My beautiful and inspiring visit to Birur, Hassan District of Karnataka

It was my first visit to this area of Malanad, which resembles the western ghats of Kerala. Filled with Very beautiful valleys of greenery and myriad tiny streams it is indeed a heavenly sight for sore eyes. After completing my official duties and fulfilling the purpose of the visit, my friend, who is an architect and running an architectural firm in the UK, advised me to visit a few old temples, nearby. As I had enough time, I pursued his idea. Recently a team of experts had visited from UNESCO, world Heritage center, a visit led by none other than Mrs. Sudha Murthy, the Ex-chairperson of Infosys Foundation. I remember reading the reports in many newspapers, which gave me additional impetus and sparked greater interest in me.

The climate was indeed very good – with a cloudy sky and a mild drizzle preserving the beauty and bringing it alive and to its original splendor. I could compare the scenery and weather with any of the places I have visited in Germany/Switzerland. In fact, i have seen some similar beautiful valleys, during my recent visit to Kerala too.

Accompanied by my wife, we first went to the Amutheswari Temple at Amruta Pura in Chikkamangalur Taluka. The Shiva Deity here is considered very powerful by many devotees, who visit it every day from different parts of India and abroad. There is one Sharada Mandir close by in the same complex. These were constructed 11 centuries ago by the Hindu and Jain rulers of the Chola Dynasty. The temple was built in accordance with the ancient Hoysala architectural style with a wide mandapa and has an original outer wall with unique equally spaced circular carvings. At the entrance, I took some snaps of the grand and beautiful pillars and the majestic roof. This reminded me of Mount Abu, on the Rajasthan/Gujerat border, with its wonderful carvings under the roof, where photographs are taken lying on one’s back. I used to take my friends and relatives who visited me at that time, long years ago when I was a bachelor and had a company car at my disposal. The Gopura, Garbhagrihas, Rangamandapa, Roofs- everything hasits own intricacy and truly is a magnificent beauty. We were amazed to see the beautifully polished pillars and the roof carvings. The temple is open the whole day and we had a good darshan of the Lord. Many said they pray for the blessings of God and their wishes get fulfilled by the grace of it. Whenever we visit that area, they make it a point to come and offer their gratitude. People are served hot and sumptuous prasadam in the Dining hall. We made our contributions, which by the way, is not compulsory. We then left for the next temple almost 40Kms. away just as the rain was about to begin.

The Malnad region looks very similar to Kerala, rich with coconuts, areca/betel nuts, vegetables and bananas. I am told hundreds of trucks ply daily to carry these products to the other parts of Karnataka.

We then drove down to the world-famous sites of Halebeedu-Belur. It was also about 16 Kilometres and further away on the highway. The roads are very good and the drive too was pleasant. The whole area was kept very clean due to the recent visit of the world team from UNESCO. The important structures are restored and there was no dust or dirt, floors were spick and span, separate bins everywhere for different wastes, toilets and so on. The garden around the area was very immaculate. I felt everything looked, world-class. The recent rain and the intermittent sunrays gave a very warm welcome to everyone. Being a holiday, the place was a bit crowded.

The beauty of the marvelous structures of Halebeedu, is unexplainable. The small town of Halebeedu, literally meaning “old encampment” and was the capital of Hoysala during the 11th century and reached glorious heights during the reign of Ballala ll –grandson of Vishnuvardhan. The Hoysala empire was extended from the river Kaveri in the west to the Krishna River in the east. This place was enriched by the fertile deltas of these rivers. The magnificent shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva is the largest and the best of Hoysala temples, took almost 86 long years to complete. This resembles the Chennakeshava temple of Belur, a few kilometers away, except for the more profusely carved exquisite figures adorning the shrine here.

The sculptural extravaganza of this wonderful temple has been lavishly praised by many experts in this field such as James Fergusson-a well-known personality of art and architecture. He remarked that it “may probably be considered as one of the most marvelous exhibitions of human labor to be found even in the patient east”. The Hoysaleswara shrine is compared with the famous Parthenon in Athens, which is the ultimate by western critics. In Fergusson’s words “that no two canopies in the whole building are alike and every part exhibits a joyous exuberance of fancy, scorning every mathematical restraint. All that is wild in human feeling is found portrayed on these walls”. Another authority on Indian architecture Percy Brown wrote” This “Hoysaleswara” temple is without exaggeration, one of the most remarkable monuments ever produced by the hand of man” Many leading critics state that the magnitude, exuberance of carving and artistic majesty of the shine is incomparable.

This unique complex is built with soapstone. It has four porches for entry. All temples in the Belur areas, porches are flanked by miniature shrines. As we go around the shrine, some of the finest wall panels seen are: the durbar of Lord Shiva, the childhood pranks of Balkrishna, the battle between Arjuna and Karna, Lord Krishna lifting the Govardhana Mountain, Lord Shiva in dancing pose as Nataraja, Gajendra Moksha, the shooting of Matsya Yantra; Krishna and Arjuna alighting from the chariot and taking bath in the pond after getting the news of Abhimanyu’s death and Ravana lifting the Kailasha mountain- abode of Shiva. Many of these exhibits displayed in the open-air museum and showcased in the Sculpture gallery. Both the sanctums enshrine an east facing Shivalingam, preceded by a Nandi Mandapa with huge Nandi bull. The large and spacious temple interiors are well known for carved pillars supporting the ceiling. The four sides portray the works of many wonderful sculptors. There are also a number of inscriptions of historical importance. There are many temples situated here such as Kedareshwara, Brahmeshwara, Rudreshvara, Ranganatha and Jain shrines. It takes days to properly study and go around the intricacies of our ancient history.

They say ‘a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step’. My first few steps to explore the historical treasures of India have miles to go but this one was indeed very special, memorable and inspirational. The Gods of architecture are right here within our own country.