Chennakesava Temple-Belur

Good morning.

Chennakesava Temple-Belur

The Chennakesava temple, originally called Vijayanarayana temple, was built on the banks of the Yagachi river in Belur, by the Hoysala empire king Vishnuvardhana.  Belur, which was an early Hoysala capital,  is in the Hassan district.

History :-

Beautiful Belur the Quaint little town set elegantly on the banks of river Yagachi amidst lush surrounding was earlier Known as Velapuri. It was chosen as the capital of the Hoysalas, after the sacking and destruction of their capital at Dwarasamudra (Halebid), by the Delhi Sultans. The Hoysalas Ruled this region between 44 th and 13 th centuries. They were great patrons of art and architecture and builts a number of magnificent shrines during their 300 years regin. The temples and monuments at Belur are indeed the best Hoysala creations, showcasing their amazing architecture and sculptures in full glory Belur was highly revered for its magnificient shrines and came to be Known as “modern vaikunta (heaven) of the earthe”.
The Hoysala temples are characterized by typical star shaped ground plan and are usually ste on a platform. They are compact, squat structures and are more human in scale as compared to other soaring shrines of the south. Ornately carved shrines indicate the music and dance were highly regarded by the Hoysalas and were used to express religious fervor. The temples at Belur are carved out of soap stone (steatite), quarried from Tumkur, About 200 Kms away. This stone is extremely easy to chisel, but attains iron-like fitness when exposed to the atmosphere. To maintain the shine of the temple, the stone is treated with a chemical wash and then wax polished once in ten years.

Today this small town basking in the warmth of its luxurious greenery and glorious past is regarded as “one of the jewels” of South India architecture. Its temple have become rich repositories of ancient Hindu culture.

Shri Krauncha Giri Temple, Bellary district of Karnataka.

Good morning.

Shri Krauncha Giri Temple

Krauncha Giri is believed to be the first abode of Lord Subramanya in the South India. It is located 10kms from Sandur in Bellary district of Karnataka.

The unique feature of the mountain is its elliptical shape with a diametric narrow pass.
 According to the legends, this gap in the mountain is made by Lord Subramanya, when he cut the mountain in the battle with the demon Taraka from his sphere weapon,Vel, to kill the demon who was hidden in the  mountain.  This mountain is also associated with legends of the sages Agastya and Parasurama.  Kalidasa in the work Megha Sandesa describes the gap in the mountain.

The temple is located in the south west corner of India. The complex houses temples of  Parvathi and Kumaraswami. The idol of Lord Ganesha is very famous in this temple.

According to the legends, the Parvathi temple was  bulit by the Badami Chalukyas and the temple has Goddess Parvathi as the main deity.  Currently, the temple is called Kumaraswamy temple and was consercated by the rulers of the Rashtrakutas (8th-10th century).  The presiding deity of the temple is the Lord Subramanya.  The temple is  now a protected monument.  It was discovered by the local rulers, the Ghorpades, in the thickly-wooded Swamimalai hill in the 15th century.
In the beginning, the women were strictly not allowed to enter the shrine. After October 1996, Murarirao Yeshwantrao Ghorpade removed the ban on women. The Ghorpades, loved and respected by the locals, had declared the temple open to Harijans as early as the 1930s.

After learning this,  on his visit to Sandur in 1934, Mahatma Gandhi said, "A small state in South India has opened the temple to the Harijans, and the heavens have not fallen."