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Belur

Hassan district is akin to the crown of Karnataka's Sculpture Kingdom. The invaluable Kohinoor of this crown happens to be the Temple of Sree Cannakaesava at Belur. This, which has exploited all the Beauty available in the world sculpture was established on 10-03-1117 A-D by king Vishnuvardhanaraya of the Hoysala Empire.

The successors in the lineage of Belur Administrators have protected and refined continuously this unique treasure and have brought it to the present stage with a spirit of dedicated maintenance. This town Belur was the capital of the Hoysala Kingdom in its inceptional stages. Previously this town was being alternatively called Belahuru, Baelaa Pura and Vaelapura. To begin with the sacred sanctuaries of Vijaya Narayana (Canna Kaesava), Kappe Cennigaraya (Kaesava) and Lakshmee Narayana were established. Eventually they have been followed up with the construction of many more sanctuaries (Garbhagruhas) like those of Veera Narayana, Soumya Naayakee, Sree Rama, Anjaneya, Aalwars and so on, along with the regular features of a Vaishnava Temple such as the Garuda Gamba, the Gopuram, the Balipeeta, or the Deepastamba, the Store Room (Bhandara), the Sacred Kitchen section (Pakasaala), the Yoga saala and the Kalyana Mantapa.

The delicacies of minute details delineated through the Hoysala Art, inch by inch, on the stone screens of the walls and ceilings of the Temple of Sree Cannakaesava, seem to be inexhaustible, even if the visitors are allowed days and months to go through in a spirit of devoted spectation and study for their genuine experience of surprise and ecstacy. Through this Temple the world has availed the unparrelled benefit of top class feminine beauty captured and impounded for ever in permanent structure in the form of the matchless dames in Litho Art renowned as Silabaalika's. It is the excellences of the gestures of these Litho-Graphic Belles that form the life blood flowing through bouquets of the flowery songs that have emerged has the Harem Tunes (Antahpura Geetegalu) from the immortal Kannada poet DVG (Sri D.V.Gundappa). Apart from all these excellences the inexplicable charm of the marvelous Mohinee's grandeure, here, that has surreptitiously creption and settled on the sacred face of Sree Canna Kaesava, who is the very embodiment of the Divinity and serenity had made him world-renowned as Celuva Cennigaraya (the Magnificent Lord of marvelous maiden beauty).

The Temple of Sree Cannakaesava which was built during the Hoysala regime of Vishnuvardhanaraya was developed in due course by his son Narasimha Raya and his grand son Veera Ballala.They decorated the Temple with Jalandhras (the Stonemesh windows) the entrance door frame art, the special pillar and the Thorana.

During the time of Veera Ballala, the Vasudaeva Pushkarani the store House of corns (Dhanyaagaara), and the sacrede Kitchen (Paka saalaa) were constructed. A few more special additions were accommodated during the reign of the rulers of Vijaya Nagara following the decline of the Hoysalas. Mainly it was during the time of Harihara Raya, (1935 AD) that one by name GundaDanda Naayaka raised the beautiful 7 (Seven) storeyed Gopuram (the top mountanous feature over the outer entrance) out of stones and burntbricks bound by lime mortar. And then during the reign of king Devaraaya his commander Bice Dandanaayaka (1414AD) prepared and installed the unique tall Lamp post, the Kartika Deepotsava Stambha. Unfounded in the ground but simply placed over a stone platform, this tall Monolithic granite column is symbolic of the excellence of Architectural science possessed by the Vijaya Nagara reign architects. Even today this column, by its stature and stability, baffles the visitors from all the world over.

The Big tank of Belur is known as Vishnu Samudra. It was built during the time of Narasimha Raya under the circumspection of Padmarasa. Later in the so called goldenage ot the Vijaya Nagara regin Viz. the time of Krishna Devaraya, a chief by name Basappa Naayaka of Utpatanahalli made the north end of Vishnu Samudra quadrangular, arranged comfortable steps on all three sides to climb down to edge of the water, and thus converted it into a comfortable Pushkarni for the devotees to use the sacred water in it in a sacred way for the daily austerities. He also built an Island Mantapam in the midst of the Pushkarani for the sake of the sacred Float Festival, and choultries too on the banks of the tank for the camping facilities of travellers that would visit for partaking in the different festivals and pooja of the place. These can be found even today.

During the rule of the Vijaya Nagara kings themselves the smaller temples of Soumya naayakee and Ranga Nayaakee were brought to existence on both the sides of sree Cannakaesava's main temple, representing the divinely graceful loving presence of both Sreedevi and Bhoodevee beside the lord.

In addition to these many other temples rose up in Belur during the rule of the Hoysalas and the Vijaya Nagara Kings.

Belur had a beautiful girdle of a mud Fortress. This was constructed while Belur was still the capital even before Dhora Samudra could be the relics of the fortress containing broken stumps of the huge and high mud walls, and the deep trenches surrounding them, can be seen even today.

Hundreds of stone inscriptions have been recovered from Belur. They have formed the source for the study of old histories, culture and the then life styles that were extant on this mystic ground of Belur. Not only the poets of yore, but also Kanakadas, Purandara, Vadirajaru and other poets of the middle age, and recent poets like Belur Kesava Dasaru and many more, have produced their lucid and enlightening literature master pieces according to the latest estimations. From all the view points belur presents itself as a worthy subject of study in a areas like ancient architecture,scrulpture,the fine atrs of dance,literature,linguistics and exemplary life styles.

Adjacent to Hassan : Belavadi | Marle | Govindanahalli | Hosaholalu

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