My Ramblings: Belur and Halebidu

Insignia of the Hoysala Dynasty

This post is in continuation to the one on the Summer Holidays in 2019. I had mentioned in that post that I would be writing about our visit to Belur. We also covered Halebidu which is just a few kilometers from Belur.

I had first visited Belur and Halebidu years back to accompany some colleagues visit India from Belgium about 10-11 years ago. I remember being bowled over by the beauty of Halebidu but only had a vague memory of Belur. On that occasion, we also visited Shravanabelagola. That trip was from Bangalore. On this occasion it was from Manipal.

We stayed at Hotel Mayura Velapuri in Belur. This was a KSTDC run hotel by the state government tourism department. To be honest, I had very low expectations of this place. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness and hygiene at this place. The rooms were pretty spacious and well ventilated. These were quite affordable as well. There is a restaurant in the premises with good food. What's more- it is also at a walking distance from the Chennakeshava temple- Belur's main attraction. The road leading from the hotel to the temple are lined with various eateries and bakeries so you can be sure you'll never go hungry here. Just wanted to share that KSTDC or the hotel have not paid me to write this for them. It is my genuine opinion of the place. You can decide to stop over at Halebidu as well and KSTDC has a Hotel Mayura Shantala there. I have not stayed there, so really cannot say much about it. However, this hotel is also really close to Hoysaleshwara temple- the main attraction of Halebidu. You can actually see it from the outside of the temple.

I will not talk much about the history of these temples. You can check out Wikipedia for that. I want to briefly summarize my experience visiting them.

After checking into the hotel in Belur, we had lunch at the restaurant in the premises and headed out to the temple in Halebidu. The temple has vast green grounds and a pool which appeared to be dried up. The temple is a grand structure or a group of structures with beautiful carvings on the out walls and the inner walls, some pillars and the ceiling. These are 12th century structures which were constructed so impeccably without any of the technology available today. It is an exhibition of fine craftsmanship. The temple is made of stone and dedicated to Lord Shiva. The carvings on the walls depict different scenes from Hindu mythology and sacred texts. Also evident is the damage to these beautiful structures either during some invasions or reckless behaviour of tourists who have tried to ingrain their own names into these. There is also a giant bull- Nandi statue on one of the sides of the temple. It was a hot day and the stone flooring heated up considerably- the temple had laid out mats in some parts which provided some relief but there were other parts where we had to hop over swiftly to avoid burns on the soles of our feet. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to take pictures inside the temple- I would have loved to share the beautiful interiors of the temple.

Hoysaleshwara Temple

View of the temple from the green lawns outside

Nandi temple

View of the temple from outside

Some of the carvings on the outer walls of the temple

Around twilight/dusk, we went to the Chennakeshava temple in Belur. As I mentioned previously, I only had a vague memory of my visit here. The entrance to the temple has a traditional south-Indian temple entryway and opens into a very very vast courtyard. My mind was blown away with the beauty of the place and its vastness. I loved it. The twilight just added to the beauty of the place. We stayed for the evening Pooja. The idol of Chennakeshava was a beautiful black one, ornate with silver ornaments and flowers. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to photograph the deity. The whole place seemed surreal- very unearthly. The interiors of this temple are quite similar to that of the temple at Halebidu. This temple too, had similar damages as the temple at Halebidu. We relaxed a bit in the courtyard before heading back to the hotel.