Temples of Karnataka as Jewellery

Temples in India are not just religious spaces. They are public spaces – libraries and reservoirs of knowledge. They provide accessibility of information to people from different sections of the society. To the rich and to the poor; to the learned and to the novice. The murals, sculptures and the even the structure of the temple and the surroundings areas were designed to communicate. This is the reason, I feel compelled to include temples as a part of many jewellery collection that I create. Parampare that is about rediscovering the heritage of Karnataka is no different. I have created a number of pieces of jewellery inspired by the Temples of Karnataka.

Temples of Karnataka as Jewellery

Karnataka is a land of temples. These centres of religious importance also double up as exotic places due to their architecture. While the Temples of Karnataka are many in number, I have selected seven of them here to convert to Jewellery. The first four temples are in the Bengaluru city and the remainder in different districts of Karnataka.

Halasaru Sommeshwara Temple necklace

This necklace combines the imagery of a landmark from the Chola times with the wearable heritage of Karnataka – the Kasina Hara necklace. While the pendant is a digital illustration of the Halasaru Sommeshwara Temple, the Hara is Patinaed in shades of garnet and turmeric making it auspicious entity for all ocassion. Studs Earrings with bead drops are included.

Dharmaraya Swamy Temple necklace

Said to be over 800 years old, the Dharmaraya Swamy Temple is dedicated to the Pancha Pandavas and their wife Draupadi. The annual Karaga pays homage to Draupadi amman’s visit to earth. While the necklace comprises of hand stitched ribbon beads, lampwork glass and lacquer discs in glorious shade of orange, red and maroon, the pendant is a digital illustration of the Dharmaraya Swamy Temple. The shape and structure beaded hoop earrings with jhumkas are influenced by the Karaga procession.

Basavangudi Nandi necklace

An ancient lore describes a basava or bull destroying local groundnut fields near today’s Bengaluru. To stun the bull the villagers injure it with the club only to see it transform into stone. As penance the villagers build a nandi or bull temple and worship the bull for forgiveness. Every year, they offer groundnuts to the bull during the Kadalekaayi festival. This is Sthala Purana or the story of the Basavangudi temple.  Inspired by the kadalekaayi parishe (ground nut fair) this Nandi necklace juxtaposes the form and colour of groundnut with dash of bright pink that embodies the flower garlands adorning the deity. Studs Earrings with bead drops help you complete the look .

Omkar Hills

Propagating the Advaitic vision of universal oneness, the Omkar Hills hills at Bengaluru is home to the Matsya Narayana and Dwadasa Jyothirlinga temples. The painterly effect at sunset at this glorious place is reflected by the duotone crystals used in the necklace along with the medley of assorted glass beads, wooden, ribbon bead and the handmade ceramic focal. Studs Earrings with bead drops suit the necklace to a T.

Sringeri Temple Necklace

The Vidyashankara temple, commonly known as the Sringeri temple is considered to be the holy seat of knowledge. Of all the temples mentioned in this one, Sringeri is the only temple, I have visited. A Combining both Hoysala and Vijayanagara architecture styles, this stunning structure is full of beautiful sculptures. As a devotee of Goddess Saraswati, I loved being here and was enamoured by the architecture when I took a picture of the gopuram. I have used that photograph and converted it into an illustration here. This Necklace in purple with a digital illustration of the temple is created with beads of glass, fabric and wood. Comes with Jhumka earrings that mimic the downward facing tiers of the gopuram’s structure.

Hampi Chariot

The Shrine of Garuda, built as a stone chariot is a must see at the Vittala temple complex at Hampi. It is a place where the browns of sand and stone play up the contrast of blue skies. That is why, Hampi is a favourite photoshoot location. This scenic locale is reflected in the painted background of this pendant and in extension the necklace. The beaded necklace is made of copper glass beads, Lac beads, howlite and heishi turquoise along with a pendant of the Hampi Chariot. It comes with stunning Mixed metal earrings with Howlite teardrops. (not in pic)

Darpana Sundari

Darpana Sundari necklace is a reimagination of the attire and look of Darpana Sundari (beautiful lady with a mirror). It is a  wondrous sculpture found at the Chennakesavaperumal temple at Belur. In rich blues and greens, contrasting the browns and grays of the sculpture is this very festive necklace. Unlike most of my picture jewellery, the Darpana Sundari necklace has a colored bezel. I wanted the blue and green verdigris in the bezel for an aged look.  It comes with patinaed beaded earrings

As with every other piece in this collection, the jewellery inspired by the Temples of Karnataka required a lot of research. Reading about these temples piqued my interest to visit them. I planned a trip to Belur a while back but it never materialised. But I think, maybe the time has come to plan a Temple trails trip based on Parampare jewelry. How cool will that be?

As always, looking for feedback and support in the comments. If you have any favourite memories at these temples, please share them with me.

Prampare is a collection of thematic picture jewellery inspired by the wearable heritage of Karnataka. It has been created by Divya N for Sayuri and sold exclusively by Coolture Designs. Please check with them for availability and pricing. To buy this collection head over the Coolture’s Facebook shop . Do follow me on Instagram for new reveals and behind the scenes action.

I hope you found it interesting