The Śilabalikās are exquisitely carved female figures that adorn brackets, ceilings and pillars of Hoysala temples. Depicted as the embodiment of śakti (divine feminine energy), their presence sanctifies the temple space, ensuring fertility, prosperity, and harmony. They are also considered guardian figures that keep away inauspicious forces through their auspicious presence. Some scholars interpret them as symbols of the jīva (individual soul) caught in worldly pleasures but ultimately moving towards the divine. They are expressions of how human beauty, art, and sensuality can be sanctified as pathways to the divine.
