Photo – Krishna Temple – Hampi
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The Krishna temple was built by the Krishnadevaraya who ruled over the Vijayanagara Empire in 1513 AD to celebrate the conquest of the eastern kingdom of Udayagiri or Utkala (in the present day Orissa state). The temple is built in such as way that the inner sanctum of the temple (seen in the picture) is well lit up throughout the day by small cavities in the roof which let the sunlight through.The temple is currently not used for workship and the main idol of the temple has been removed.
The carvings are spectacular with the Yalis (the mythical lion) on the pillars and the entrances to the temple hall flanged with impressive carvings of elephant balustrades. This is one of the few temples where the epic stories carved on the walls of the tower. This is fairly an intact specimen of a Vijayanagara era temple.
More technical details about the photo at my photoblog (click on Image Info).