Travel : Belur - Halebeedu - Belavadi
Belur – Halebeedu - Belavadi : The Eternal Romance of Stone Architecture
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| The Hoysala Architecture |
The date was 14 July 2023. Incidentally, when I got a chance to plan a trip to Belur and Halebeedu and have a peep into our history, it was a day made famous by a leap into our future by ISRO scientists.
In a momentous day for India's
space sector on 14 July 2023, Chandrayaan -3 was launched on GSLV Mark 3 (LVM
3) heavy-lift launch vehicle successfully from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre
in Sriharikota at 2.35 pm. An event of definite grandeur which carries hopes of
1.4 Billion Indians to achieve world eminence and scale new heights of
scientific glory. With three key objectives, it aims to show case a safe and
gentle landing on the moon's surface, demonstrate rover operations, and conduct
scientific experiments in situ. Three cheers for ISRO and our scientists.
While scripting of this new chapter in India's space odyssey is, as yet, a work in progress, there is nothing, really nothing, which matches the already existing grandeur of culturally, historically and architecturally rich temples of our Southern India. Even the smallest temples stand testimony to the advancement of those times. The bigger ones are literally stories carved in stones.
The rulers of various South Indian
dynasties were some of the greatest builders and architects known to mankind.
The magnificent temples, built by them, more than 1000 to 2000 years back, were
the hub of economic, cultural and political activities of contemporary times.
Let's have a small peak into the Hoysalas' time, for which I have taken a
liberal assistance from various open sources of information.
The Hoysalas
More than 1500 years rule of the
Chola Dynasty is exemplified by the Great Living Chola Temples at Thanjavur and
Gangaikonda Cholapuram. However, the decline of the influence of the Chola
Dynasty saw the rise of Pandyas in
the present day regions of Tamil Nadu, as well as The Hoysalas, who originated from the Western Ghats, mountains
North-West of Gangavadi in Mysore. The
Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian Subcontinent
that ruled most of what is now Karnataka, between the 10th and the 14th
centuries. Angadi, an unknown village among the coffee plantations and
jungles of Karnataka, was where the seeds of Hoysala Empire were sown. It was the first capital city of Hoysalas.
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| The Emblem of Hoysalas |
Later, the Hoysalas moved their capital to Belur, also known earlier as Velapuri, Velur and Belapur in olden times. Situated on the banks of Yagchi River, it is also called the Varanasi of the South. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later moved to Halebeedu.
The original name of Halebeedu was Dwaar Samudra. The Hoysala era was an important period in the development of South Indian art, architecture, and religion. The empire is remembered today primarily for Hoysala architecture; but only about 40-50 out of approx 1500 temples made by Hoysalas, remain today.
In the 14th century, the armies of
Alauddin Khilji and Muhammad Tughlak defeated the Hoysalas and raided their
empire. It is recorded that enormous wealth and riches were looted. The city
never recovered and fell into neglect. In fact, Halebeedu means “Old House/ Old
Ruins/ The Destroyed City“. However, few temples survived this devastation like
the ones in Halebeedu and today when you see them, you will be mesmerised by
some of the most stupendous expressions ever sculpted in stone.
There are three jewels of this list
of temples which generally get overlooked. They are Channakeshava Temple in Belur, Hoysaleshwar
Temple (complex) in Halebeedu and Veer
Narayana Temple in Belavadi. These are the best examples of Hoysala
architecture and a treasure trove of sculptures.... And the mother of all South
Indian marvels are the Chennakeshava Temple and Hoysaleshwar Temple, which are
the prime subjects of our interest today.
How to Reach
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| Relative Locations from Hassan |
Belur is 220 kms from Bengaluru and 155 kms from Mangalore. Mangalore is also the nearest airport. Haasan junction 40 kms away is the nearest Railway Station. Bus services are available to reach Belur from Haasan city. Belavadi is located 12 km from Halebidu and 27 km from Belur.
Belur and surrounding areas are best explored in a taxi/own vehicle. We had driven from Bengaluru and took about 4 hrs to reach Belur, with one short halt in between.
Route from Bengaluru
We started from Bengaluru at 6.30 am in own vehicle. I had ensured my small driving checklist of Vehicle Documents, couple of pillows, two handtowels, one bathtowel, mobile charging cable, Water Bottles, Chocolates, First Aid Kit, Toll Exemption Certificate etc.
The route followed was Bengaluru - Jalahalli - Nelamangala - along NH-75 - Hassan - Belur.
It is an excellent road all along.
Recommended Halts Enroute
Shark Food Court... 60 km from
Bengaluru on Nelamangala - Hassan Highway... For Breakfast of delicious Masala
Dosa and Thatte Idli.
Hotel DhruvThaare ... It is situated on NH-75 Bangalore – Mangalore Highway, about 25 Kms from Kunigal. (After you cross Kunigal and just after Yediyur). It comes on the left side when one drives from Bengaluru to Belur/ Mangalore. Good, very clean, hygienically maintained restaurant with ample parking facilities.
Hassan city has many eating options.
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| Hotel Varuna... Near Hassan |
During our return journey, we had halted at Hotel Varuna, towards the left of road when you cross Hassan during return. It is a very spacious place with clean and hygienic surroundings (including very clean Wash Rooms) and ample parking space. The staff is very courteous. Only pure vegetarian choices are available.
Sequence of Visit
Belur - Belavadi - Halebeedu
They form a nice small triangle from Hassan as seen in the Google Maps image above.
Accommodation Options
Unless the travel plan includes much more, Belur-Halebeedu can be a one day affair from Bengaluru.
We started early morning at 6.30 am and were back home at 8 pm after visiting all three temples in our itinerary.
A more leisurely trip with night halt(s) will give you options to spend more time at all these places and others around them. Additionally, if you are passionate about history, architecture or archaeology, then you will need to spend much more time. Other tourist places of Chikmagalur can be co-opted as per time available.
KSTDC runs the Hotel Mayura Velapuri, 500 meters from Belur Chennakeshava Temple.
KSTDC runs Hotel Mayura Shantala in Halebeedu right across the Hoysaleshwar Temple complex.
Hoysala Village Resort, on the outskirts of Hassan, gives a luxurious stay option.
More options are available in Hassan city (33 kms away from Halebeedu and 40 kms from Belur).
Tour Guide
We hired the services of Mr Guru Prasad (9343244748). He was strongly recommended in our Forces Network Google Group. He is a very senior Guide, with a State Level Permit, and is into this profession for last 26 years.
Chennakeshava Temple (Belur)
Chennakeshava Temple, also called
Vijaya Narayana Temple, was our first stop. Let's begin it's story.
Introduction
The Chennakeshava Temple was built
by Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana to commemorate his victory over the Cholas in
1116 AD at Talakadu.
It is believed to have been built
by master craftsmen – Dasoja and Chavana, a father and son duo. Even though
this temple is more than 900 years old, it is still a fully functional and
active Temple; meaning that Hindu rituals are performed in the temple everyday.
Architectural Marvel
Today, if someone builds an entire
building with no adhesive materials and only interlocking stones, it will be an
incredible and amazing feat. But to do it 900 years ago, and including
extremely intricate carvings in every inch (main temple structure is adorned
with more than 10,000 carvings) of those approximately 6,80,000 interlocking
pieces is an insane imagination. Thats Chennakeshava Temple for you.
That's why it is also called
"Kala Sagara" or 'An Ocean of Art'. Mainstream archaeologists claim
that it took 100+ years to complete this temple and more than 1000 artisans
worked on it at any given time.
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| Navranga Layout of Chennakeshava Temple |
You would have thought that the
moving parts were sculpted out of a single stone, which in itself was a very
complex way to tell stories in stone; however our ancient builders were much
more smarter and brilliant. They assembled the temples, really, assembled !!
Literally. Part by Part !!
Even with a Super AI computer, you
would have a hard time producing a blueprint of the Temple and then perfectly
manufacturing all the parts to fit together intricately and then actually
putting it together without damaging or breaking the parts. That would take a
massive amount of planning, manufacturing and precise assembling. Besides
obvious "Advanced Technology", the Temple is a befitting example of
superior Project Management Skills to design, carve and flawlessly execute
multi level assembly of so many parts.
Isn't it true that The more we know
about ancient Hindu temples, we realise how little we know.
Chennakeshava Temple is truly a gem
among stones. It is an understatement to say that it is an architectural
marvel. Once you see it, you will be unable to express your awe in words.
Minor Details
It showcases the Hoysala
architecture with many notable features, including its unique layout, ornate
pillars (one of them revolves about its own axis), and most importantly, the
bracket figures, the beautifully carved sculptures mounted on the exterior wall
at an angle just below the eaves.
Architecturally classified as the
Mantapa style temple – a subclass under the southern Dravida style – the Belur
Chennakeshava Temple consists of two main parts, Garbha Griha and Mantapa. The
Garbhagriha is the inner sanctum where the principal deity of the temple
resides. The Mantapa, popularly known as the Navaranga, is a covered hall in
front of the Garbhagriha.
Gopuram
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| Gopuram |
The Gopuram was not part of the original temple structure and was added later, during
Vijaynagara empire.
Raised Platform and Temple Exteriors
The temple stands on a raised
platform and has exquisite artwork on its outer walls, adorned with bracket
figures, depicting the Puranas and Epics, all carved to perfection. The lower
frieze has a series of charging elephants and horses; the elephants symbolize
strength, while the horses are for speed.
The Temple not only shows Gods but also shows how ancient human beings lived. The carvings clearly show multi storage buildings with every floor having a balcony where you can sit out and relax just like you do today.
It is also believed that Shantaladevi, the Queen of King Vishnuvardhana is the model for one of the sculptures – Darpana Sundari (lady with the mirror). Just outside is an interesting piece of sculpture, called the Gravity Pillar which is carved out of a single rock and stands on its own weight. People can actually swipe a piece of paper across it.
Equally impressive are the temples
of Kappe Chennigaraya, Soumyanayaki, Andal and other Vaishnava manifestations,
which surround the main temple.
Madanikas
The bracket figures of 38 Madanikas
(Celestial Nymps) on the outside are elaborately done with even water drops
chiseled to perfection. The Darpan Sundari mentioned above is one among these
38. There are 04 Madanika bracket figures on the inside ceiling which is
believed to be inspired by Queen Shantaladevi’s beauty.
All these Madanikas are trying to distract you with your own thirst for beauty, with your knowledge, with your feelings, with your social instincts... even with technology and deep philosophy. But everything you see about these Madanikas is just a distraction.
In fact God is there all along behind every Madanika, but the visitors fail to
see them.
The 42 Madanikas of the Chennakesava Temple have been documented extensively by both experts and visitors; but the God carved behind them has never been noticed or documented by anyone. Try to explore this aspect when you visit there.
Temple Interiors
And if you thought that, this is
supreme stone carving skills, then just step inside. The craftmanship inside is
much finer than outside. The sanctum has a magnificent 3.7 m tall image of Lord
Vijaya Narayana in black stone. The Prabhavali of this idol has the 10 avatars
of Lord Vishnu, wrought very perfectly. The doorway with the Dwaarapalakas is
very elegantly carved. The Garbhagriha is stellar in shape and its zigzag walls
make the figures of 24 forms of Lord Vishnu look different at different times
of the day due to light and shade effect.
Smooth Pillars and Rotating Pillar
One can see the highly polished lathe turned pillars and their intricate carvings even in the dark, and no two pillars are alike. The 3-D projections and holes carved in these pillars make you gape in awe of the artists.
Very close to the main idol inside the temple, there is a Rotating Pillar with insane carving details. This Narasimha Pillar, it seems, was built to rotate on its base, and is the most beautiful among the pillars.
While trying to decode the mystery of the Rotating Pillar, you will notice a gap in the bottom with stone ball bearings. And there is an exact same gap with ball bearings on the top of the pillar.
Amazingly, this entire cylinder looks like an 'Index' or a 'Table of Contents' of a book i.e. this pillar is designed to show the contents of the Chennakeshava Temple... Eg small scale Madanikas on top standing at an angle, miniature carvings of various Gods, miniature models of everything that you will see in the Temple etc and all are carved with the same insane mix of technology and artistic beauty as is visible everywhere in the Temple. And it makes complete sense to have such an "Index". Our ancient temples were centres of learning and culture, in edition to practice faith - so it makes complete sense that if there are such large number of carvings with such depth in the temple, one would spend hours or days to soak it all, admire it all and understand it all. Likely one would return day after day to study it.
A unique aspect in this Pillar is that the artist has left a small space blank. It is believed that this blank space is a challenge to other artists and future generations to fill the space with a better carving; and to convey that art never dies as it is infinite...
The locals worship this Rotating Narasimha Pillar as the main deity of this Temple, despite this pillar being about 50 feet away from the main idol inside the Temple.
Google search will tell you that
Ball Bearings were invented by Philip Vaughan in Britain in 1794. And here
stands this Temple with a Ball Bearing based Rotating Pillar made 600 years
before the perceived invention of Ball Bearings. Feel like smiling... 😊
Geared Pillars
Close to this Rotating Pillar, we will find a set of 04 Pillars with complex gear like structures. 04 Pillars in a row. These 04 Pillars are proof of advanced lathe operations like Milling, Chamfering, Knurling and Gear Cutting etc.
The Ring on the 1st Pillar has 8 sides, 2nd Pillar has 16 sides, 3rd has 32 and 4th has 64 sides. So these are not Rings but Gears, with a Gear Ratio of 1:2:4:8.
According to archaeologists, these Pillars are not made of one stone, infact each Ring in a Pillar is a separate Stone Ring that can be rotated. And these rotatable gears, when they are all connected by a belt or a chain, each gear will rotate at a different speed. This is why these gears are in 1:2:4:8 ratio.
Can we find any evidence
of our ancient builders using chains to connect these gears ? Well, yes !
Just above one of these Pillars, we can see a strange figure which is holding a connecting Chain. Tell your Tour Guide to show this to you. The details of this Chain can be seen very clearly, and remarkably, it is not just similar but almost identical to a modern day connecting Chain that we use. Being a 900 yrs old carving, it does not leave any doubt that our ancient builders were using Connecting Chains with Gears and each Gear moved at a different speed. Recollect the 'Timing Belt and Gear System' from our books that we use today for so many purposes.
Specific 'Miss-me-Not'
Recommendations
First things first, you need to
hire a Tour Guide on site to conduct you around the Temple. Without a learned
Tour Guide, the effort of visiting the Temple will remain incomplete.
Based on all that I read about the
temple and researched prior to visiting it and subsequently saw them during my
visit, I would list some of the architectural facets that you must specifically
not miss out on seeing. In addition to all that your Tour Guide must be
planning, impress upon him to specifically show you all of these. Here they are
:-
Main Gopuram;
Brilliant carving of 10 Vishnu Avatars above the entrance;
Unique star shape of the main temple structure;
Side structure - a small replica of main structure with much lesser carvings (kind of miniature model of the Main Temple);
Statue of Arjuna destroyed and dented by hammer marks;
Carving of an ape like figure looking at a distance through a telescope;
Carving of a Macau bird on the arms of a lady;
Statue of Goddess Swarna Bhairavi with two small sized Gods to her sides (Gold Digger God Vaisravana and Gold Distributor God, both with protective helmets);
Large monolithic chain with 14 links;
Madanikas' statues on top of various pillars... Total 42... 38 outside and 04 inside... Admire the beauty of these Madanikas, inclined angle placements, intricate filigree work, extraordinary sculpting details eg see-through dress, hollow sea shells, artificial nails etc... They are full of human emotions like happiness, sorrow, fear and depression.
Male Madanika with a drum and broken right hand (...Crazy level of carving...);
One Madanika with a third nipple;
04 Madanikas on the inside of temple (all made out of single soap stone);
Behind every ornate and eye catching Madanika, there is a simple statue of God waiting to be seen... ;
Observe these Madanikas as an engineer, as an architect, as a sculptor, as a fashion designer and even as a physicist.... '
Dancing Mohini with one leg up... Gravity display;
Anti Gravity Pillar... Monolithic granite block, Approximately 42' Tall and 3.5' Wide, 45 Ton Weight... Is it a seismic device ?
Smooth lathe turned pillars;
Rotating Pillar inside the Temple;
04 Pillars in a row, with complex gear like structures (1:2:4:8);
Chain gears;
Genetically modified humans... intertwined DNA strands;
Black Mohini inside with one leg up... Her permission is needed for dismantling the Temple;
Interlocking Stone Technology using Various Joints... For every 1 Sq Ft area, there are atleast 10 different stone blocks;
Holes from where statues have been stolen;
Proof of statues being fixed separately on the walls, Joints at the back and at top and bottom to fix the statues;
Lord Narasimha's small carving killing Hiranyakashyapa inside the Temple at the centre of a ceiling block;
Dismantling of entire ceiling into 48 pieces;
Pillar manufacturing facility;
Hoysaleshwar Temple (Halebeedu)
Once you have soaked-in the elegance,
marvel and genius which is on offer at the Chennakeshava Temple, the next halt
at the Hoysaleshwar Temple Complex simply continues to keep your mouth open in
awe of all that the artists and architects managed to achieve 100s of years
back. As you keep going around the exteriors and the interiors, you cannot help
but laugh at the sheer volume of genius.
Brilliance of human imagination and
creativity; Poetry in stone, may be.
The Hoysaleswara Temple Complex, poised on a star-shaped base as a twin-shrined temple, is perhaps the largest Shiva temple built by the Hoysalas. It has two temples : Hoysaleshwar Temple (named after the dynasty) and Shantaleshwar Temple (named after Queen Shantala), both worshipping Lord Shiva.
The Temple was consecrated by
Ketumalla, one of the ministers of King Vishnuvardhan, who built the Shaivic
temple during 1121 CE, over a 100 years period, which still remains unfinished.
The temples floor plan is
star-shaped, with numerous angled projections for more carving space compared to
a square or rectangular design
Its base consists of 8 rows of
friezes carved with elephants, lions, horses and floral scrolls. The elephants
symbolize strength, lions courage while the horses are for speed (वेग, शौर्य एवं शक्ति).
Its walls are adorned with intricately carved Hindu deities, sages, stylised animals, birds and friezes depicting the life of Hoysala kings. Imagery from epics like the Ramayana, Mahabharatha and Bhagavad Gita adorn the outer walls with highly ornate temple doorways. It is believed that no other temple in the country captures the Indian epics as elegantly as Hoysaleswara Temple.
The Nandimantapa is positioned right in front of the temple wherein there is a huge
Nandi richly decorated with stone ornaments. Behind this is a shrine dedicated to Surya with a 2 m tall image. There are exquisite carvings in the interiors of the temple as well. The most striking item is the highly polished lathe-turned pillars. The two Nandis, in front of the two temples, are said to be the sixth and seventh largest Nandi statues across India.
Specific 'Miss-me-Not'
Recommendations
# Gajasur Mardana : Sculpture of Shiva performing the "Tandav" dance inside an elephant. The sculplture showcases the human imagination at its best, with elephant hind legs positioned on top and Shiva's finger nails seemingly coming out of the elephant's skin.
# Ravana with his 10 heads and the Mount Kailash over him.
# Beautifully carved ceiling inside.
# Lathed Pillars
Museum : An archaeological museum maintained by ASI inside Halebeedu Temple complex houses over 1500 sculptures and artefacts of the Hoysala era.
Veer Narayana Temple, Belavadi
In between our visits to the
Chennakeshava Temple and the Hoysaleshwar Temple, we visited Belavadi, a quiet
and sleepy village at a distance of 12 km from Halebidu and 27 km from Belur.
Belavadi is famous for Sri Veera
Narayana Temple built in Hoysala architectural style. The place is described as
Ekachakranagara of Mahabharata and is said to be the place where Pandava prince
Bheema killed the demon Bakasura and protected the village and its people.
The Veera Narayana Temple was built in the 13th Century by the Hoysala King
The west side of the temple consists of a square Garbhagriha, a Sukanasi, Ranga Mandapa and square Maha Mantapa. The whole structure has been constructed on a raised platform.
The entire temple is built out of
soapstone and is believed that this temple was constructed in two phases. The
temple is in trikuta style (three vimanas) with Sri Veera Narayana in the
Centre facing East, Sri Venugopala facing North and Sri Yoganarasimha facing
South. The shrines of Lord Krishna and Lord Narayana were added later on.
The entrance to the temple is
majestic and has two carved elephants on either side of the gateway. The older
shrine is in the centre, while the two other shrines face each other across a
long Mandapa. The Ranga Mandapa of Veera Narayana shrine has beautiful
bell-shaped pillars and a well-decorated roof. The outer walls of the temple
have beautifully carved pilasters with decorative towers on top. The main
shrine has an 8 feet tall image of Veera Narayana with four hands which is
considered one of the best examples of Hoysala art.
The two newer shrines are connected
by an open Mandapa. These two shrines have different plans. One is square while
the other is star-shaped. The vimanas, the Sukanasi, and the outer walls are
covered with intricately carved sculptures.
The northern shrine has a 7 feet
tall idol of Yoganarasimha in a sitting posture, holding Shanka and Chakra,
with Sridevi and Bhoodevi standing on either side.
The southern shrine has a wonderful
8 feet image of Venugopala playing the flute. On either side of Venugopala
stand Rukmini and Satyabhama. This is one of the most beautiful Krishna
sculptures. As per our Tour Guide, ASI has declared this as the most beautiful
Krishna sculpture in India.
Conclusion
These carvings and temples were
left behind by vastly superior ancestors to reignite the light of wisdom in our
time, to reveal what we are capable of as individuals.
Too many people are blind about the language of stone. All the efforts made, times sacrificed, and perfection achieved to write various stories, is intended to demand our attention of the deep importance towards the stories they narrate. We can't dismiss these marvelous unbelievable visible creations as myth or legend.
There are enough evidences of very advanced ancient technology lurking in every nook and corner here. If I had the means to assemble a group of the best engineers and archaeologists, I would have them study these Temples until they give all the answers and document them. These discoveries and unanswered questions are more fascinating than space exploration and I think our billionaires racing to Mars need to devote resources in studying India first.
It needs to be mentioned as a postscript that the Chennakeshava - Hoysaleshwar Temple Complex is proposed to be listed as a unit under the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Checklist
1. Book the services of Tour Guide in advance.
2. Book the hotel in advance, if needed.
3. Carry a pair of cotton socks to these temples and wear them when you enter the temple. The stone flooring gets hot during the day and socks can keep your feet cool.
4. Browse through internet for history of Hoysala Empire and details of all three temples.
Recommended Readings
Karnataka’s Rich Heritage - Temple
Sculptures and Dancing Apsaras : An Amalgam of Hindu Mythology, Natyashastra
and Shilpashastra (By Lalit Chugh)
Apsaras in Hoysala Art – A New
Dimension (By Rekha Rao)
Credits
First and foremost, I am grateful to Mr Praveen Mohan for the information available through his YouTube Channel to arouse our intense curiosity in our Temples. Please watch them for a wholesome travel experience.
https://karnatakatourism.org/tour-item/beluru/
https://yatrikaone.com/india-2/belur-halebidu
https://www.tourmyindia.com/blog/beautiful-temples-south-india/
https://harshad-datar.blogspot.com/2019/10/belur-and-halebidu-poetry-in-stone.html?m=1
https://www.kannammacooks.com/halebid-belur-trip-from-bangalore/
https://collectingmoments.in/hoysaleshwara-temple,-halebidu/
https://collectingmoments.in/chennakeshava-temple-belur/
Dakshin Mala Tour - An Awakening (An ASC Centre and College publication)
Images Courtesy World Wide Web
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A detailed and thoroughly analysed post. Commendable for the effort
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