Belur in Hassan district (222 kms from Bangalore and 38 kms from Hassan) is famous for its magnificent Hoysala Temple Complex. Belur and Halebid are 17 km apart, but they have always been referred to in one breath, as belonging together. Yet, upon visiting them, the tourist realizes that the two, though built by the same school (Jakkanna Achari is credited as the architect), are quite different in appearance. Sravanabelagola is the other famous Jain piligrimage spot.

Map of Belur / Halebid (Click on image to enlarge)

Places you can see in Belur / Halebid

Chennakeshava temple, Belur

The sage Ramanuja converted Bittiga, the fourth and mightiest monarch of the Hoysala dynasty, from the Jain faith to the Vaishnava faith. The king changed his name to Vishnuvardhana and built temples with great vigor and dedication. In order to commemorate his victory over the Cholas in the battle of Talkad, he built Belur Temple in 1117 A.D. It took 103 years to complete. The facade of the temple is filled with intricate sculptures and friezes-with no portion left blank. Elephants, episodes from the epics, sensuous dancers nothing was left without being carved. The Veeranarayana temple houses the shrines of Kappe Chenniga, Andal, Saumya Nayaki, and other deities.

The main temple, surrounded by a group of subsidiary shrines, stands in the center of a rectangular, paved courtyard along the perimeter of which are ranges of cells fronted by a pillared veranda. The temple has lost its super structure but looks very imposing. It has a pillared hypostyle hall (navaranga), a square vestibule (antale ), and a solid, stellate vimana. Three entrances lead into the hall, each being flanked by a shrine. The gorgeously decorated doorkeepers guard the doorways on either side. Forty-six pillars support the extensive hall, each of a different design. The Narasimha pillar could be rotated at will.

Rough-finishing a monolithic block of stone and then mounting it in upright position on a wheel manufactured the unique pillars. This was rotated against a chisel, set as a turning tool. Each pillar has a bell-shaped member towards the lower half of the shaft. A sloping bracket has been fixed to the capital by means of sockets. The brackets were carved from single slabs into images, enshrined with leafy aureoles of beautiful maidens known as 'shilabalakis'. The seductive, voluptuary emphasis is remarkable. The subjects are all secular and mostly represented are voluptuous maidens. All are graceful, charming and fascinatingly chiseled out. Each damsel is celestial, with exuberant serene beauty, exhibiting the virtuosity of the sculptors. They all are in conformity with the art of dance and sculpture ( 'Natya' and 'Shilpa' shastras). Hence, their breasts remind of the moon, the waist resembles that of a swan, and their hips remind those of an elephant.

In the rich marble screens of the navaranga there are twenty-eight grill windows. Some are pierced with the conventional patterns. They are generally star-shaped, with bands of foliage, and with figures and mythological subjects. On one of the screens king Vishnuvardhana is shown beside his queen Shantala. A metallic icon of the period depicts the king in a standing posture, which gives the exact idea about his stature, personality, dress, and different ornaments he wore.

Historians find a tradition that the ancient and medieval Indian artists rarely sign their work of art. However, the Hoysala sculptors have broken this custom and signed their sculptures. They engraved their names, titles and even the place of their origin at the foot of their art work. The stone inscriptions and copper plates of the period give some more details about these artisans. Mallitamma was the most prolific of all known Hoysala artists and more than forty well-executed sculptures stand in his name. Dasoja and his son Javana were migrants of a nearby town called Ballegavi. Javana is credited for the sculptures of five madanakai damsels and  his father is credited for another four. Malliyanna and Nagoja have included birds and animals in their sculptures. Chikkahampa and Malloja carved the sculptures located in the navaranga. Even after a lapse of eight centuries, the art lovers of the whole world can adore them.

Halebid (Halebeedu)

Halebid (Hale’beedu) literally means ‘the ruined city’. During the 12th and 13th centuries AD, it flourished as the capital of the Hoysala Dynasty for about 150 years. It was also then known as Dwarasamudra (gateway to the seas). However, invaders who robbed it of its treasures, leaving behind the ruins of the once-magnificent Shiva temple, twice attacked it. The Hoysalas then shifted their capital to Belur, leaving behind Halebid, a city once grand and since reduced to poverty and ruins.

The Shiva Temple, Hoysaleshwara, is unique for its two shrines in the Linga form and gigantic figures of Nandi (sacred bull). It is actually two temples attached along the north-south axis by pillared walls. This temple is twice the size of Belur's Chennakeshava Temple and the figures are larger as well. The twin Shiva Temple with a common platform and two garbhagrihas, one beside the other have a common broad navaranga. One of them houses Vishnuvardhana Hoysaleshwara Linga and the other Shanthaleshwara Linga. Infront of the Hoysaleshwara is the Nandimantapa and behind that is a shrine of Surya with a two-metre-tall image. The temple doorways are highly ornate and impressive. Outer walls have rows of intricate figures narrating episodes from epics like Ramayana, Bharatha and Bhagavata. The place has a Parshwanatha basadi with highly polished pillars in which on- lookers queer images are reflected. There is a Museum of the A.S.I. The Kedareshwara temple is another monument built by Ketaladevi, Ballala II's Queen. Chatchatnahalli (nearby) has a trikuta temple built by Chatta Dandanayaka in 1220.

Sravanabelagola (Gomateshwara Temple)

This is one of the most popular Jain pilgrimage center in South India, an is known for its collossal monolithic statue of Gomateswara, on top of a hill. The word "Sravanbelagola" means the Monk of the White Pond (Sravana means Monk and belagola means a White Pond). Chanragiri and Indragiri are two peaks of the mighty Vindhyagiri mountain-range. Of this two, Indragiri is famous for containing the 57 feet high statue of Gomateshwara-believed to be the world's tallest monolithic statue. The history of Sravanabelagola goes back to a long time, when Emporer Chandragupta Maurya arrived here with his guru, Bhagwan Bhadrabahu Swami and embraced Jainism after renouncing hiskingdom of Magadha in the 3rd centuary AD) patroned Jainism and were responsible for its extensive spread in the south. The statue of Gomateshwara was erected during the reign of the Ganga King, Rachamalla, under the patronage of his minister Chamundrayar and by sculptor Aristenemi (981 AD). The temple to Gomateswara is built on top of a hill, in between two hills - at a height of 3000 feet above sea level.The statue, atop the hill, is reached by 614 rock-cut steps. There are many smaller images of Jain tirthankaras (revered Jain teachers) around the image. In addition, there are 15 Jain bastis (temples) and mathas (monasteries) in the town and on Chandragiri hill. Some of the bastis are the Bhandari Basti, Akkara Basti and Chandragupta Basti (believed to have been built by Emperor Ashoka). The last emntioned contains sculptures depicting the transformation of the emperor to an ascetic. Views of the neighborhood from the top of the hill are spectacular.

Events and Festivals

Hoysala Mahotsava
Belur-Halebid, Karnataka The dance festival held at Belur and Halebid is a magnificent event. The splendid Hoysala temples with their sculptural extravaganza,make the perfect venue for this cultural feast. The Chariot is pulled through the streets of Belur

Mahamastakabhishekam
The Mahamastakabhishekam festival is held once in 12 years, when the image of Gomateswara is bathed in milk, curds, ghee, saffron and gold coins.

Reaching Belur / Halebid

Road
Sravanabelagola is on the road to Hassan from Bangalore and Mysore, and regular buses ply from Hassan to Belur. The KSTDC organizes conducted tours from Bangalore and Mysore to Hassan, Belur and Halebid. Arasikere is another base from which to reach Belur and Halebid.
The best way to reach Sravanabelagola, Belur and Halebid is to keep Hassan as your base, which offers a host of transport options (including taxis) to travel to the temple towns. Your hotel can provide tourist cars and information on buses to take you between Hassan and Belur / Halebid

Train
The nearest railhead is Hassan, which is connected to other major junctions such as Bangalore, Mysore and Mangalore.

Air
The nearest airports are Bangalore (222 km) and Mangalore (194 km).

Hotels in belur halebidu
You can find plenty of budget hotels in Hassan.

Best time to visit: November to February

Clothing : Throughout the year: Cottons

Climate :Summer: 20-35°C. Winter: 25-28°C

Languages: Kannada, Hindi and English.

STD Code:  Halebid : 08177 Belur : 08172 Sravanabelagola : 08176