Hoysala Temples - Second Day

 

 

Today, I was going to pay a visit to the famous Hoysaleswara Temple in Halebeeidu. This place was around 17 kms away.

The good thing about this place was a parking spot for the bike. As I parked my bike, I was approached by a man selling postcard photo book of the temple. I was not interested in buying it and moved away stating I will check later. A polite way of saying No. More on this later.

I was stopped by the security and informed that eatables were not allowed and my packet of chocolates that I keep handy were taken away. 

As one enters the temple complex, there are two routes on the left and right that one can take. The left one will take you to the main temple and the right one would take one along the ruins of the foundation of what stood their earlier, followed by a dilapidated temple. As one walks along the ruins there are idols that are in a good condition are worth to admire for their beauty.

One could only imagine how the temple complex would have been in its glory days. As one walks along they are encountered by a man made lake overlooked by palm trees. The area is surrounded by greenery and as one walks further along the lake there is an open space which was filled with students who were probably on a picnic or study tour.

A bahubali jain statue stands tall in the midst of it. There is also a museum which has all the idols/statues laying in the open area and inside too.  All of them have a story to tell, how much one understands or try to understand is left to one's understanding.

Sometimes it feels awe to be in the presence of such ancient items to be there, see them and know that they somehow managed to survive and make their presence felt.

The  Hoysaleswara temple was ransacked and attacked twice by Muslim rulers and yet it managed to survive to see what is left today. The restoration of the temple is done in such a way that no one would believe that it was attacked at all.

The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Its a twin temple dedicated to Hoysaleswara and Shantaleswara, the Shiv lingam named after the masculine and feminine aspects of Shiva.

The architecture of the temple is similar to the earlier ones I saw but the design and the story telling that follows has new tales to tell. The interior of the temple do mesmerizes one with its soapstone sculptures and showcasing the artistry and detailing of that era. 

The temple also has two Nandi shrines on the outside. I took sometime and sat near one of the Nandi idol for sometime to dwell on the beauty of this place. 

I stepped inside the temple and it spoke of its story of its era through the work and sculpting of the artisans who worked on making every inch of the temple speak for itself. The soap stone sculptures hypnotizes one with its detailing and intricate designs. Both of the shiv lings are similar placed and makes its presence felt.

I sat outside on the seating area near the entrance of the temple, spend some time and left.

Leaving was not that easy as I thought it would be. The guy selling the postcard photo book of the temple got behind me in buying one. We went back and forth and I had a look at them and they were really nice to keep. So I bargained on the price and got 2 books for Rs. 100. Not sure if this provides him a sustainable living but one has to do what they have to for survival.

My next stop was the Ancient Sri 1008 Bhagawan Shantinatha Digambara Jaina Basadi which was not very far from the  Hoysaleswara Temple

I had to check with the guard sitting outside that it was indeed the place as there was no one around except me. 

I entered the place and it was quiet and peaceful. The three temples inside are dedicated to Jain Tirthankars Parshvanatha, Shantinatha and Adinatha. This was also build in the 12th century. The architecture of these temple were simple and different from what what we saw of the Hoysala temples. There are two huge statues of the tirthankars and one relatively small compared to others. There is also a step well called Hulikere Kalyani.

As one stepped into these temples, there was hardly any light inside except for the afternoon sunlight falling inside and a light bulb near the idol. Efforts could have been made to keep the place lit up.

I wandered around and then moved towards the third and last temple of the day, the Shri Kedareshwara Swamy Temple.

The temple was also at short distance and at a dead end road. This also had hardly any people around except for 2-3 boys sitting on a bench. 

The temple was constructed by Hoysala King Veera Ballala II (r. 1173–1220 CE) and his Queen Ketaladevi. It carried the same design as with the rest of the temples. The temple doors were closed so one could not enter inside but the exterior walls had their stories to tell.

 I wandered around and found a place to sit and introspect on the civilization that existed and managed to survived in terms of its temples and other creations that tells its tale. 

After spending sometime, it was time to leave and call it a day. 

Hoysala Temples - The Journey Begins

The day came when I knew this was going to be my last trip for the year 2024.

One thing about planning a trip is the dilemma of going through the flow or plan it to such an extent that you don't miss out on anything. Chances of going back again are always there but slim. 

I have always been a planner and when it comes to planning a trip, I ensure that I cover all the spots.

The good thing about traveling in India, you can visit most of the places within a week and come back, unless it remote and requires extensive travel like Ladakh.

I knew about the two temples that I wanted to visit. The Chennakesava Temple & Hoysaleshwara Temple. Apart from these two famous ones, there were others too in the surrounding areas that were also known for its beautiful construction and architecture.

The first thing that I had do was book the hotels. Since I was going there on my bike, the journey would have taken me two days to reach. My places of stay would be in Belagavi and Belur. One thumb rule that I follow is to avoid riding on the night.

All my travel plans were around the places Belur and Halebidu.

Traveling by bike was not my first option but I realized that as a solo traveler, I would end up spending more on transport than otherwise. Yes, there could have been a renting option of bike too, then again it can become a hassle to find one. It made better sense to use one's own vehicle and gives me a reason to ride too. 

Since I dont ride my bike often, I needed to check if I can pull this off. Long rides can have its impacts. Nothing gets you prepared than practice. My trip to Bhimashankar proved yes I can do this.

The bike was serviced, everything taken care of but it was at the last moment that I realized that I would need more than a tank bag for this trip and this certainly did not look good. On top of that my aux light got busted and when I went for replacement they wont fit. Now I had to ride with a bag on my shoulder, aux light busted but still working.  

Started my ride early in the morning, had over 450 km plus to cover. Google maps showed around 10 hrs to reach. We all know how accurate that is depending it does not misled you in some other direction. I knew this was going to take longer than that.

One of the fun parts about riding on the highways is the open roads and pure adrenaline rush, with winds gushing over you when one speeds up.  Taking halts at the roadside hotel and getting served the local food and enjoying the scenic beauty that nature has to offer.

I have to say this the Maharashtra roads are in pretty bad shape when compared to other states. I have been on this route earlier also and it was no different no matter how much time has passed. How difficult is it to provide decent roads? 

One thing that no one tells you how quickly the night makes it presence once the sun sets in. This certainly was not looking good for me. There I was on the highway which was pitch dark and trying to cover the last mile to reach my hotel. It did not help that I also found myself stuck with traffic and diversions.

The head lamp of my bike did not help the way it was supposed. I will talk about this in my later blog posts. The distance which was a few kms suddenly became longer that had me wondering if I am ever going to make it all. In the end I overcame everything and managed to reach my hotel.

Took a shower and had my dinner inside my room.  

Hotel Ramdev holds a lot memories for me as this was the place where we used to make our stay during our family trip to the native. Having a bournvita or complan drink here was my go to drink as a kid. This hotel even though in a tier-2 city is always running full. Fun fact, this hotel was featured in the Bombay to Goa movie.

I normally prefer to start early in the morning, but I decided to start a bit late. This was going to be another 400 plus km ride.

What I did not anticipate how good the roads were. I was in love. The road leading to my destination was pretty empty with not many vehicles plying on it. It was fun riding, taking halts to take pictures.

The roads went narrower as I moved from the highway to the state local roads and finally reached my hotel Mayura Velapuri. The room that I was allocated was more than spacious I ever had. The bathroom itself was a big room compared to the size we have in Mumbai flats.

Took a shower and stroll in the nearby area. Had dinner and went to sleep.

The temples were calling the next day.