Belur, located in Hassan district was the early capital of the Hoysala Empire. It was built by king Vishnuvardhana in commemoration of his victory over the Cholas at Talakad in 1117 CE. Legend has it that it took 103 years to complete and Vishnuvardhana's grandson Veera Ballala II completed the task.
The main attraction in Belur is the Chennakesava temple complex which contains the Chennakesava Temple, surrounded by the Kappe Chennigraya temple.
For more information on this magnificent temple, visit this link orwikipedia.
A guide would be very handy because it is difficult and time consuming to explore on own. However, beware of pseudo-guides (locals guise themselves as guides) and insist on i-card. The sanctum of channakeshava temple is very dark and fortunately photography is allowed. The ceiling too has intricate carving but a focus light is arranged to viewing it, however one has to buy a ticked to utilise this service.
The deity in the shrine is still being worshipped unlike many historic temples that have been neglected or abandoned. Since the entire flooring of temple complex is granite, it gets pretty hot in the afternoon and walking bare foot becomes difficult. It is better to visit in the morning.
Flash presentation of Belur photos:
My travel log:
We left from Davangere at 6.30 am and halted at Shimoga for breakfast. Then, travelling via Bhadravati, Tarikere, Lingdalli, and Chikmagalur we reached Belur at 12.30 pm. Without wasting time, we had quick "darshan" of the lord and spent majority of the time admiring the carvings. This was my second visit to this temple and I was the "guide" to my companions. We had lunch at a hotel in Belur, and left for Halebid at 3.30 pm.
Halebid:
situated 16 kms from Belur lies Halebid. Halebidu was the 12th century capital of the Hoysalas. The Hoysaleswara temple was built during this time by built by Ketamala and attributed to Vishnuvardhana, the Hoysala ruler. It enshrines Hoysaleswara and Shantaleswara, named after the temple builder Vishnuvardhana Hoysala and his wife, Queen Shantala. See wikipediafor more information.
The temple complex comprises two Hindu temples, the Hoysaleshawara and Kedareshwara temples and two Jain basadi. Halebid means ruined city. There is an archeological museum in the temple complex. There are two nandi bull statues on the either side of the Hoysaleshwara temple. The Hoysaleswara temple, guarded by a Nandi Bull that was never completed.
My travel log:
It took us 20 minutes to cover a distance of 17 kms from Belur to reach Halebid. There is plenty of parking space for cars but finding the right one underneath a tree is difficult. A guide here too would be handy. Since we had to reach Madikeri the same day, we rushed through the temples. Hawkers sell various objects carved out of stone and one can purchase them as memento. After a brief stay of 45 minutes, we left for Hassan.
Flash presentation of Halebidu photos
Distance chart:
Davangere to Shimoga: 94 Kms
Shimoga to Bhadravati: 35 Kms
Bhadravati to Tarikere: 20 Kms
Tarikere to Chikkamagalur: 57 Kms
Chikkamagalur to Belur: 26 Kms
Belur to Halebid: 17 Kms
The main attraction in Belur is the Chennakesava temple complex which contains the Chennakesava Temple, surrounded by the Kappe Chennigraya temple.
For more information on this magnificent temple, visit this link orwikipedia.
A guide would be very handy because it is difficult and time consuming to explore on own. However, beware of pseudo-guides (locals guise themselves as guides) and insist on i-card. The sanctum of channakeshava temple is very dark and fortunately photography is allowed. The ceiling too has intricate carving but a focus light is arranged to viewing it, however one has to buy a ticked to utilise this service.
The deity in the shrine is still being worshipped unlike many historic temples that have been neglected or abandoned. Since the entire flooring of temple complex is granite, it gets pretty hot in the afternoon and walking bare foot becomes difficult. It is better to visit in the morning.
Flash presentation of Belur photos:
My travel log:
We left from Davangere at 6.30 am and halted at Shimoga for breakfast. Then, travelling via Bhadravati, Tarikere, Lingdalli, and Chikmagalur we reached Belur at 12.30 pm. Without wasting time, we had quick "darshan" of the lord and spent majority of the time admiring the carvings. This was my second visit to this temple and I was the "guide" to my companions. We had lunch at a hotel in Belur, and left for Halebid at 3.30 pm.
Halebid:
situated 16 kms from Belur lies Halebid. Halebidu was the 12th century capital of the Hoysalas. The Hoysaleswara temple was built during this time by built by Ketamala and attributed to Vishnuvardhana, the Hoysala ruler. It enshrines Hoysaleswara and Shantaleswara, named after the temple builder Vishnuvardhana Hoysala and his wife, Queen Shantala. See wikipediafor more information.
The temple complex comprises two Hindu temples, the Hoysaleshawara and Kedareshwara temples and two Jain basadi. Halebid means ruined city. There is an archeological museum in the temple complex. There are two nandi bull statues on the either side of the Hoysaleshwara temple. The Hoysaleswara temple, guarded by a Nandi Bull that was never completed.
My travel log:
It took us 20 minutes to cover a distance of 17 kms from Belur to reach Halebid. There is plenty of parking space for cars but finding the right one underneath a tree is difficult. A guide here too would be handy. Since we had to reach Madikeri the same day, we rushed through the temples. Hawkers sell various objects carved out of stone and one can purchase them as memento. After a brief stay of 45 minutes, we left for Hassan.
Flash presentation of Halebidu photos
Distance chart:
Davangere to Shimoga: 94 Kms
Shimoga to Bhadravati: 35 Kms
Bhadravati to Tarikere: 20 Kms
Tarikere to Chikkamagalur: 57 Kms
Chikkamagalur to Belur: 26 Kms
Belur to Halebid: 17 Kms
