Doddagaddavalli Lakshmi Devi Temple: One of the earliest known Hoysala Temples

This early 12th century soapstone temple happens to be one of the earliest known temples built in the Hoysala era. It is the only chatushkuta (four shrines) temple built by the Hoysala dynasty. It was the first grand temple dedicated to goddess Lakshmi in the South of India. There are many architectural aspects to it that are unique to this temple only and not found in any of the other Hoysala temples. I am talking about the architectural beauty called Lakshmi Devi temple that is located in the village of Doddagaddavalli.



Located somewhere between Belur and Hassan, the Lakshmi Devi temple at Doddagaddvalli is a rural holiday gem set amidst a sleepy village, coconut plantations and a lake. Many things about this temple are unique. It doesn’t have a jagati or raised platform that is common with other Hoysala temples. It has a combination of Kadamba and Dravidian shikharas. It has 4 shrines. And unlike the other Hoysala temples, it lacks ornate sculptures and intricate carvings. From a Hoysala perspective, it is a rather simple temple. May be, the architects started practicing their craft here.



Unlike most of the Hoysala temples, which are dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the one at Doddagaddavalli is dedicated to goddess Lakshmi Devi. Maha Lakshmi faces east and right opposite her is the shrine of Lord Shiva facing west. Goddess Kali is located facing South and Lord Vishnu is located right opposite her facing north.

As you enter the temple premises, you pass through a small hall with lathe turned pillars before you step into a courtyard with multiple shikharas showcasing Hoysala emblems. As you approach the door to this chatushkuta, you will see two large sculptures of females with intricate jewellery.



As soon as you enter the ranga mantapa, you will notice the shrine of Mahakali shrine to your left. As your eyes adjust to the dimly lit interiors, you will notice the two life size nude betalas standing guard in front of the Maha Kali shrine. While these betalas look scary, the statue of Maha Kali looks just the opposite and is very peace inspiring. She has been showcased in her Shanta Swaroop. If you look up at the ceiling right next to the Maha Kali shrine, you will notice a dancing Shiva and also Lord Shiva playing his Rudra Veena.



If you continue to look up flashing a torchlight at the ceiling, you will see the different Vaastu devatas at different directions that they are lord of. You will see Kubera and Rambha on a horse in the north direction, Agni riding on a one horned ram and holding his weapon Shakti in the south-east direction, Yama riding his buffalo and holding his danda in the South, Goddess Niruti in her human form in the south-west, and Varuna riding a crocodile in the West. In the center of the hall, you will also notice Lord Indra with his consort Indrani on his Airavat elephant.



In the main shrine, goddess Lakshmi, facing East, holds a conch in her upper right hand, a chakra in her upper left hand, a rosary in her lower right and a mace in her lower left hand. There are female attendants on both her sides. And right opposite her shrine is the shrine of Lord Shiva as Bhootanatha with his sons Karthik (Subramanya) and Ganesh on his either side. This shrine to Lord Shiva also makes it a rare Hoysala temple that has shrines to both Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu and their respective consorts.



Overall, the Lakshmi Devi temple at Doddagaddavalli is an architectural gem from the Hoysala era and is a must visit on your Hoysala temple trail. Its offbeat nature, beautiful rustic setting and unique design elements make it a top destination on the Hoysala temple trail. I absolutely love this temple and would recommend it within a heartbeat. Do remember to carry a good flashlight with you to appreciate the carvings on the ceiling.



Guide services for the temple:

If you wish to know the rich history of the Lakshmi devi temple at Doddagaddavalli, it is best to hire a government guide from Belur or Halebid and bring him over here. If you are staying at Hoysala village resort, you can also hire their in-house travel guide.

In case you don’t have access to any guide, it is best to read up a bit on the internet about this temple and ask the ASI caretaker at the temple campus to show you around and share his knowledge with you. You might want to tip the caretaker for his services.




How to reach there:

There are 2 different routes by road to approach the temple:

1) Tiptur – Shimoga route: Bangalore –> Kunigal –> Yediyur –> Turuvekere –> Tiptur –> Arsikere –> Banavara –> Belur –> Doddagaddavalli

2) Hassan route: Bangalore –> Kunigal –> Channarayapatna –> Hassan –> Doddagaddavalli

The nearest railway station would be Hassan.

The nearest airport would be Mangalore airport, but the one with the best connectivity would be Bangalore international airport.



Temple timings:

The Lakshmi devi temple at Doddagaddavalli opens at 8 AM and closes at 6 PM. The ASI caretaker / security guard / farmer stays close by. Do give a look around and shout out if you find the premises locked. This ASI caretaker will also double up as your guide in case you do not have one or you wish to know more about this beautiful temple.

The priest visits the temple in the early hours of the morning to perform the daily puja. Do get his number in advance in case you wish to offer archana or wish to watch the daily puja.



Where to stay:

If you wish for close proximity and something cheap, there are a lot of budget hotels in and around Belur and Halebid.

If you want something luxurious, look up the Hoysala village resort between Belur and Hassan.

If you wish to stay amidst coffee estates and pristine nature, look up the homestays, hotels and resorts located in Chickamagaluru. Some of these would be farm stays or plantation stays.



Where to eat:

You can hardly find anything to eat at Doddagaddavalli. If you seek a decent hotel or a restaurant, head to Belur or Halebid

If you want high quality dining with good washrooms and ample parking space, I would recommend that you visit Hoysala village resort that is located between Belur and Hassan.

If you wish to dine amidst nature, look up the restaurants in and around Chickmagalur.



Other offbeat Hoysala temples nearby:

1) Veeranarayana temple at Belavadi

2) Chenna Keshava temple at Javagal

3) Lakshmi Narasimha temple at Nuggehalli

4) Sadashiva temple at Nuggehalli

5) Brahmeshvara temple at Kikkeri

6) Panchalingeshwara temple at Govindanahalli

7) Lakshmi Narasimha temple at Hosaholalu



8) Chenna Keshava temple at Somnathpur

9) Chenna Keshava temple at Aralaguppe

10) Chenna Keshava temple at Turuvekere

11) Ishvara temple at Arsikere

12) Chenna Keshava temple at Anekere

13) Mallikarjuna temple at Basaralu

14) Lakshmi Narasimha temple at Haranhalli



Other nearby tourist attractions:

1) Shettihalli rosary church ruins in the Hemavati reservoir

2) The hill station and coffee estates of Chickamagaluru

3) The wide Hemagiri falls on the Hemavati reservoir

4) The temple town of Melukote famous for its Iyengars and delicious puliyogare

5) The Jain pilgrimage site of Shravanabelagola that is home to the mighty Baahubali statue

6) The hill station of Kemmangundi

7) The beautiful Hebbe falls surrounded by coffee estates

8) The absolutely photogenic Mysore palace

9) The butterfly forest of India called Bisle Ghat

10) The world famous Hoysaleswara temple at Halebid

11) The world famous Chenna Keshava temple at Belur

12) Bhadra tiger reserve that is known for its river terns, tigers and leopards

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Doddagaddavalli Lakshmi Devi Temple–Lesser known destination on the Hoysala Map!

When one thinks of the Hoysala Kingdom, it is Belur and Halebid that first come to mind and hence it is these places that are high on the tourist’s itinerary. But, the true essence of the Hoysala kingdom lies in its lesser known jewels. Such a jewel is the Lakshmi Devi temple at Doddagaddavalli village that is located about 16 kilometres from Hassan and enroute to Belur.

 
This is a 12th century temple built by the Hoysalas during the rule of King Vishnuvardhana. In spite of it being one of the oldest Hoysala temples, it has withstood the vagaries of time very well and stands in pristine condition. The entire temple area can be spotted from the road that leads to Doddagaddavalli from the Hassan-Belur road.

 
This long distance view of the temple is spectacular as one can see the temple vimanas glimmering in the sun against the surrounding dense green vegetation and near a large water body. This water body is a pond that is situated to the back of the temple. This pond also adds a new dimension to this temple from a picturesque locale standpoint.

 
According to the legends, this temple is said to have been built in 1114 A.D. by a merchant called Kullahana Rahuta, a merchant or high officer in the Hoysala court. And this was for his wife Sahaja Devi. It is one of the earliest known temples built in Hoysala style and is built with Chloritic schist or Soapstone.

 
It was a dark and cloudy monsoon day when I was here recently. The soapstone did not get a chance to gleam in the sunshine, but stood plainly in the dark and grey weather. But it was the surrounding lake and the greenery that caught my eye first. Then, came the series of long granite steps along the outer wall of the temple compound. It is these steps that separate the temple compound from the lake. One can get to see the high vimanas of the temple from this place.

 
The entire temple area comes under the purview of the Archaeological Society of India who have maintained it very well. In terms of current functioning, prayers are still being offered daily to the temple deity, though the temple is open only during designated time slots. But, in case, you are interested in exploring this temple and are unable to make it during the allotted time slot, then you can reach out to the temple priest who stays in the house that is just opposite the main entrance of the temple. Generally, the temple priest is very kind and often offers to open the temple doors for tourists and devotees alike.

 
Inside the temple inner sanctum, one can see the following deities. The main shrine facing east has a 3 foot tall image of goddess Lakshmi with an attendant on either side. In her four hands, the image holds a conch in the upper right hand, a chakra (discus) in the upper left, a rosary in the lower right and a mace in the lower left.

 
In the shrines facing north, west and south are the idols of Kali, Vishnu and Boothanatha Linga (the universal symbol of Shiva). A sculpture of Tandaveswara (dancing Shiva) exists in the circular panel at the centre of the ceiling of the mantapa. Other important sculptures are those of Gajalakshmi (form of Lakshmi), Tandaveswara and Yoganarasimha (form of Vishnu) found on the doorway of the temple.

 
Overall, the temple has the older Hoysala style where there is only one eaves running through the temple wherein the main towers meet the wall of the shrine. On the whole, the temple complex has nine towers, which is unusual for a Hoysala Temple. Another unusual feature of the temple is the existence of four more shrines at each corner of the temple complex with two sides of each shrine attached to the courtyard wall. Each of these minor shrines has its own tower,Kalasa and Hoysala emblem.

 
The temple compound may not be very big, but each bit of it has a lot of culture and history to offer to the interested traveller. The lake side of the temple also offers a different view of the temple. One can walk along the lake banks and see a long range shot of the entire temple campus.



The Lakshmi devi temple at Doddagaddavalli village is truly one of Hoysala’s lesser known jewels and for its stature and importance, it is far unrepresented in the tourism map of Karnataka. This also offers a pleasant deviation from the crowded touristy attractions. Personally, I like this temple a lot, especially for its location, its excellent current state and its rich culture and history. I would definitely recommend this temple to all those who are interested in visiting the Hoysala Empire. If you are interested in planning your vacation, then visit Playa de Las Americas on holiday.

 
How to reach Doddagaddavalli village from Hassan town?
From Hassan, head towards Belur. Take the Bangalore – Mangalore road that runs right through the middle of Hassan town. Head towards the Mangalore direction (i.e. towards West from the town centre). As you come out of the town (after SDM Ayurveda college on your right), a junction appears with the Belur road on your right. The traffic thins out suddenly as you get to this road. This is the State Highway 57 (SH57).

 
After about 10 kms from Hassan, drive slowly and keep watching to the left of the road for directions to Doddagaddavally. Turn left at the place where you see a Karnataka tourism map hoarding or a picture of the Lakshmidevi temple of Doddagaddavalli. Take this small road to the left of this hoarding. This road takes you to the Doddagaddavalli village square after about 3 km of winding through some rocky outcrops. Even before reaching the village square, you should be able to spot a large lake to your left.On the bank of the lake, you can spot the protruding towers of the temple. However, you need to cross the village to reach the temple gate. Ask for directions in the village. They would point you the path through some narrow village lanes.

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