Vidyashankara Temple is located at
Sringeri,
Chikmagalur District, in
Karnataka. Vidyashankara Temple was built in the memory of Guru Vidyashankara by Vijayanagar rulers in the 14th century. The inscriptions stating the contributions made by Vijayanagar rulers can be seen here.
Situated on a richly sculpted basement, Vidyashankara Temple is a fine blend of Hoysala and Dravidian architecture. The temple enshrines the ruby images of Venugopala and Srinivasa and a Nandi made out of a large pearl. Buddha is depicted as one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu in the temple.
The most remarkable feature of the temple is 12 pillars named Rasi Pillars. Uniqueness is that these pillars mark 12 zodiac signs and the sun's rays fall on each of them in the order of solar months. The temple also features 61 images carved in bas-relief and most of them depict scenes from the puranas.
