Destination Halebid

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Blast from past!
What a road trip!! No, I am not saying this out of excitement but out of frustration. Unfortunately Karnataka has the worst possible roads. The drive rattles and tattles you out of your bones. You will need a holiday to recover from a holiday!

This trip was supposed to be for a social event outside Bangalore. I was a little hesitant about making this trip till my family threw in the bait of visiting this place as a part of this trip.


The place that I got tempted with is Halebid and Belur. For the uninitiated, Halebid and Belur is home to finest architectural examples from the Hoysala period. The temples will turn 900 years old in another 11 years!! Can you imagine that!


Google gives all the information about this place but a fact that I was new to is that Hoysalas were Jains before Ramanuja converted them into Srivaishanavism. There is a Jain temple of 23rd Thirthankara Parshwanath Swami in Halebid. One can see the basic form of Hoysala architecture at this Jain temple before it evolved into what can been seen at the main temples of Halebid and Belur.

 
Dwarapal- The door keeper
 As you enter Halebid complex, you realize something is incomplete. Halebid houses two garbha grihas (sanctum sanctorum) but the shikaras/ gopurams are missing. It is missing as it had to be brought down because of its fragility. The residing deities at this temple are Shantaleshwara Linga( Shiva) and Vishnuvardhan Hoysaleshwara Linga(Shiva).

Trimurthy- Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva

 Unlike the popular misconception, the Hoysala temples with their typical star shaped form are in the Vesara (Deccan) style and not in Dravidian style of architecture. All this talk is so boring right?  Imagine studying all this for five years!!. That is right! I am an architect! I have no clue how I survived the five years.

 Before wearying you anymore, I will let the photos speak for themselves! Hopefully it will make you appreciate this place and tempt you to visit the place sometime.


Scene from daily life

Scene from Ramayan

Frieze :Level 4: Creepers Level 5: scene from epic Level 6: Makara
 Mythological animal Makara- Representative of the qualities of Hoysala soldier- Handsome like the peacock tail, sharp hearing as cow's ears, strong digestive system as a pig, sharp eyesight as a monkey,strong legs of lion,tough mouth of crocodile and trunk of elephant

Scene from Mahabharat


God and Goddesses

Location: Halebid, Karnataka
Date of travel : November 2010
Location: Halebeedu, Karnataka, India

Comments

Anonymous said…
OMG.. Striking captures.. :-)
24 July 2015 at 12:27
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