Belur & Halebid - Karnataka's Best!

A couple of weeks ago, my husband & I decided to take off on a small road trip on our noble steed of speed, if you will. So we nailed Belur as our destination and took right off one fine morning. It took us close to 3 hours & a couple of rest stops to reach Hassan from Bangalore. Belur is in the Hassan district and is the preferred rest stop en route. Hassan about 220kms from Bangalore, is a small town equipped with good hotels & restaurants so we halted there for a bit and took off again towards Belur & Halebid.
Belur: Pronounced ‘bay-loor’

Halebid: Pronounced ‘ha-lay-beed’

A couple of weeks ago, my husband & I decided to take off on a small road trip on our noble steed of speed, if you will. So we nailed Belur as our destination and took right off one fine morning. It took us close to 3 hours & a couple of rest stops to reach Hassan from Bangalore. Belur is in the Hassan district and is the preferred rest stop en route. Hassan about 220kms from Bangalore, is a small town equipped with good hotels & restaurants so we halted there for a bit and took off again towards Belur & Halebid.

Ravana, Belur

Belur

These 2 towns are famous for their Hoysala architecture and are major tourist attractions in the state of Karnataka. We stopped at Halebid & then continued to Belur which is about 16kms from there. You will be welcomed by massive sculptures from the very entrance. Both the towns have very similar architecture & layout, with Belur being the bigger site of the both. These temples have an immense history behind them. But all that I could see was the marvelous sculptures. These were smooth, beautiful sculptures made by master craftsmen during the reign of King Vishuvardhana. The splendor of the temples was so enthralling that I didn’t think about its history or any other fact. The only thing on my mind was that I was standing in the very place that was walked by the once great kings & subjects of Karnataka. I was trying to imagine the vision of the sculptors as they chiseled away to make their king’s wish, come true. It is hard enough to get 2 individuals to see eye-to-eye on anything. How did these many hands manage to make together, working as a unit, idols that did not differ even by one single stroke??? I was floored!!
 You will see that the foundations of the temple consist of carvings of elephants, men on horses, mythological events, avatars of Vishnu and different motifs. Of the hundreds of elephant carvings you will notice each one is different. There are a lot of intricate details to observe and delve in, but I am simply eager to let the pictures do the describing.

Krishna, Belur

Trivikrama, Belur

Halebid

Belur

Brahma, Vishnu, Kartikeya & Ganesha @ Halebid 

Shilabalika @ Halebid

Halebid

Halebid

Halebid

Halebid

Halebid

Belur

Belur

Nandi @ Halebid

Tips for travel in Belur & Halebid :

• The best time in the day to visit is during sunrise & sunset. When the rays hit the walls of these temples, the sculptures come alive.
• Have a good camera in hand. Maybe a good SLR or your handy aim & shoot.
• The best place to halt is in Hassan, as there are no facilities in Belur & Halebid.
• There are buses plying between Bangalore & Hassan. The schedules are available on all KSRTC (Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation) stations & website.
• Hire a guide. They make your trip worthwhile with details. They are filled with information & facts and will help you observe intricacies that may normally be missed.
• The road leading to Belur from Halebid is not good. So are the roads inside the towns of Halebid & Hassan. So those traveling on a bike are requested to watch out for the rough patches. Gear up well before heading out & reach your destinations in daylight.

Happy Touring!