Shri Chennakeshava Temple, Anekere

Our fixation with the Hoysala architecture made us to include this small but significant temple as a pit-stop on our way to Chikkmagaluru. We were on GPS from Channarayapatna and promptly it lead us to a sleepy village. And on the left corner we could see a palm thatch canopy just in front of the temple entrance. The road from here leads to narrow alleys, so we reversed the vehicle and parked at the edge of the road. The ladies fetching water near the bore well told us to collect the key from a nearby house to enter the temple. As we informed our intention to visit the temple the caretaker immediately followed us and opened the door for us. We told her not to wait for us as we're going to take some time and will return the key once we are done. She nodded and left us.

Shri Channakeshava temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu (handsome Vishnu). Since this does not come under the ambit of Archaeology Survey of India (ASI) there is not much information available. One can easily say it is Hoysala temple by seeing the architecture. The time period could be between 1000 CE to 1300 CE as in this time frame Hoysala empire flourished to glory. The simple Ekakuta (single shrine) temple is east facing with huge veranda on either side. The stone columned porch also serves as the outer wall from all sides but for the entrance. The stone carved Kalasha on the Vimana Gopura is said to be the biggest and one of its kind. The lathe-turned pillars and ceilings are unique and intricate, typical to Hoysala architecture.

The temple has recently been restored by Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheswara (SDM) Trust in association with residents of Anekere. This time again we had the entire premises to ourselves. Sitting quietly on the gallery we watched clouds moving in the morning sky against the backdrop of this ancient edifice. We were about to head out then the caretaker lady came in for maintenance work. She told us only few people visit this place as it is neither popular nor big. We thanked her for her effort and time and headed off to further our journey.

Route: Bengaluru-Kunigal-Yadiyuru-Hirisave-Channarayanapattana-Anekere

Timings: Temple is closed mostly. The village people will direct you to the caretaker's house

Entry: Free

Veera Narayana Temple, Belavadi

Once upon a time a demon named Bakasura lived near the city of Ekachakra. There was a compromise between the king and Bakasura. That is, king will send large portion of provisions daily along with a man. Bakasura being the demon he is, used to devour the whole food supply as well as the accompanied man. Pandavas and their mother Kunti were in exile in the same city. Hearing the plea of the Brahmin family they were staying in, Kunti decides that one of her sons will go to Bakasura with food supply. Bhima was chosen for this special task as he was the strongest. Bhima stated off to forest with all the supplies. On the way he finished off all the food because Bhima himself is a glutton. This infuriates Bakasura to no end and a fight ensues between them, and Bhima kills Bakasura.

We mentioned this story because Belavadi was known to legend as Ekachakranagara. And we are in Belavadi's Veera Narayana Temple. We have known Belavawadi as a second name of two artists siblings, Sudha Belawadi and Prakash Belawadi. There was a popular warrior queen named Belawadi Mallamma too. However, that was Belawadi with 'W' instead of 'V' and that Belawadi is in Belagaum district of Karnataka. We digress.

We could see the three steeple from our car as we waited for the big bunch of school kids to cross the roads. But they weren't going inside the  temple. We overheard them shouting ganapathi temple. We sighed in relief because clearly we wanted the whole temple for ourselves. Yeah! We are selfish like that. And we are the one who later complain about the beautiful monument being deserted. Either hypocrisy or bipolar.  We parked the vehicle adjacent to a house. 

As expected the temple complex was totally abandoned. 

Nothing short in beauty or elegance, this magnificent Hoysala temple was built in 1200 C.E. by erstwhile Hoysala king Veera Ballala 2.  This is said to be one of the largest temples of Hoysala dynasty. The complex contains three shrines, Veera Narayana, Venugopala, and Yoga Narasimha, all the three having their own tower, hence it is called trikuta style. The tall image of Narayana (8 ft) with four hands is considered as one of the best examples of Hoysala art. Venugopala (Krishna with flute) is 8 feet tall and Yoga Narasimha (meditation pose is 7 feet tall). The open Mantapa is vast, expansive, and sweepingly immense. This space has a total of 37 bays. The two closed mantapas have 13 and 9 bays respectively. The shining pillars are lathe-turned and bell shaped. Inner walls of shrine are plain, but roofs are well adorned. The temple is made out of soap stone as that is the building materials of Hoysala architecture. All the towers are decorated magnificently with sculpture. 

Even though its close proximity to Halebidu this temple is not ransacked by invaders. It might be because of its remote location or its less popularity. We would say Veera Narayana Temple of Belavadi comes under top 10 in the Hoysala trails (Belur, Halebidu, Mosale, Amruthapura) that we started doing and will update them as and when they are done.   

Tips

Getting there:

Bangalore-Kunigal-Yadiyur-Hirisave-Channarayapatna-Hassan-Halebidu-Belavadi

If you more than three days you can club it with Belur, Halebidu, Shettihalli Church, Mosale, Shravanabelagola.

Total Distance-230 KM

Opening Hours: Mon-Sun-09:00-05:00

Entry Fee: Free

Best Time: October-February

No parking. It is better to park the bigger vehicles in the main road