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{{About|the town in Karnataka|the 12th-century Vishnu temple|Chennakeshava Temple, Belur|other uses|Belur (disambiguation){{!}}Belur}} | {{About|the town in Karnataka|the 12th-century Vishnu temple|Chennakeshava Temple, Belur|other uses|Belur (disambiguation){{!}}Belur}} | ||
{{For|village named Bellur in Karnataka, also with Hoysala temples|Belluru}} | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}} | ||
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2020}} | {{Use Indian English|date=January 2020}} | ||
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| 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. | | 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 | | caption = Street in Belur leading to the Chennakesava temple | ||
| pushpin_map = India Karnataka | | pushpin_map = India#India Karnataka | ||
| pushpin_label_position = right | | pushpin_label_position = right | ||
| pushpin_map_alt | | pushpin_map_alt = Location in Karnataka, India | ||
| coordinates = {{coord|13.1629|N|75.8571|E|display=inline,title}} | | coordinates = {{coord|13.1629|N|75.8571|E|display=inline,title}} | ||
| subdivision_type = Country | | subdivision_type = Country | ||
| Line 53: | Line 53: | ||
| website = www.belurtown.gov.in | | website = www.belurtown.gov.in | ||
| iso_code = [[ISO 3166-2:IN|IN-KA]] | | iso_code = [[ISO 3166-2:IN|IN-KA]] | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''Belur''' ({{IPA-kn|beːluːru|IPA}}) | '''Belur''' ({{IPA-kn|beːluːru|IPA}}) is a small town in [[Hassan district]] in the state of [[Karnataka]], [[India]]. The town is renowned for its [[Chennakesava Temple|Chennakeshava Temple]] dedicated to [[Vishnu]], one of the finest examples of [[Hoysala architecture]] and the largest Hindu temple complex that has survived from pre-14th-century Karnata-Dravida tradition. A historic site inspired by the teachings of [[Ramanujacharya]], it has been a Vaishnava Hindu pilgrimage center since at least the 12th-century. It was also the first capital of the Hoysala dynasty, before they built Dorasamudra (modern Halebid).<ref>{{cite book| author1=Madhusudan A. Dhaky|author2=Michael Meister|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture, Volume 1 Part 3 South India Text & Plates|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=a1VJAQAAIAAJ | year=1996|publisher= American Institute of Indian Studies|isbn= 978-81-86526-00-2|pages = 295–302, 313–315 }}</ref> | ||
Belur is also [[Town Municipal Council]] and [[taluka]]. The Hoysala monuments at Belur and [[Halebidu]] have been proposed as [[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> | |||
==Location== | |||
Belur is in the Hassan district of south [[Karnataka]]. It is about {{convert|35|km|mi|0}} northwest of [[Hassan, Karnataka|Hassan]] and about {{Convert|16|km|mi|0}} west from the famous Hindu and Jain temples in [[Halebid]].<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 near Chikmagalur and Hassan city on the Belur road (State Highway 54), Halebidu road (State Highway 21).<ref name=Subramanian/> | |||
==History== | ==History== | ||
Belur | Belur is near the foothills east of the Western Ghats, at an altitude of 3,200 feet. It and the nearby Halebidu are well connected to northern Karnataka, western Andhra Pradesh and northern Tamil Nadu.<ref name=Kasdorf/> Around this region, between the 10th and 14th-century, the Hoysaḷa dynasty came to power, whose history is unclear. By their own 11th and 12th-century inscriptions, they were descendants of the Krishna-Baladeva-roots and the Yadavas of Maharashtra. They married into the Kalyana Chalukya Hindu dynasty, known for its temple and art tradition. The reliability of these inscriptions have been questioned as potential mythistory by some historians, who propose that the Hoysalas were a local Hindu family – a hill chief from the Western Ghats remembered for having killed a tiger or a lion, and they seized power and over time expanded their territory starting in the 10th-century.<ref name="Fischel">{{cite book | last=Fischel | first=F.R.S. | title=Local States in an Imperial World: Identity, Society and Politics in the Early Modern Deccan | publisher=Edinburgh University Press | year=2020 | isbn=978-1-4744-3609-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UHoxEAAAQBAJ | pages=34–39}}</ref><ref name=Kasdorf>Katherine E. Kasdorf (2013), ''Forming Dōrasamudra: Temples of the Hoysaḷa Capital in Context'', Columbia University Press, pp. 42–49</ref><ref>{{cite book| author1=Madhusudan A. Dhaky|author2=Michael Meister|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture, Volume 1 Part 3 South India Text & Plates|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=a1VJAQAAIAAJ | year=1996|publisher= American Institute of Indian Studies|isbn= 978-81-86526-00-2|pages = 295–302 }}</ref> | ||
The | Belur was the early capital of the [[Hoysala Empire]] in the 11th-century, before they built Dorasamudra (modern Halebid).<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> According to inscriptions discovered here, it was called Velur or Velapuri during the Hoysala era. Belur remained a laternate capital through the 14th-century. The city was esteemed by the Hoysalas, and they referred to it as "earthly [[Vaikuntha]]" (Vishnu's abode) and "Dakshina [[Varanasi]]" (southern holy city of Hindus) in later inscriptions.{{sfn|Narasimhacharya|1987|pp=1-2}} In early 12th-century, the Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana met the Hindu philosopher Ramanujacharya – famed for his ideas on Sri Vaishnavism. Belur's profile rose thereafter, becoming a Vaishnava temples and monasteries town. It has remained a Vaishnava Hindu pilgrimage center.<ref>{{cite book| author1=Madhusudan A. Dhaky|author2=Michael Meister|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture, Volume 1 Part 3 South India Text & Plates|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=a1VJAQAAIAAJ | year=1996|publisher= American Institute of Indian Studies|isbn= 978-81-86526-00-2|pages = 300–302 }}</ref> | ||
== | ==Monuments== | ||
Belur is | Belur is home to several monuments:<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> | ||
*[[Chennakeshava Temple, Belur]] – a large [[Vishnu]]-related Hoysala Hindu temples complex from the early 12th century. The main temple was originally called the Vijaya-Narayana temple built by the king, which is surrounded by many smaller temples built by a Hoysala queen, generals and merchants of Hoysalas, an attached monastery, Brahmins residences, a simple ''pushkarini'' (temple water tank), a pilgrim's choultry, kitchen and grains storage. The towering Belur gopura is visible from a distance. | |||
*Sankaresvara temple – the oldest temple in Belur, predates the Vishnuvardhana's Chennakeshava temples complex. Also called Shankaralingeshwara temple, dedicated to Shiva, it is about {{Convert|400|m}} northwest of the Chennakeshava temple gopura. The temple has a ''phamsana'' style shikara, square architectural plan, notable ''sukhanasi'', much simpler artwork, with ruins of its mandapa scattered nearby.<ref>{{cite book| author1=Madhusudan A. Dhaky|author2=Michael Meister|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture, Volume 1 Part 3 South India Text & Plates|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=a1VJAQAAIAAJ | year=1996|publisher= American Institute of Indian Studies|isbn= 978-81-86526-00-2|pages = 319–321 }}</ref> | |||
*Pathaleshwara Temple – a small Hoysala style Shiva temple with fine artwork, about {{Convert|600|m}} east of the Chennakeshava temple gopura. | |||
*Amrutheswara temple ruins – a temple with a large temple tank, it was restored and expanded with a mandapa during the Vijayanagara-Nayaka period, but damaged and its parts scattered after the fall of Vijayanagara. The temple is about {{Convert|800|m}} south of the Chennakeshava temple gopura. It provides a contrast between the Hoysala and Vijayanagara architectural styles. | |||
;World heritage and tourism | |||
The | The Belur monuments, along with those at [[Halebidu]] are on the pending list of [[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=== | ===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/> | *[[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/> | ||
*[[Bucesvara Temple, Koravangala]] – a twin temple near Hassan city that synthesizes the pre-Hoysala traditions of Hindu architecture, includes artwork from all three major Hindu traditions | |||
*[[Nageshvara-Chennakeshava Temple complex, Mosale]] – another major temple complex near Hassan city that presents Shaivism and Vaishnavism traditions together | |||
*[[Veera Narayana Temple, Belavadi]] – a major three sanctum temples complex, about 25 kilometers from Belur, with beautiful carvings, preserved Vesara superstructure and a galaxy of artwork from all Hindu traditions | |||
*[[Lakshminarasimha Temple, Javagal]] – a triple sanctum shrine from the 13th-century, with a galaxy of artwork from all Hindu traditions; A Vesara architecture, where the aedicule on the outer walls show many major variants of Dravida and Nagara ''shikhara'' (superstructure) styles; it is about {{Convert|25|km}} northeast from Belur. | |||
*[[Lakshminarasimha Temple, Haranhalli]] – another triple sanctum 13th-century Hindu temple, with a complex two-storey Vesara-architecture, dedicated to Vishnu avatars, but includes major reliefs of Shaivism and Shaktism; about {{Convert|45|km}} northeast from Belur. | |||
*[[Ishvara Temple, Arasikere]] – a Vesara and Hoysala architecture Hindu temple for Shiva that illustrates the dome-style Hindu architecture for mandapa built about a hundred years before the first invasion of Delhi Sultanate and the start of Deccan version of the Indo-Islamic architecture. It is about 60 kilometers east of Belur. | |||
*[[Lakshmi Devi Temple, Doddagaddavalli]] – one of the earliest Hoysala temples, four sanctums and beautifully carved | |||
*[[Shravanabelagola]], Channarayapatna: a major group of many Jain and Hindu monuments; it is about {{convert|75|km}} southeast from Belur on National Highway 75, one of the most important Digambara Jainism pilgrimage site in South India.<ref name=Subramanian/> | |||
*[[Nuggehalli]] group of temples – about 80 kilometers to the east of Belur, with an ingenious structure that makes three sanctums appear as one sanctum from outside; a Vesara architecture from the 13th-century | |||
*[[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/> | *[[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/> | ||
==Gallery== | |||
<gallery> | |||
File:Hassan in karnataka.jpg|Positioning of Hassan district in Karnataka | |||
File:HASSAN DIST CRP.jpg|Hobli Map of Hassan district | |||
File:BELUR POP 2001 A1.pdf|Map of Belur Taluk as per 2001 Census | |||
File:BELUR POP 2011.pdf|Map of Belur Taluk as per 2011 Census | |||
File:BELUR TQ.pdf|Belur Taluk - Hobli and Village Map | |||
File:BELUR GP VIL 2015.pdf|Belur Taluk - Grama Panchayat and Village Map | |||
File:BELUR FLUORIDE.pdf|Belur Taluk Map about Fluoride content in DWS | |||
</gallery> | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||