History, Importance, Timings, Festivals, Architecture, Interesting Facts and Travel Guide of Chennakesava Temple, Belur, Karnataka, India
Chennakeshava temple also known as Vijayanarayana temple or Chennakesava temple, the architecture marvel of Hoysala rule is located in Belur, small but historical town and second capital of Hoysala dynasty. It is located at just 25 kms from the Chikmagalur town. The temple is dedicated to VijayNarayan or Chennakesava, one of beautiful form of Supreme Lord Shri Vishnu. The construction of the temple was started by King VishnuVardhana in 1117 and was completed by his grandson. Chennakeshava temple the masterpiece of Hoysala architecture and one of the most visited tourist destination of Karnataka and important pilgrimage site for Vaishnav even after 1000 years. Temple complex construction took 103 years to get complete. Chenna means beautiful and keshava means Vishnu and the temple was named after it. The temple was built to celebrate the victory of Hoysala over the Cholas.
Due to Muslim ruler invasion, Belur was chosen as the second capital by the Hoysala rulers. The Hoysala ruled this region between the 11th and 13th century which is entire Karnataka and few parts of Tamilnadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. There are two gateways to the huge temple complex but only one is crowned by Gopuram. The towering Gopuram leads to the huge temple courtyard where the main sanctum in the center is surrounded by the smaller Mandaps and shrines. Right in the middle of the courtyard there is a unique 42 feet height pillar mounted on a star-shaped platform which is typical Hoysala architecture. The pillar is carved out of the single rock and stands on its own weight with no foundation below. The pillar is named as the GRAVITY PILLAR. The temple has the Garud Stambh facing the main shrine. The main doorway has a sculpture of the king killing a lion with his bare hands. The temple doors have exquisitely carved Dwarpals on either side featuring delicate ornament work. The overhead main panel on the door depicts the ten forms of Lord Vishnu. The prominently carved Makar symbol is the sign of the Hoysala architecture. There are 40 pillars on the outer walls each with the bracket figure of the dancing girls also called MADANIKAS. Out of these, two pillars are important and prominent. One is the Narasimha pillar, which is carved with miniature figures from top to bottom, such as a tiny bull. This pillar could rotate because of how it was supported, but now has been fixed to prevent further damage. The other pillar is the Mohini pillar which is sixteen-fluted star-shaped pillar with a large enchanting figure of Mohini, the female avatar of Vishnu. There are around 650 carvings of elephants in different moods and no two figures are alike within temple campus. There are more than 80 Madanika - Apsara-Devangana sculptures in the temple premise with dancing, hunting, standing under canopies of trees etc. Out of 80 there are 4 Madanika figures with striking elegant dancing poses on the wonderfully engraved columns of Navaranga are the unique creations of great Hoysala workmanship. The Garbhagriha is stellar in shape and its zigzag walls make the figures of 24 incarnation of Lord Vishnu look different at different times of the day due to light.
There were great painters of art and architecture who built a number of magnificent shrines during the 300 years reign. The temples in Belur are one of the best Hoysala creations showcasing their amazing architecture and sculptures in full glory. The temple is built with extraordinarily soft stone. This stone is extremely easy to chisel but firms in exposure to the environment. To maintain the shininess of the temple, the temple is treated with chemical wash followed by wax polishing once in ten years. The temple has three entrances and their doorways have decorated sculptures of dvarapalaka on either side. Along with main temple, the complex has many other beautiful small temples, shrines and structures. There are Kappe Chennigaraya Temple, Veernarayana Temple, Saumyanaki temple, Andal Temple, Kalyana Mantapa or the wedding hall, Deepastambha, kitchen, water tank etc.
As per the local belief, this excellent temple was built in honor of Lord Vishnu to mark the conversion of King Vishnuvardhan from Jainism to Vaishnavism. In influence of great saint and Guru shir Ramanujacharya, King Vishnuvardhan who known as Bittidev when he was a practicing Jain get converted to Hinduism.
The beautifully ornamented 6 feet high idol of Lord Vishnu has four hands; the upper two holding the chakra and shank while the lower holding the lotus and a maize. Idols of his consorts Bhudevi and Shridevi are on either side next to him. The temple is one of those temples of Hoysala temple where puja performed both the times every day during morning and evening. This tradition has been practiced for the last 187 years.
This is how 1000 years old wonder, Chennakeshava Temple still exists and present this history, glory, culture and rich value of India.
How to Reach Chennakeshava, Belur, One of major tourist attraction, Karnataka, India
As Belur is major Tourist destination and taluka place of Karnataka and home to majestic Chennakeshava Temple the masterpiece of Hoysala ruler. Thus, it is easily reachable via road, rail and air network. Nearest major railway station from Belur is in Hassan at 37 km and Chikmagalur at 25 km from where you can get train to all major station of India. You can get government and private vehicle from nearby cities to reach here by road. You can reach here via air connectivity easily as Mangalore airport is at just 160 km from Belur. Belur is located at 25 km from Chikmanglur, 16 km from Halebid, 155 km from Mangalore, 40 km from Hassan, and 217 km from Bangalore.
