84.123.65.120 at 21:37, 20 March 2022

2022-03-20T21:37:12Z

>BrownHairedGirl: add {{Karnataka topics}}

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{{About|the town in Karnataka|the 12th-century Vishnu temple|Chennakeshava Temple, Belur|other uses|Belur (disambiguation){{!}}Belur}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2020}}

{{Infobox settlement
| name = Belur
| native_name = Belooru
| other_name = Belooru, Baylore, Beluru
| settlement_type = Town
| image_skyline = [[File:Belur street towards Chennakesava temple.JPG|250px]]
| image_size =
| image_alt = A street in Belur town, Karnataka, India leading to front entrance of the famous Chennakesava temple. The street is lined with shops and houses. A few vehicles are parked on both sides of the street. There are some pedestrians.
| caption = Street in Belur leading to the Chennakesava temple
| pushpin_map = India Karnataka
| pushpin_label_position = right
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Karnataka, India
| coordinates = {{coord|13.1629|N|75.8571|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[States and territories of India|State]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Karnataka]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of districts of India|District]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Hassan district]]
| established_title = 
| established_date =
| founder =
| named_for =
| government_type =
| governing_body =
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes =
| area_rank =
| area_total_km2 =
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m = 979
| population_total = 28754
| population_as_of = 2011
| population_rank =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym =
| population_footnotes =
| demographics_type1 = Languages
| demographics1_title1 = Official
| demographics1_info1 = [[Kannada]]
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
| postal_code_type = [[Postal Index Number|PIN]]
| postal_code = 573 115
| area_code_type = Telephone code
| area_code = 08177
| registration_plate = KA-13/ KA-46
| website = www.belurtown.gov.in
| iso_code = [[ISO 3166-2:IN|IN-KA]]
| footnotes =
| official_name =
| Region = Malenadu
}}
'''Belur''' ({{IPA-kn|beːluːru|IPA}}), is a [[Town Municipal Council]] and [[taluka]] in [[Hassan district]] in the state of [[Karnataka]], [[India]]. The town is renowned for its [[Chennakesava Temple|Chennakeshava Temple]], one of the finest examples of [[Hoysala architecture]].

==History==
Belur was the early capital of the [[Hoysala Empire]].<ref name="sen2">{{Cite book |last=Sen |first=Sailendra |title=A Textbook of Medieval Indian History |publisher=Primus Books |year=2013 |isbn=978-9-38060-734-4 |pages=58–60}}</ref> Belur along with [[Halebidu]] about 16 km away is one of the major [[Tourism in Karnataka|tourist destinations]] in Karnataka. According to inscriptions discovered here, it was also referred to as Velur or Velapuri. It was the early capital of the Hoysala kings in 11th-century and remained a second capital through the 14th-century. The city was so esteemed by the Hoysalas that it is referred to as "earthly [[Vaikuntha]]" (Vishnu's abode) and "Dakshina [[Varanasi]]" (southern holy city of Hindus) in later inscriptions.{{sfn|Narasimhacharya|1987|pp=1-2}}

The mineral [[beryl]] and the element [[beryllium]] might have gotten their names from this city.<ref>{{OEtymD|beryl}}</ref>

==Location and transportation==
Belur is in Hassan district of the [[States and union territories of India|Indian state]] of [[Karnataka]]. It is about {{convert|35|km|mi|0}} northwest of [[Hassan, Karnataka|Hassan]].<ref name=Subramanian/> The town is about {{convert|200|km|mi|0}} west of [[Bengaluru]] (IATA Code: BLR), about a 3.5 hours drive accessible with a [[National Highway 75 (India)|four lane NH75 highway]] through Hassan. Hassan and Chikmagalur are the closest cities near Belur that are connected by a railway network to major cities of Karnataka.<ref name=Subramanian>{{cite book|author=V. K. Subramanian|title=Art Shrines of Ancient India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LcMhnC9sYS8C|year=2003|publisher=Abhinav Publications|isbn=978-81-7017-431-8|pages=75–77}}</ref> Belur has an elevation of {{convert|979|m|ft|0}} above sea level.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Elevation of Belur, Karnataka |url=http://elevationmap.net/temple-road-belur-karnataka-573115-india?latlngs=(13.164175441912072,75.8611536026001) |access-date=15 December 2017}}</ref>

There are regular buses to Belur from Bengaluru (222 km), Chikmagalur (22 km), Halebidu (16 km), Kadur (62 km), Hassan (32 km), Hospet (330 km), [[Mangalore]] (124 km), Mysore (149 km), [[Shivamogga]] (132 km) to Belur. Belur is a small town and most hotels are outside Hassan city on the Belur road (State Highway 54), Halebidu road (State Highway 21), in Hassan or Chikmagalur. The temple is about {{convert|16|km}} from [[Halebidu]] temples.<ref name=Subramanian/>

==Agriculture and commerce==
The primary mode of employment in the Belur region is agriculture and tourism. Crops grown include [[coffee]], [[rice]], [[Eleusine coracana|finger millet]], [[Black pepper|pepper]], [[cardamom]], [[ginger]] and [[sugarcane]], with [[Paddy field|paddy]] being dominant.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}

==Tourism==
Belur is home to a [[Vishnu]]-related Hoysala Hindu temple complex from the 12th century called the [[Chennakeshava Temple, Belur|Kesava Temple]] at Belur.<ref name=Madan>{{cite book|title=India through the ages|url=https://archive.org/details/indiathroughages00mada|last=Gopal|first=Madan|year= 1990| page=[https://archive.org/details/indiathroughages00mada/page/174 174]|editor=K.S. Gautam|publisher=Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India}}</ref> This temple along with [[Hoysaleswara temple|Hoysaleshwara Temple]] and [[Jain]] temples in [[Halebidu]] have been proposed as [[UNESCO world heritage|UNESCO world heritage sites]].<ref name=unesco2014>Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO (2014), [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5898/ Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysala], UNESCO</ref>

===Nearby sites===
*[[Hoysaleswara Temple]], Halebidu: it is 16 km from Belur, was capital of Hoysala and it was formerly called as Dwarasamudra. It has another famed collection of Hindu and Jain temples showing 12th century Hoysala architecture and artwork.<ref name=unesco2014/>
*[[Chennakesava Temple, Somanathapura|Kesava Temple]], Somanathapura: it is about {{convert|180|km}} southeast from Belur, another site of a major 13th century Hoysala temple and arts dedicated to Krishna and other forms of Vishnu.<ref name=Subramanian/>
*[[Shravanabelagola]], Channarayapatna: it is about {{convert|75|km}} southeast from Belur on National Highway 75, one of the most important Jainism pilgrimage site in South India. It is the site of a colossal Gommateshwara statue and the place where [[Chandragupta Maurya]] is believed to have committed [[Sallekhana]] in the Digambara tradition.<ref name=Subramanian/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

* {{cite book | title=The history of the Sri Vijayanarayana Temple of Belur (Mysore State)| author= M.H. Krishna|editor= K.A. Nilakanta Sastri| url=https://archive.org/stream/K.A.NilakantaSastriBooks/K.%20A.%20Nilakanta%20Sastri/BC-Law-Volume-Part2#page/n359/mode/2up| year=1966| publisher = The Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute}}
* {{cite book |title = The Kesava Temple at Belur| first= Ramanujapuram| last= Narasimhacharya| publisher = Asiatic Society| year = 1987| oclc= 37520409}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Belur}}
* {{Wikivoyage-inline|Belur}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Karnataka topics}}

[[Category:Tourist attractions in Hassan district]]
[[Category:Former capital cities in India]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Hassan district]]

Belur, Karnataka - Revision history

84.123.65.120 at 21:37, 20 March 2022

>BrownHairedGirl: add {{Karnataka topics}}