India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) - Keith Bain [328]
To see these highlights of Karnataka’s religious heritage, you have to veer off the main drag a little. Fortunately, if you’re pressed for time, it is possible to cover all three destinations with ease in a single day. Most visitors base their exploration of this region out of the dull and dusty town of Hassan, but the coffee-growing town of Chikmagalur, 25km (16 miles) from Belur, offers far more glowing surroundings, and the pleasant accommodations of the Taj Gateway Hotel.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE & AROUND The most convenient way to see the Hoysala sights is to hire a car and driver in Mysore or even Bengaluru. (It is incidentally possible to see all three main attractions in one long day and return to the better accommodations available in Bengaluru, but should you want to take it a little easier you can overnight in either Hassan or Chikmagalur; see below.) If you don’t want to drive from Mysore, a more affordable option is to catch a train from Mysore to Hassan (3 hr. away), from where you can pick up a taxi for a full day of sightseeing (approx. Rs 1,500). Hassan can also be reached overland from Mangalore (see “Traveling Via Mangalore,” below). If you need to hire a vehicle in Hassan, we recommend Mr. Altaf ( 94-4825-6479; or ask the manager at Hotel Southern Star to give him a call), who offers excellent rates.
VISITOR INFORMATION Visit the friendly Regional Tourist Office (Vartha Bhavan, B.M. Rd.; 08172/26-8862; 10am–5:30pm, closed Sun and second Sat of the month) if you need to stock up on brochures. You can also deepen your knowledge at Hotel Mayura Velapuri’s Belur Tourist Information Centre (Temple Rd.; 08177/22-2209; daily 9:30am–6:30pm). In Halebid, there’s a Tourist Help Desk (Mon–Sat 10am–5:30pm) at Hoysalesvara Temple. You can pick up ASI-certified guides outside each of the two main temples in Belur and Halebid.
BELUR
Now a sleepy hamlet, Belur was the capital of the Hoysala kings at the height of their reign. The magnificent soapstone Temple of Lord Channakeshava (free admission; daily sunrise–sunset), built over a period of 103 years, was commissioned to commemorate the victory of Vishnuvardhana over the Cholas from Tamil Nadu; apparently, it was so admired by Belur’s iconoclastic Muslim invaders that they decided to leave it intact.
Built on a star-shaped plan, the temple stands on a raised platform within a courtyard surrounded by an outer wall. After you survey the courtyard, approach the temple by climbing the short flight of steps. Despite its compact scale, the profusion of carved decoration is spectacular, the multicornered shape of the temple allowing maximum space for sculptures of Vishnu and a vast retinue of Hindu images. Covering the flat-roofed building are detailed representations of myriad themes—ranging from erotica to religious mythology, everyday events to episodes from the Ramayana—arranged in bands that wrap the entire exterior in delightful compositions. The temple itself is borne by almost 650 stone elephants. Don’t miss the various bracket figures, which are considered the highlight of Hoysala workmanship. Use a torch to study the temple interior, at the center of which is a pillar adorned with smaller versions of the temple’s 10,000 sculpted images. Belur is a living temple, and a silver-plated image of Vishnu within the inner sanctum is still worshiped; puja (prayer) is performed at 9am and 7pm each day, and the inner sanctums are closed between 1 and 3pm and 5 and 6pm.
HALEBID
Once known as Dwara Samudra, “the gateway to the sea,” Halebid usurped Belur’s position as the Hoysalan capital in the 12th century. Unfortunately, when the Muslim invaders arrived, Halebid failed to escape their wrath. Appropriately, its current name means “old city,” as it consists of only a dusty road and some well-crafted temples amid a lush landscape with the Western Ghats as a distant backdrop. Exquisitely sculpted Hoysalesvara