Temple pillars often have engravings of charging horses or hippogryphs (Yali) — horses standing on hind legs with their forelegs lifted and riders on their backs. The horses on some pillars stand seven to eight feet tall. On the other side of the pillar are usually carvings from Hindu mythology.The attached colonnettes and sculptured animals are a significant artistic innovation of the reign of king Krishnadevaraya. New Light on Hampi, Recent research in Vijayanagara, edited by John M. Fritz and George Michell, pp 8 Pillars that do not have such hippogryphs are generally rectangular with mythology-themed decoration on all sides. Some pillars have a cluster of smaller pillars around a central pillar shaft. The bottom supports of these pillars have engravings of gods and goddesses. Carvings of hippogryphs clearly show the adroitness of the artists who created them.A Concise History of Karnataka, pp 183, Dr. S.U. Kamath
