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Hassan
| India City: Hassan |
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Population : 117,000
Languages : p; : Kannada.
Telephone area code : 08172
Best time to visit : October to March
Hassan has little of interest and is simply a base from which to explore Belur, Halebid and Sravanabelagola.
Belur and Halebid
The Hoysala temples at Belur and Halebid are the cream of what remains of one of the most artistically exuberant periods of Hindu cultural development.
The Hoysaleswara temple at Halebid is the most outstanding example of Hoysala art. The walls and much of the interior are covered with Hindu deities, sages, animals and birds, and scenes depicting the life and times of Hoysala rulers. No two are alike. There are some very sensual sculptures explicitly portraying the activities of dancing girls. Also are two huge Nandis (Siva's bull) and a monolithic Jain statue of Gomateshvara.
The Channekeshava temple at Belur is the only one at the three Hoysala sites still in daily use. It is very similar in design to the others but is much more decorated from inside.
The word Sravanabelagola means Monk of the White Pond.
Sravanabelagola's history goes back to the 3rd century B.C. when Chandragupta Maurya came here with is guru, Bhagwan Bhadrabahu Swami, after renouncing his kingdom. In the course of time, the preachings of Bhadrabahu were spread all over the region and thus firmly established Jainism in the south. The religion found powerful patrons in the Gangas who ruled the southern part of Karnataka between the 4th and 10 centuries, and it was during this time that Jainism reached the zenith of its influence.
The statue was created during the reign of Ganga King, Rachamalla in 981 A.D. The statue of naked Bahubali (Gomateshvara) is 17m high and overlooks the town of Srivanabelagola over the top of a hill called Indragiri. This is one of the oldest and most important Jain pilgrimage center in India.
How To Reach
Nearest airport is Bangalore (170 kms)
By Train
Trains from Mysore and Mangalore .
170 kms from Bangalore .
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