Travelogue

Ever Been to Hassan, a City of Marvel?

by Aniketh Arun

Grade 7

Have you ever seen or heard of the ancient temples of Hassan? If not, I am going to tell you all about it based on my travel to this archaeological marvel.

Hassan district is one of the oldest districts in the India and is located in southwestern part of Karnataka state. It is known for its rich history, art, and architecture. There are several temples around Hassan city and the most famous are Belur and Halebeedu. These two magnificent structures have lasted almost 5,097 years. And we have the largest granite statue of Gomateshwara at Sravanbelagola.

It all started with the Hoysala dynasty. The Hoysalas are the dynasty that ruled Southern India from the 10th century to the 14th century. It started when a boy named Sala was attacked by a tiger. His teacher gave him an iron rod and said “Poy Sala” meaning attack Sala. Sala killed the tiger and that became the royal emblem of the Hoysalas. Sala decided to name his dynasty with the words of his teacher. The emblem also signifies when King Vishnuvardhana won a battle of the Cholas and their emblem was a Tiger. The dynasty started with the rule of Nripa Kama II. His son Vinayaditya became the king and so on until Veera Balla I. The last king Veera Balla III was killed in battle, signaling the end of the Hoysala dynasty.

Halebeedu was created in 1016. It is home to the fifth and sixth largest Nandi’s in the world. It was built by one of the kings’ ministers to show his love for the king. He built 2 Shiva temples and 2 Nandi’s. The one for the king was built on a Granite and the one for the queen was built on Ivory.  The King’s Temple was bigger than the queen’s because the king had more rights than the queen. At the time it was created the king was King Nripa kama II and that minister was the kings favorite. This was the first ever Hoysala creation in the Hassan District. It was the original capital of the Hoysalas rule and was the biggest. Halebeedu was the capital for the shortest time because it was attacked by Sultans. The sculptures were partly destroyed. Today, the architecture foundation of South India helped a little but most is still standing.

Belur was the city after Halebeedu that was attacked by the Sultans. Its construction started in 1116 under the rule of Vishnuvardhana. It was completed by his grandson Veera Balla II. It took them 103 years to build it. Belur is known for its beautiful sculptures. There are many things apart from the main temple like a water tank that is used for bathing. They also use the water for bathing the idol. The entire place it still standing with very little help with the architecture foundation of Karnataka. It is still the most beautiful out of all the Hoysala creations.

Shravanabelagola was created after the Hoysala dynasty became followers of Jainism. The Hoysala dynasty converted to Jainism during the time of King Vishnuvardhana. His wife still believed in Hinduism but others in the kingdom did not. That is when they changed the capital to Shravanabelagola. Shravanabelagola is on top of a mountain. The statue is the Jain God Gomateshwara or Bahubali. The statue is 16m tall and is a naked man with vines around him. He is standing upright while meditating indicating self-control.  He is naked because it is indicating renunciation of worldly. It is surrounded by other Jain gods but Shravanabelagola is the tallest and best of them all.

 

Belur, Halebeedu, and Shravanabelagola form what is called the Golden Triangle of South India. All three of the temples were the capital for a part of the Hoysala rule. There is a special temple trail connecting them forming the golden triangle of south India. The rich heritage of Hassan district is very beautiful, and you have to see it all.