13 am
      Leave a Reply

      I swear!
      You're so welcome. Thank you for coming by, and sharing this post, Archie. πŸ™‚

  • Arun Prasadh
    17 February 2016 at 4:03 am
    Leave a Reply

    Beautiful sculptures. Visited recently and was amazed by the beauty of the temple.

    • dNambiar
      18 February 2016 at 9:15 am
      Leave a Reply

      They are.
      Yeah, I think I remember your post, Arun. The work there really is amazing.

  • Arun
    17 February 2016 at 6:15 am
    Leave a Reply

    These are simply mind blowing! Hats off to the architects! Just can't stop admiring them.
    Also, thanks to you for capturing them so well and sharing them with us.

    • dNambiar
      18 February 2016 at 9:17 am
      Leave a Reply

      Really — the people who crafted all these beautiful sculptures are wonders by themselves. These ladies are just the tip of the iceberg. Chennakesava Temple has so much to show. If you haven't been there already, you must visit, Arun. πŸ™‚

  • Maitreni Mishra
    17 February 2016 at 7:15 am
    Leave a Reply

    Such brilliant sculptures and an equally beautiful photography! πŸ™‚

    • dNambiar
      18 February 2016 at 9:17 am
      Leave a Reply

      Brilliant they are. πŸ™‚

      Thank you so much, dear Maitreni. πŸ™‚

  • swati bassi
    17 February 2016 at 8:18 am
    Leave a Reply

    Beautiful sculptures. So intricate and done to perfections. Thanks for sharing.

    • dNambiar
      18 February 2016 at 9:19 am
      Leave a Reply

      They details on the jewellery fill you with awe, right?
      Your welcome, Swati. Thank you for visiting. πŸ™‚

      Btw, I just read about your experience when you went to watch Piku. πŸ˜€

  • Steps Together
    17 February 2016 at 8:19 am
    Leave a Reply

    Hoysala architecture is one of its kind.. truly mesmerizing sculptures..

    • dNambiar
      18 February 2016 at 9:22 am
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      Oh yeah. My visit to Belur and Halebidu, last year, taught me so much about the Hoysalas and their architecture. Wow!!

  • Yogi Saraswat
    17 February 2016 at 9:23 am
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    Absolute marvels ! what a great art work is resemble in the statutes . Beautiful description .

    • dNambiar
      18 February 2016 at 9:23 am
      Leave a Reply

      Marvels indeed.
      Thank you, Yogi. πŸ™‚

  • Indrani
    17 February 2016 at 12:27 pm
    Leave a Reply

    Indeed very graceful creations!
    Great photo essay.

    • dNambiar
      18 February 2016 at 9:24 am
      Leave a Reply

      They do look very graceful, don't they?

      Thank you, Indrani. πŸ™‚

  • Rajesh
    17 February 2016 at 3:20 pm
    Leave a Reply

    Exceptionally beautiful sculptures.

  • Rajesh
    17 February 2016 at 3:20 pm
    Leave a Reply

    Exceptionally beautiful sculptures.

    • dNambiar
      18 February 2016 at 9:24 am
      Leave a Reply

      I agree. πŸ™‚

  • umashankar
    17 February 2016 at 3:58 pm
    Leave a Reply

    That is a very tinkling title, not that I need provocations to visit your blog. As it turned out, the belles were provocative to the hilt. Your pictures brought the treasure trove right to my desktop, complete with their individual intrigues.

    • dNambiar
      18 February 2016 at 9:27 am
      Leave a Reply

      Aww!
      And your comment on my desktop made my day, USP. πŸ™‚

      The Chennakesava temple has so much more to show. You should go see it all if you get a chance to go that side.

  • Maniparna Sengupta Majumder
    17 February 2016 at 6:58 pm
    Leave a Reply

    Amazing sculptures….the belles are essence of traditional Indian beauty… πŸ™‚

    • dNambiar
      18 February 2016 at 9:29 am
      Leave a Reply

      Exactly! They are what our ancient writings describe as beautiful.

      Nice to see you here, Maniparna. πŸ™‚

  • Puru@ShadowsGalore
    17 February 2016 at 8:36 pm
    Leave a Reply

    The beautiful fluid grace of these images is breathtaking. Reminder me of Didarganj Yakshini, a Mauryan era statue found in old Patna which still shines as if it was made yesterday

    • dNambiar
      18 February 2016 at 9:37 am
      Leave a Reply

      Long time, Puru.
      I hope you guys are doing well. πŸ™‚

      Oh wow! that sounds interesting. Now let me go look up Didarganj Yakshini. πŸ˜‰ Thank you so much for that, Puru. And for visiting. πŸ™‚

  • purba chakraborty
    17 February 2016 at 9:49 pm
    Leave a Reply

    Wow! Such beautiful sculptures.
    Great photography πŸ™‚

    • dNambiar
      19 February 2016 at 7:57 pm
      Leave a Reply

      Aren't they?
      Thank you so much, Purba. πŸ™‚

  • Sneh Asnani
    18 February 2016 at 5:53 am
    Leave a Reply

    Wow.. this is a very interesting post.. and loved the pics

    • dNambiar
      19 February 2016 at 7:58 pm
      Leave a Reply

      Thank you Sneh.
      Welcome here. πŸ™‚

  • Rahul Bhatia
    18 February 2016 at 6:29 am
    Leave a Reply

    Lovely pics and amazing beauties, Divya!

    • dNambiar
      19 February 2016 at 8:38 pm
      Leave a Reply

      Aren't they amazing?! And they were made ages ago.
      Thank you, Mr. Bhatia. πŸ™‚

  • Rat
    18 February 2016 at 6:33 am
    Leave a Reply

    Beautiful sculptures.. Nice share.
    ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​A Rat's​ ​Nibble

    • dNambiar
      19 February 2016 at 8:38 pm
      Leave a Reply

      Thank you, Meera. πŸ™‚

  • My Unfinished Life
    19 February 2016 at 10:25 am
    Leave a Reply

    Such intricate detail and such craftsmanship….amazing!!

    Though from my recent visits to 2 smaller hoysala temples i can totally expect this!!

    Btw, I could not help but notice that all ladies have full figures…which is kind of interesting from the context of idea of beauty n female form in India in ancient times… if we compare with present obsession of size zero!!

    http://www.myunfinishedlife.com

    • dNambiar
      19 February 2016 at 8:41 pm
      Leave a Reply

      Hoysala art and architecture really is amazing.
      Yeah, this was the idea of beauty in our part of the world, until sometime back.

  • Nisha
    20 February 2016 at 8:37 pm
    Leave a Reply

    Very intricate work with great details. How much they'd have taken to make these.

    The days I don't think we can do this kind of time consuming work. πŸ™‚

  • Raj
    23 February 2016 at 7:46 pm
    Leave a Reply

    Wow… these are terrific sculptures. Beauty crafted so delicately and so exquisitely. Simply brilliant. And excellent captures too. πŸ™‚

  • Mridula
    24 February 2016 at 6:33 am
    Leave a Reply

    I am in complete awe, they are simply breathtakingly beautiful!

  • Subhodeep Mukhopadhyay
    26 March 2016 at 9:44 am
    Leave a Reply
  • Subhadip Mukherjee
    11 April 2016 at 4:59 am
    Leave a Reply

    The intricate work really marvels… Will keep this in my bucket list!!!

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