Halebeedu-Belur- A Weekend Trip to the Temple Towns
Away from the hustle-bustle of the day-to-day life, a short weekend trip from Bengaluru to Halebeedu and Belur in the Hassan district of Karnataka is a breath of fresh air that will leave you fascinated by the 12th century architectural marvels. Over the years, the Southern states of India were ruled by Cholas, Chalukyas, Hoysalas, Vijayanagara Empires and many others who have left prominent imprints through their distinct architectural excellence, social values and administrative styles. Halebeedu and Belur fall under the Hassan district of Karnataka, located approximately 220 km from Bengaluru.
We made a road trip which took us around 4 hr to reach Hassan. We put up in the “Ashhok Hassan” which is a lovely resort with lots of greeneries and all modern amenities. The poolside is ideal for relaxing and rejuvenating and the food was quite sumptuous.
Both Halebeedu and Belur have a number of temples constructed during the Hoysala period. Besides Hindu temples there were also Jain temples (Basadi) built during the same period having the similar architectural styles. The Jain Basadi complex in Halebeedu consists of three temples dedicated to three Jain tirthankaras namely Parshanatha, Shanthinatha and Adinatha and is a proposed UNESCO World Heritage site.
Jainism had a strong presence in this region during the Hoysala Empire and the King Vishnuvardhana, the greatest of all Hoysala kings was himself a Jain until 1115 AD. Subsequently he converted to Vaishnavism. The Parshanatha Basadi and the Shanthinatha Basadi were constructed in 1133 AD and 1192 AD respectively whereas the Adinatha Basadi was also built during the 12th century. Parshanatha Basadi is the largest among the three and has beautiful curved pillars, half-hall, great-hall and an 18-feet tall monolithic statue of Parshanatha. Inside the sanctum, the pillars are made of black granite stone. Similar structure can be found in Shanthinatha Basadi with an 18 feet tall deity of Shanthinatha.
Adinatha Basadi is the smallest and non-ornamental among the three. Photography is allowed inside these basadis however to use tripod, a special permission from the concerned authorities are required. The Basadi complex has beautiful garden which is well maintained.
It was around 4 pm and started drizzling, so we quickly started heading towards Belur to visit Chennakeshava temple. Halebeedu has also two very famous Hindu temples namely Hoysaleswara temple and Kedareswara temple, which we will cover in our next visit and add the details here.
Belur is around 16 km from Halebeedu and when we reached the temple it was almost 5 pm. The road proposed by Google Map to reach Belur was really in bad shape for a significant stretch. Chennakeshava temple is undoubtedly an artistic excellence which no one should miss to experience. This Hindu temple was commissioned by the Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana in 1117 AD but was built over a period of 103 years and was dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
The temple depicts the stories from Hindu epics Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas through numerous relics and friezes. This is an active temple since its inception and has witnessed repeated damage during the wars with the Delhi Sultanate but was repaired every time by the then ruler. The temple complex is spread over a sprawling 443.5 feet by 396 feet court which also includes several Hindu temples and minor shrines apart from the main temple.
Both Jain Basadi in Halebeedu and Chennakeshava temple in Belur, are the examples of awe-inspiring architectural excellence that leaves its visitors speechless and should definitely be in the list of the must see places when traveling to Hassan district.
