The Temples Of Belur And Halebid
Two Stunning Examples Of Hoysala Architecture
The South Indian temples of Belur and Halebid are famous for their beautiful architecture and intricate sculptures.
The Hoysalas ruled a part of modern-day Karnataka from the 11th to the 14th century and built temples that still astonish visitors with their attention to detail. The temples of Belur and Halebid in Southern Karnataka are beautiful examples of Hoysala architecture.
What the Hoysala temples lack in size is compensated by their extremely skilled craftsmanship. The Hoysala artists carved hundreds of incredibly intricate soapstone sculptures, and the temple walls are covered with figures of men in battles, dancing women, Hindu deities, birds and animals.
Halebid's Hoysaleswara Temple
The Hoysaleswara Temple in Halebid stands in the middle of a peaceful park by a lake. The temple itself is smaller than the Chennakeshava Temple in Belur but at the same time it has a quiet, less touristy atmosphere. Even the postcard and souvenir sellers outside the entrance are surprisingly easy-going.
The walls of the temple are covered with detailed stone sculptures of Hindu gods and goddesses, battle and hunting scenes, dancers and animals. The temple is dedicated to Shiva, and outside are large statues of Shiva’s bull, Nandi.
A small museum near the temple has a display of artifacts found on the site. Fewer tourists visit the two other sites in Halebid: the Keradeswara temple and three Jain temples.
Belur's Chennakeshava Temple
The Chennakeshava Temple in Belur is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu and active worship still goes on in this temple. The building of both the Hoysaleswara Temple in Halebid and the Chennakeshava Temple in Belur was commissioned by Hoysala king Vishnuwardhana, who ruled the Hoysalas in the 12th century and converted from Jainism to Hinduism.
Like the Hoysaleshwara Temple, the Chennakeshava temple is star-shaped and stands on a platform. The stone that was used to build these temples is called chloritic schist and is a type of soapstone. The outside walls of the temple are adorned with friezes of elephants, lions and horses, and sculptures of “manadikas”, dancing and singing nymph-like women. If you pay enough attention to finer details, you can find some distinctly erotic sculptures around the temple courtyard.
Entrance to both the Hoysaleshwara temple and the Chennakeshava temple is free.
How To Get To Belur And Halebid
A day is enough to explore both sites since Belur and Halebid are just 16 km apart. Autorickshaws and buses transport visitors between the two towns. Belur has bus connections to other parts of Karnataka, and nearby Hassan has more bus connections as well as a train station for trains to Mysore or Bangalore.
There are more sleeping and eating options in Belur than in Halebid. Some temple visitors choose to stay in Hassan, 40 km from Belur, but although there is more variety in accommodation in Hassan, there is not much to see. A day trip to Belur and Halebid can also be arranged from Mysore.
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