Belur & Halebidu

Jenn, a friend of mine from the US had an assignment at her creative writing course, which she decided o take up in India. Her project required her to be in Delhi mostly and may be in Mumbai and involved working closely with some NGO’s to get to know the subject. But when we invited her over to Bangalore she was very excited and quickly booked her direct flight from Mumbai to Bangalore. 

Jenn arrived on the 8^th after several years of wanting to come to India. It is always interesting how we get to see our city from a point of view of a foreigner and we both become ambassadors of our countries. There are several things to be worried about when one travel abroad and one of the first things that comes to my mind is food. But with Jenn it was not an issue. She loves Dosa’s and other Indian food.We visited Bull temple, Gandhi bazaar and Bangalore palace.

On 10^th we planned a trip to Belur. I first visited Belur 15 years back and then I was a budding artist. The moment we entered the main entrance I saw a foreign artist sketching the temple. That moment stays with me forever. As we hired a guide, he explained us every beautiful sculptures (Called Shilla balike) and the beauty of its intricate carving. One could spend hours looking at them. This was my third visit but the brilliance of this artwork dazzled me like it did to me during the first visit.

Every sculpture of women had a detailed story. It is poetry by itself which one could interpret in their own way. The Guide choose to explain us the most famous interpretation of all. And the beautifully carved Mohini is magnificent.

The temple is one of the finest examples of Hoysala architecture. It was built by king Vishnuvardhana in commemoration of his victory over the Cholas at Talakad in 1117 CE. Legend has it that it took 103 years to complete and Vishnuvardhana's grandson Veera Ballala II completed the task.

We also visited the old city – Halebidu which is now in ruins. Both these temples are masterpiece built by the creative architects of Hoysala Empire.

Belur is around 4.5 hours drive from Bangalore and is a one day trip back in time to the world of great artists whose work can dazzle one for years to come.