Sleepy Village With Amazing Temples.
Belavadi is a sleepy village about 12 km from Halebeedu, and 29 km from Chikmagalur, in the Indian state of Karnataka. This small village has two amazing temples, the Veeranarayana Temple, which is one of the largest Hoysala temple monuments, and a Ganapati temple, the main deity of which is known as the Udhbhava Ganapati. Both these temples are worth visiting. Belavadi village is also said to be the place where the Pandava prince Bhima killed the demon Bakasura and protected the village and its people.
The Veeranarayana Temple is more than 800 years old and was built by the Hoysala King, Veera Ballala II. While the temples at Belur and Halebeedu are known for their sculptures, this temple is known more for its architecture. This is a three shrine Vaishnava temple with images of Lord Vishnu in three different avatars, Sri Veeranarayana, Sri Venugopala and Sri Yoganarasimha. The temple pujari himself guided us around the temple and helped us have a nice darshan. The temple is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.
We then walked down to the Udhbava Ganpati Temple, a couple of hundred metres from the Veeranarayana temple. It is a small Ganpati temple, with a natural rock formation in the shape of a Ganapati which has manifest itself (swayambhu), and is still growing slowly (udhbava). Here also the temple priest helped us have a good darshan and performed a puja for us. This temple is maintained by the Sri Shankaracharya Mutt of Sringeri.
There are many other smaller temples dotting the village. The atmosphere of the village is calm and serene, with many trees and farms surrounding it. The villagers were busy with their farming and processing activities, and taking their livestock down for grazing. I could not resist the temptation to take some pictures of the quaint but clean little village of Belavadi.
Many tourists visit the main temples of Belur and Halebeedu, but very few care to visit Belavadi, firstly because it is a bit off the main tourist circuit, and secondly very few know about it. So there are no crowds at Belavadi, and we got a very good experience of the peaceful village life in Karnataka.
Show lessThe Veeranarayana Temple is more than 800 years old and was built by the Hoysala King, Veera Ballala II. While the temples at Belur and Halebeedu are known for their sculptures, this temple is known more for its architecture. This is a three shrine Vaishnava temple with images of Lord Vishnu in three different avatars, Sri Veeranarayana, Sri Venugopala and Sri Yoganarasimha. The temple pujari himself guided us around the temple and helped us have a nice darshan. The temple is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.
We then walked down to the Udhbava Ganpati Temple, a couple of hundred metres from the Veeranarayana temple. It is a small Ganpati temple, with a natural rock formation in the shape of a Ganapati which has manifest itself (swayambhu), and is still growing slowly (udhbava). Here also the temple priest helped us have a good darshan and performed a puja for us. This temple is maintained by the Sri Shankaracharya Mutt of Sringeri.
There are many other smaller temples dotting the village. The atmosphere of the village is calm and serene, with many trees and farms surrounding it. The villagers were busy with their farming and processing activities, and taking their livestock down for grazing. I could not resist the temptation to take some pictures of the quaint but clean little village of Belavadi.
Many tourists visit the main temples of Belur and Halebeedu, but very few care to visit Belavadi, firstly because it is a bit off the main tourist circuit, and secondly very few know about it. So there are no crowds at Belavadi, and we got a very good experience of the peaceful village life in Karnataka.
Date of experience: December 2018
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