Belur and
Halebid
The Hoysalas who ruled southern
parts of Karnataka from the 11th to the 14th century
have built more than 150 temples, each a masterpiece of
creation and the temples of Belur, Halebid and
Somanatha-pura are the pinnacle of this exuberant
activity. Hailed as `nectar in stone' they are a tribute
to that era. The Hoysala temples are built on a
star-shaped pedestal and are centred around a pillared
hall. The precise carving of the rounded surface of the
pillars are so smooth they appear as if they are `lathe
turned'. Every nook and corner of the temples pay
delicate attention to the tiniest detail.
The
Hoysaleshwara Temple at Halebid is one of the finest
specimens of Hoysala creativity. Practically
encyclopaedic in its sheer volume of carved pageantry,
the temple has representations of Hindu deities, sages,
birds, animals, hunting, agriculture, dance and music
besides scenes of war. Two open-pillared Nandi Mandapas
are situated in front of the temple. There is also a
smaller temple, the Kedareswara at Halebid.
Belur
The
Channakeshava temple at Belur which was built by the
famous Hoysala ruler Vishnuvardhana in 1117 A.D. is
dedicated to Lord Vishnu. This temple was built to
commemorate the king's conversion from Jainism to
Vaishnava faith under the influence of Saint Ramanuja.
The Gopuram of this temple is a later addition probably
made by Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagar. The most
remarkable feature of this temple is the presence of 38
bracket figures of `Madanikas'. Beautiful, pensive,
playful and amorous each figure is full of feminine
grace and charm. One sculpted beauty wrings water from
her long tresses and the drops of water are collected on
hair ends. A thread inserted into the pupil of the eye
emerges through the nose. The figures are so heavily
ornamented they make us feel that perhaps the architects
of the temple were originally jewellers by profession.
Halebid and Belur are only 16 kms apart and Hassan is
the most convenient base to visit these places, as well
as Sravanabelagola. Hassan is linked by road to
Bangalore and Mysore and the KSTDC runs conducted tours
from Bangalore and Mysore to all the three places.
Arasikere is yet another base to reach Belur and Halebid.
Jain Temples
The
Hoysaleshwara Temple at Halebid is one of the finest
specimens of Hoysala creativity. Practically
encyclopaedic in its sheer volume of carved pageantry,
the temple has representations of Hindu deities, sages,
birds, animals, hunting, agriculture, dance and music
besides scenes of war. Two open-pillared Nandi Mandapas
are situated in front of the temple. There is also a
smaller temple, the Kedareswara at Halebid.
The
Channakeshava temple at Belur which was built by the
famous Hoysala ruler Vishnuvardhana in 1117 A.D. is
dedicated to Lord Vishnu. This temple was built to
commemorate the king's conversion from Jainism to
Vaishnava faith under the influence of Saint Ramanuja.
The Gopuram of this temple is a later addition probably
made by Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagar. The most
remarkable feature of this temple is the presence of 38
bracket figures of `Madanikas'. Beautiful, pensive,
playful and amorous each figure is full of feminine
grace and charm. One sculpted beauty wrings water from
her long tresses and the drops of water are collected on
hair ends. A thread inserted into the pupil of the eye
emerges through the nose. The figures are so heavily
ornamented they make us feel that perhaps the architects
of the temple were originally jewellers by profession.
