Hoysala Expedition Part 15: Veera Narayana Temple, Belavadi

The Veera Narayana temple at Belavadi, a village in Chikkamagalur district of Karnataka, is an epitome of symmetry. This trikuta Hoysala temple built in 1206 AD, houses Veera Narayana as the main deity, with Venugopala and Yoganarasimha in the the other two sanctum sanctorums. The temple is characterized by over a hundred neatly carved and designed pillars, and a lot of elephant statues of various shapes and sizes. The Tulunadu style enclosure at the entrance and the stone roof tops of the main temple are unique to this temple, and the statues of the three deities are outstandingly beautiful.



Although the Channakeshava temple of Belur, Hoysaleshwara temple of Halebidu and Keshava temple of Somanathapura come right up in th list of the most beautiful temples of Hoysala period and architecture, this temple at Belavadi is in no way inferior to any of the former three. The village itself has its place in mythology, with the Ekachakranagara of Mahabharata times, where Bakasura was defeated by Bheema, believed to have existed at the same place where Belavadi stands today. Although the more recent Udbhava Ganapati temple has started attracting more devotees, from the angle of serene architecture, this timeless beauty of Veera Narayana temple continues to mesmerize visitors even today.

The photo compilation is here:


Veera Narayana Temple, Belavadi from hmvprasanna on Vimeo.

Comments

Sweta said…
very very beautiful. i did not know abt this temple. thank you