Belur

Belur. Belur. Beautiful temple, wonderful sculptures. Heard so much of it. So, one day I finally got there.

I went to Chikmaglur, and on the way visited Shravanabelagola and Halebid. On the way back to Bangalore, we visited the famous Chennakesava Temple at Belur. It does not justify doing a single travelogue for all the 4 places. And, hence, this one is on Belur.

We had already spent 2 days at Chikmaglur and were completely rejuvenated. On the way back, we halted at Belur. We has passed through the same way during the onward journey, and hence we knew exactly which place to turn to get to the temple.

The area around Belur temple, was like any other temple town. There was a large entrance gate with a gopuram, there was a Dhwaja stamba ( Pillar ) with colourful flags flying at the top. Nice scene.

The temple rose majestically on a star shaped platform. It is similar in architecture to the temple at Halebid. The Star shaped platform, short temples with beautiful sculptures without a gopuram at the top, is the hallmark of the Hoysala architectural style.

The kings of TamilNadu made temples that rose to the sky. They had really tall and colourful gopurams. They Chola kings showed their strength by making the tallest structures. The standards in Karnataka are quite contrary. The Hoysala temples are all short without gopuram, but the beauty and the intricate designs of the sculptures are unparalleled.

Yadava Kings defeated Chalukyas, Cholas and Pandyas and became the most powerful rulers of the south. The Hoysala dynasty originally had their capital at Haledid ( 17 kms from Belur ) where they ruled for over 150 yrs. Halebid was attacked continuously in the 14th Century by invaders, because of which it has to be abandoned. The seat of power was shifted to Belur.

King Vishnuvardhan was one of the powerful rulers, and to commemorate his conversion from Jainism to Vaishnavism, he built the Channakeshava temple at his Capital Belur. It is also said that he built the temple to celebrate his victory over the Cholas at Talkad.

In those days temples were not just places of worship. They had other purposes too, a temple doubled up as a justice court, treasure house, an institution to impart ethical education and promoted various art forms – dance, music and arts.

The temple has a main gate with a short rising gopuram. Right in front is the Dhwaja Stamba ( flag post. All temples have a flag post, and the colour and design of the flag is unique to each temple ) and then a statue of Garuda – the Vaahan of Lord Vishnu. Garuda kneels on the floor with his hands joined in submission to the Lord. He faces the sanctum sanctorum.

The main temple made is made of soap stone, and is a homogeneous unit on a star shaped platform. Every possible surface is covered with the most beautiful and intricate carvings of apsaras, elephants, bulls, army men on horses. There are sculptures indicating scenes from the Ramayan, Mahabhratha, other stories from Hindu Mythology, Puranas, Vedas and the Upanishads.

The main temple is surrounded by smaller temples – dedicated to Soumyanayaki and Ranganayaki – the consorts of Lord Keshava. There are temples for Narasimha and Anjaneya too.

On entering the interiors of the Channakeshava temple, you will find the carved royal emblem of the Hoysala dynasty, which is King Sala killing the tiger. This emblem can be found in all the Hoysala temples.

The temples interiors are as beautiful as the exteriors. The presiding diety is one of the Lord Krishna or Kesava and he is called Vijaya Narayana here. The statue is 6 feet tall and is in the sanctum of the main temple, it is said to be installed in 1117 A.D. There are several beautifully carved pillars, each one with a unique theme – one for Narasimha, there is a Mohini pillar and the ceiling has beautiful apsaras.

There is a water tank in the temple, which may have been used by pilgrims and tourists to bathe in the olden days. The temple has corridors attached to the high compound wall, which would have been used by travelers to rest. Currenly, a part of it is used by the temple adminstration.

The government is maintaining the complex well. I am sure, it would be a beautiful sight to visit the temple in night light, but, we did not have time for that.

It was sad to see several parts of the panels missings. Many of the carved warriors did not have heads, the dancers did not have hands, and this way, for every 4 feet of carved panels on the temple exteriors, there was 1 feet that was damaged.

There are several guides, whom you can engage while you go around the temple. It would take about an hour and half to go around the temple, if you spend time observing each of the beautiful sculptures.

We were to remove footwear to enter the complex. It was really hot to walk around. Water was poured on the floor continuously by the officials to ensure that visitors could have a comfortable walk around the temple.

I took about 1 and half hours to see the temple completely. I had visited Halebid earlier, and found Belur similar to Halebid. Outside the temple, there are several shops on the road where sculptures made of soap stone are sold. I bargained to purchase a Nandi. It was very expensive and I had to leave it.

We left Belur at about 4 pm and reached Bangalore at 7.30 pm in the night.

Getting There :

Road : Belur is about 220 kms from Bangalore and is well connected by road from Bangalore, Hassan, Mysore and other important places.

For all those who visit Bangalore or Mysore on a vacation, I think visiting Belur, Halebid and Shravanabelagola is a must.

Trip Duration : 1 day

Best time : Any time of the year

Accomodation : Hassan has good accommodation facilities. Belur, Halebid and Shravanabelagola can be covered as a single day excursion, either from Bangalore, Mysore or from Hassan.

Where to eat : Close to the temple, there is a restaurant called Vishnu Prabha. The serve thali meals in the afternoons…and there are several items on the menu. The food is good, and the rates are nominal.