22[172] View from the Hemakuta hill, Ganesha in the front


When the Sangamas established the kingdom of Vijayanagara, they were confronted with a question of great significance and which had a great bearing on their style of architecture and its subsequent development. The question related to what medium or material to be used for building their temples. In Karnataka before Vijayanagara times, the Hoysalas had developed to the fullest extent the later Chalukya style of Architecture, giving it a distinct stamp of their own.