Talcxhlorite schist is the material commonly used by the sculptors and builders of the Hoysala dynasty, which ruled in the western part of India south of the Deccan from the eleventh to the mid-fourteenth century. Forty-one samples from seven Hoysala sites were examined by petrographic microscopy and electron beam microprobe analysis. Although it is difficult to distinguish between some of the rocks from the different sites, many contain minerals that can be valuable in distinguishing between different possible quarry sources.

Figure 1 Kesava temple, Somnathpur, completed in 1288: southwest side
Figure 1 Kesava temple, Somnathpur, completed in 1288: southwest side