Navaranga – Hoysala classic design
Although the Navaranga or the open hall that leads to the sanctum is relatively small, it is unique in many ways and its appearance, interior as well as exterior, is aesthetically pleasing. The layout of the Navaranga shown here highlights its architectural elements.
Note: The diagram is not drawn to scale. The bracket figures are represented by circles and given a number. The sections of the wall are also labelled to indicate their location. For example, S4 is the fourth section on the south side from the main entrance.
The temple is symmetrical about an east-west axis. In other words, the south-side layout is a mirror image of the north side (and vice versa).
As you can see from the diagram, there are three entrances to the Navaranga -
1. The main entrance to the temple on the east side
A side entrance on the north
A side entrance on the south.
There is no entrance on the west side because of the location of the garbhagriha.
Navaranga design
Navaranga is a unique element of Hoysala architecture. In Kannada, nava means nine, and ranga means stage or sector, Navaranga means nine sectors. Generally speaking, the Navaranga is a mantapa (covered hall) where people congregate before taking the darshana of the deity.
The Navaranga design is based on a simple geometrical principle of dividing a rectangular area into nine rectangular blocks by throwing a 3 x 3 grid over it. In Indian mythology, cosmic space has eight directions, four cardinal and four inter-cardinal. The blocks placed in eight different directions around the central block of the Navaranga symbolizes cosmic space as experienced by a human being. The builders of this temple tried to capture this concept in stone.
A mantapa built using the Navarnaga design has pillars at the corners of the central section of the 3 x 3 grid and a roof above those pillars to cover the entire space. There can be pillars at the corners of the rest of the sections to support that roof.
The Navaranga design has sub-elements that include sabhamantapa and mukhamantapa. The area covered by the central section (i.e., enclosed by the four middle pillars) is called the sabhamantapa and is typically the largest. The area covered by the sections facing the entrance is called the muhkamantapa. In architectural terms, the sabhamantapa is like a community hall, and the mukhamantapa is like a porch. In the Belur Chennakeshava Temple, the sabhamantapa is also the dance hall.