The Hoysala temples at Halebidu have around 25,000 finely carved statues on their outer walls. Ravana lifts Mount Kailash with Lord Shiva and Parvati seated on top, and the trees, animals and birds of the mountain are all shown in the stone. Stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata run along the walls, the way these stories travelled across generations before books.
Look closely at the Ganesha carvings. In one, more than 1,000 years old, the artist has shown a slight dip in the stone slab near the mouse's back feet, from the weight of the Lord, and the mouse's face deserves a second look. A 16-foot Ganesha stands outside, and another, from the 12th century, was placed at the entrance the king used to enter his palace; it was found in the debris.
The temples were destroyed by invaders and the ASI reassembled them from the fallen pieces. Compare the carvings with the statues of Rome, and then go and see them yourself.
