6 Places You Must Visit in Belur
by Indiator
Belur >
A prominent land which depicts the tale of the Kings and the history of the 10th– century ruins temples. Belur is a small town comes under the Hassan district at a distance of 38 Km, situated on the bank of the river Yagachi.
Date back Belur (formerly known as Velapuri) was selected as the alternate capital of the influential Hoysala regime after facing the intrusion and demolition in their capital Dwarasumudra (presently known as Halebidu situated 16 Km away from Belur).
Being the art & archaic lovers, Hoysalas built numerous temples and monuments spread over in Karnataka during their extended ruling tenure.
The architecture of temples and sculptures made in that era be the most incredible in the entire world. Out of hundred of magnificent temples, few most remarkable temples are in Belur and nearby places.
To profoundly know more about such a magnificent work of Hoysalas, just go through 6 Places you can’t afford to miss in Belur.
Chennakesava Temple
The first glimpse of this 10th– century temple mesmerized you with its outstanding sculptures and sophisticated design.
This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and it took a long period of 100 years to be completed. This most popular place of Belur has so many interesting facts like –
- A 42m tall gravity pillar placed in amidst of the temple courtyard is standing on its own without any foundation support.
- The outer walls of the temple are decorated with carvings of animals, including Elephant – symbolize strength, Lion for courage, and horse for speed. The most amazing part is there are more than 600 elephants carved on the wall and each elephant carved uniquely.
- Miniature shrines which look like a small temple not as a prototype of the main temple.
- Inside the temple, there are numerous pillars including the most popular Narasimha pillar and each pillar has a unique design.
- The walls of the temple depict the story of the epic Mahabharata and Ramayana.
Hoysaleswara Temple
Hoysaleswara Temple is one of the largest temples in South India devoted to Lord Shiva situated in Halebidu 16 Km far from Belur.
This temple has two shrines next to each other, one is Kedareshwara Temple devoted to Lord Shiva and another one is for Shantaleswara.
The mind blowing architecture of the temple is highly praised due to its marvellous sculptures of the dancing Lord Ganesha in various styles. There are around 240 such images in the temple complex.
Besides this, the temple has several Madanika sculptures too. The most interesting as well as ironical fact about the temple is the Garuda Pillar where the bodyguards of the kings and queens committed suicide after the death of their master.
Shravanabelagola Temple
This outstanding temple is situated on the hilltop of a Vindhyagiri hill at a height of 3347 feet above sea level. This temple is devoted to Sri Gomatheswar also known as Lord Bahubali.
The most remarkable and fascinating thing about the temple is the 58 feet and an 8-inch tall statue of Sri Gomatheswar which is made up of a perfectly chiselled single piece of a granite mountain.
Another interesting part of this place is one should climb around 650 steps to reach inside the main temple complex.
Basadi Halli Jain Temple
There are three major Jain Basadis name Adinatheswvara, Shantishvara, and Parshvanathvara situated near Hoysaleswara Temple.
According to the records, originally there were 720 Jain Basadis which now left over with only three.
These basadis looks very simple & classy from outside, but from inside, they are bedecked with beautiful sculptures and intricate designs on the pillar and wall of the temple.
Archaeological Museum
This open-air archaeological museum exhibits a huge collection of 12th & 13th-century sculptures (around 1500 in numbers), wooden carvings, and inscriptions.
Yagachi Dam
Apart from temples and monuments, Belur also offers adventurous water sports at Yagachi Dam like Banana boat ride, Jet Ski, Bumper ride, Speed Boat, Trampoline, Kayaking, and Cruise Boat.
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