(click on photos for clearer image)
About:
Belur
In 1116, King Bittiga repudiated Jainism and returned the Hoysalas to the Hindu fold, renaming himself Vishnuvardhana. In the same year he defeated the mighty Cholas and, to celebrate this victory, ordered a temple erected at Belur, 38 kilometers (24 miles) from Hassan, in honor of Channakesava, an incarnation of Vishnu.
Halebid
The Halebid temples and palaces that the visitor sees today were once part of the last Hoysala capital, located 16 kilometers (ten miles) east of Belur. In 1310, a Muslim army swept down from Delhi on a rampage, brutally killing its citizens and looting its treasures. Any hope that the city might be rebuilt was crushed forever in 1326 when a second onslaught wrought greater destruction and brought the Hoysala empire to an end.And yet the remains are magnificent.
SravanabelagolaThe huge 17.7-meter- (58-foot-) high monolithic statue of Gommateshvara Sravanabelagola stands on the summit of the 143-meter (470-foot) granite Vindhyagiri Hill. The site was established in the ninth century and remains one of the most important Jain pilgrimage sites in southern India. Every 12 years (next in 1993) the great statue is given a ritual libation. The town is 170 kilometers (106 miles) from Bangalore and 60 kilometers (37 miles) southeast of Hassan.
Time of Trip: February 23, 2008
Duration: 1 day
Hotels stayed at: None
How we reached there: KSTDC tour from Bangalore in A/C Volvo. (Rs. 685)
We got up really early and took an auto to Badami house where the trip began. The bus started around 7.30 AM. The bus was really good and comfortable.
At about 9.30 we stopped for breakfast. We had bad idli and watery sambhar.
First stop Shravanabelagola:
We reached Shravanabelagola at about 10.30 AM. It had grown hot by now. The large number of steps leading up to the temple looked daunting. Huffing and puffing we made our way to the top. On the way to the top we came across a number of temples. It was here that I captured a photograph of a lone sadhu in front of a temple.
Pic1 : A sadhu near shravanabelagola
There were some carvings on the mountainside in ancient Kannada which were preserved by glass covers.
There were some carvings on the mountainside in ancient Kannada which were preserved by glass covers.
Pic2 : You can see the glass panes on the ground covering the ancient writings.
The gomateshwara statue was very imposing but somehow it was shorter than I had imagined it to be.
Pic 3 : The gomatestwara monolith statue
The descent downwards was definitely easier and after having some ice cream to replace the calories we had lost, we set off.
One of the negative points about the tour is that the one hour they give does not do complete justice to all the places, but it is reasonable.
Soon we had lunch at a KSTDC hotel. I had a nice south Indian Thali which was reasonably good.
Belur:
Belur is about 60 kms from shravanabelagola. Soon we reached the belur temple. A guide accompanied us and charged Rs. 15 per person. The temple was magnificent. The temple took 103 years to build and in a classic example of the Hoysala style. It rises, like a rococo wedding cake in stone, from a star-shaped plinth, one of the hallmarks of Hoysala building design. From the base upwards, there is an extraordinary wealth of decorative detail; every available inch is crammed with intricate carvings. Line upon line of friezes form bands around the temple, each depicting scenes from Hindu mythology. In one frieze, 650 elephants jostle one another in a continuous line. There was a particular carving which showed a woman. On observing closely we can spot a lizard near her. The lizard can be seen catching a fly. The detail levels are amazing. This is a functional temple of Vishnu.
One of the negative points about the tour is that the one hour they give does not do complete justice to all the places, but it is reasonable.
Soon we had lunch at a KSTDC hotel. I had a nice south Indian Thali which was reasonably good.
Belur:
Belur is about 60 kms from shravanabelagola. Soon we reached the belur temple. A guide accompanied us and charged Rs. 15 per person. The temple was magnificent. The temple took 103 years to build and in a classic example of the Hoysala style. It rises, like a rococo wedding cake in stone, from a star-shaped plinth, one of the hallmarks of Hoysala building design. From the base upwards, there is an extraordinary wealth of decorative detail; every available inch is crammed with intricate carvings. Line upon line of friezes form bands around the temple, each depicting scenes from Hindu mythology. In one frieze, 650 elephants jostle one another in a continuous line. There was a particular carving which showed a woman. On observing closely we can spot a lizard near her. The lizard can be seen catching a fly. The detail levels are amazing. This is a functional temple of Vishnu.
Pic 4: The majestic belur temple
pic 5: History....
Pic 6: Another old temple in the belur temple complex
Pic 7: Friezes with various animals in the belur temple
Pic 8: Intricate carvings in the belur temple
After spending an hour here we moved on.
Halebid:
The main temple is dedicated to Shiva and, as at Belur, was built by King Vishnuvardhana. It conforms, with its star-shaped base, to the pattern of all Hoysala temples but is the most intricately decorated. Only in darkness of the inner sanctum where the stark black lingam, the symbol of Shiva, is still worshipped is there any suggestion of simplicity. It is very similar to the belur temple but has a garden is front. Vandalism is rampant. There are 2 enormous Nandis in the temple.
The main temple is dedicated to Shiva and, as at Belur, was built by King Vishnuvardhana. It conforms, with its star-shaped base, to the pattern of all Hoysala temples but is the most intricately decorated. Only in darkness of the inner sanctum where the stark black lingam, the symbol of Shiva, is still worshipped is there any suggestion of simplicity. It is very similar to the belur temple but has a garden is front. Vandalism is rampant. There are 2 enormous Nandis in the temple.
pic 9: The halebid temple
Pic 10: The rear view of the halebid temple
Pic 11: The Halebid temple in a paranoma of flowers.
pic 12: The magnificienet temple of Halebid in black and white
Soon we were on our way back by about 4.30.The rest of the journey quickly flew past. The roads to and fro to the temples are very good. Moreover the bus is really comfortable so we dint experience any of the discomforts of a long bus drive. We reached Bangalore by about 9 pm.
Some really remarkable temples. A slice of history you would not want to miss.
Some really remarkable temples. A slice of history you would not want to miss.
