Belur
Temple || Chennakeshava Temple at Belur Hassan district of Karnataka
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"Sudeesh
Kottikkal"
Published
on Sep 10, 2018
The
Chennakeshava Temple, also referred to as Keshava, Kesava or Vijayanarayana
Temple of Belur, is a 12th-century Hindu temple in the Hassan district of
Karnataka state, India. Belur temple was commissioned by King Vishnuvardhana in
1117 CE, on the banks of the Yagachi River in Belur also called Velapura, an
early Hoysala Empire capital. Belur temple was built over three generations and
took 103 years to finish. Belur temple artwork depicts scenes of secular life
in the 12th century, dancers and musicians, as well as a pictorial narration of
Hindu texts such as the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas. Belur temple
is considered to be one of the earliest creations of Hoysala dynasty. At its
highest, Belur temple stands 37 metres tall. Its outer walls are adorned with
finely done artwork, with dancing girls in various postures.
Belur
Chennakesava temple has three entrances and their doorways have decorated
sculptures called dvarapalaka (doorkeepers) on either side. The navaranga hall
has forty eight pillars. All except the central four are carved in a unique
way. This place is one of the famous tourist destination in Karnataka - India.
As per saying, the beauty of this temple is inside as there are 48 pillars
carved in different designs.
The vast
complex has a large rajagopura or gate arches .On the right of the temple is
the Kappe Channigraya temple and a smaller temple dedicated to a Lakshmi
reincarnation, the goddess Sowmyanayaki, sits slightly behind the two. On the
left of Belur Chennakeshava temple, one can find the Ranganayaki temple.The
Gravity Pillar-The decline of the Hoysalas saw the emergence of the rulers of
Vijayanagara. The reign of King Devaraya saw his commander Bice Dandanayaka
install the unique 42 feet tall lamp post, the Karthika Deepotsava
Stambha. This pillar is a testament to
the architectural expertise during King Devaraya’s reign, with the post simply placed over a flat platform.
It appears to be standing on its own dead weight, and has astounded visitors
for ages. The doorways of the temple’s mantapa
features a Hoysala king slaying what historians believe is either a tiger or
lion. It is also believed that this could be a symbolic representation of the
defeat of the Cholas, whose royal emblem is a tiger.
The Hoysala
period of South Indian history began about 1000 CE and continued through 1346
CE. In this period, they built around 1,500 temples in 958 centres. Belur is
home to one of the grandest examples of Hoysala architecture. Belur is located
on the banks of river Yagachi and is known as Dakshina Banaras or ‘Banaras of the South’, Belur is
called Beluhur, Velur or Velapura in old inscriptions and medieval era texts.
It was the early capital of the Hoysala kings. The city was so esteemed by the
Hoysalas that it is referred to as "earthly Vaikuntha" (Vishnu's
abode) and "dakshina Varanasi" (southern holy city of Hindus) in
later inscriptions.
It is 35 km
from Hassan city and about 200 km from Bengaluru, 155 kms from Mysore and 153
kms from Mangalore .
Grateful thanks to "Sudeesh Kottikkal" and YouTube.
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