Miscellany
Belur, land of many architectural marvels
Belur is home to great architectural heritage. Situated on the banks of River Yagachi, Belur is the place to go to, if you are a lover of art and architecture. The temples and monuments here are exquisite Hoysala creations.
Belur’s bustling modern urbanscape is full of many remnants from the past, among them is the Chenna Keshava Temple, the most remarkable, and the most photographed structure here.This spectacular structure is known for its architectural and historical splendour as it is for its sacredness.
Constructed by one of the greatest Hoysala emperors, Vishnuvardhana, it constitutes one of the finest pieces of temple architecture. It is believed that the 24 incarnations of Lord Vishnu were built to commemorate the victory of the Hoysalas over Cholas in the great battle of Talakad. According to historical records, it is estimated that it took near 103 years to complete this profusely sculpted masterpiece.
The brackets are adorned with female sculptures known as ‘Madanikas’ in various dancing and ritual postures. The beautifully carved Hoysala emblem, exhibiting a man fighting a tiger at the three gateways of the temple are noteworthy. Several episodes from mythology are also beautifully displayed all over the temple.
Some of the finest sculptural representations are Arjuna, the Pandava prince rescuing the cows of Virata, Ravana, the ten-headed demon king lifting Mount Kailash which has figures of Lord Shiva and Parvati and the boy Prahlada being rescued by Lord Vishnu.
The Kappe Chennigaraya Temple, Veera Narayana Temple, Saumyanayaki Temple and goddess Andal’s shrine are other mansions in the vicinity of the main temple complex.
The Kappe Chennigaraya Temple resembling the main temple lies directly to the south of the main sanctum. It is dedicated to Lord Kappe Chennigaraya and was constructed by Shantala Devi, the queen of emperor Vishnuvardhana.
The small and beautiful shrine of Veera Narayana Temple is located west of the Keshava temple and is dedicated to the deity of Laxmi Narayan. Its outer walls are adorned with large images, the most impressive being the images of- Laxmi Narayana, Chenna Keshava and Vijaya Narayana.
The Saumyanayaki Temple is adorned with an elegant vimana, which was dismantled in 1879. The outer walls of Goddess Andal shrine are also decorated with rows of large images. Within the premises of the temple also stands the gravity pillar. It is a unique 42-feet-high pillar carved out of a single rock.
While at Belur, don’t miss Halebeedu, situated at a distance of sixteen kilometres from Belur, and has several strikingly charming Hoysala temples and Jain shrines. Among the notable ones are Hoysalesvara and Kedareshvara temples.
