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.   

Hoysala Temples

 

I have to say that in the past two years I think I have done a lot of traveling which I dont think I ever did in my life. That too solo.

 Its interesting how things open up when you decide to travel on your own and not wait for anyone to join in. Another side effect is that seeing one travel so much they also decide to join you in your coming trip which actually happened when I had decided for the Bhimashanker trip on the bike. 

That trip was supposed to be a stepping stone for another trip of mine that I was planning, again on a bike.

 I have to say that growing up I did believed in God, in fact as a child used to do aarti also after taking a bath and all, visiting local temples and all. Nobody told me to do that but I used to do that on my own. 

For me as a child, God was a friend who helps the good people and thrashes the bad people. Then I had a fight with god and I simply stopped doing what I used to do. That would include visiting the local temples too. Even now I hardly visit the local temples.

That did not meant I gave up on our friendship but yes I was angry. As a child sometimes one does not understand the turns life takes nor one gets the answers they are searching for.

I am very much invested in the Indian mythologies especially Mahabharath and do wish to read the Vedas or Upanishads if I can. I find it very odd that foreigners found inspiration in our ancient texts and built something that could end the world. Yet here we are being independent for over 75 years as a country and a majority of Indians are pretty clueless about the contributions that India has made in the world or how advanced our ancestors were. Its a pity.

 When I decided to travel, visiting temples was certainly not on my list. Yet here we are and I have already visited a few in places like Hampi, Tripura, Bhimashankar, Gujarat and others to name a few.

I realized that its the temple architecture that has my attention. Those beautiful carvings carved out, the detailing and intricate designs speak so much of ability to tell stories out a stone.

I also have to state that Instagram scrolling also enabled to know more about such places of worship which have been built beautifully but I had no clue about.

They Hoysala temples were one of those reels that I would come across and would be mesmerized by the beautiful carved statues and the mandanikas. Also who can forget those perfect polished granite pillars and its complex designs, when there were no machines around.  

Wondering how did this trip happened? Well, I needed a break. Its so strange that within a couple of months from my Tripura trip. I went ahead with this one.

More on that I did this trip on my bike. That was not the first choice but given the transportation concerns, I thought it would be better to ride on my bike and it certainly did not disappoint.

 Doing a bike ride on the highways has its own fun.

 I would be sharing the travel details in my upcoming posts. If its more than one blog posts then I would link it below for easy reference.