Belur, Karnataka

Belur () is a town and taluk in Hassan district in the state of Karnataka, India. The town is renowned for its Chennakeshava Temple dedicated to Vishnu, one of the finest examples of Hoysala architecture and the largest Hindu temple complex that has survived from pre-14th-century Karnata-Dravida tradition. It has been a Vaishnava Hindu pilgrimage center since at least the 12th century. It was also the first capital of the Hoysala dynasty, before they built Dwarasamudra (modern Halebid).

Belur is also Town Municipal Council and taluka. The Hoysala monuments at Belur and Halebidu have been declared as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2023.

Geography

Belur is situated on the banks of Yagachi River in the Hassan district of Karnataka. It is about northwest of Hassan and about west from the famous Hindu and Jain temples' town of Halebeedu.

Belur has an elevation of above mean sea level, making it the highest town in Hassan district. The National Highway 73 (India), its subsidiary, NH-373, State Highway 57 (Karnataka), SH-110 and SH-112 passes through the town of Belur.

There are regular buses to Belur from Bengaluru (222 km), Chikkamagaluru (25 km), Halebeedu (16 km), Hassan (40 km) and Mysuru (160 km), operated by KSRTC. The KSRTC also has a bus depot in Belur under Chikkamagaluru division.

Rainfall

In the year 2022, Belur hobli received of annual rainfall. Meanwhile other hoblis of Belur taluk received rainfall as follows:

Arehalli -
Bikkodu -
Halebeedu -
Madihalli -

History

Belur is near the foothills east of the Western Ghats, at an altitude of 3,200 feet. It and the nearby Halebidu are well connected to northern Karnataka, western Andhra Pradesh and northern Tamil Nadu.

Belur was the early capital of the Hoysala Empire in the 11th-century, before they built Dwarasamudra (modern Halebid). According to inscriptions discovered here, it was called Velur or Velapuri during the Hoysala era. Belur remained an alternate capital through the 14th century. The city was esteemed by the Hoysalas, and they referred to it as "earthly Vaikuntha" (Vishnu's abode) and "Dakshina Varanasi" (southern holy city of Hindus) in later inscriptions. In early 12th-century, the Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana met the Hindu philosopher Ramanujacharya – famed for his ideas on Sri Vaishnavism. Belur's profile rose thereafter, becoming a Vaishnava temples and monasteries town. It has remained a Vaishnava Hindu pilgrimage center.

Monuments

Belur is home to several monuments:

Chennakeshava Temple, Belur – a large Vishnu-related Hoysala Hindu temples complex from the early 12th century. The main temple was originally called the Vijaya-Narayana temple built by the king, which is surrounded by many smaller temples built by a Hoysala queen, generals and merchants of Hoysalas, an attached monastery, Brahmins residences, a simple pushkarini (temple water tank), a pilgrim's choultry, kitchen and grains storage. The towering Belur gopura is visible from a distance.
Shankareshvara temple – the oldest temple in Belur, predates the Vishnuvardhana's Chennakeshava temples complex. Also called Shankaralingeshwara temple, dedicated to Shiva, it is about northwest of the Chennakeshava temple gopura. The temple has a phamsana style shikara, square architectural plan, notable sukhanasi, much simpler artwork, with ruins of its mandapa scattered nearby.
Pathaleshwara Temple – a small Hoysala style Shiva temple with fine artwork, about east of the Chennakeshava temple gopura.
Amrutheshwara temple ruins – a temple with a large temple tank, it was restored and expanded with a mandapa during the Vijayanagara-Nayaka period, but damaged and its parts scattered after the fall of Vijayanagara. The temple is about south of the Chennakeshava temple gopura. It provides a contrast between the Hoysala and Vijayanagara architectural styles.

World heritage and tourism

The Belur monuments, along with those at Halebidu are on the pending list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.