Bellary District

The temples of Bellary district are best known for their brilliant styles and forms. Bellary District in east Karnataka is shrouded in antiquarian history and the district finds its mention in the epic Ramayana and the chronicles of the legendary Satavahana dynasty. This district is bounded by Raichur district, Dharwad district, Chitradurga and Davangere districts. Achyutaraya Temple, Kalleswara Temple, Ugra Narasimha Temple, Balakrishna Temple, Kodanda Rama Temple and Vaishnava Temple are some of the important temples of Bellary district.

Kalleswara Temple, one of the worth mentioning temples of Bellary district is located at Hulikeri near Koodli. The temple is about 80 ft in length and breadth. The idols of Kalleshwara, Lord Vishnu and Veerabhadra are enshrined within the temple. Vighnantaka Vinayaka temple is dedicated to Lord Ganesh. This temple of Bellary district enshrines the man-headed idol of Lord Vinayaka, instead of the elephant-headed one. There is a separate sanctum enshrining Lord Muruga. The architectural style of the Mahadwar, Prakar and Mukh-Mandap of the temple is that of the Vijayanagar era that is worth a glimpse; there are 24 columns about 12 ft high, in the Mukh-Mandap.

The Balakrishna Temple is one of the oldest temples of Bellary district that was built by the great Vijayanagar King Krishnadevaraya in 1513 to commemorate his victory over Prataparudra Gajapati, the ruler of Orissa. The image of the child Krishna was consecrated in this temple. The whole architecture of the temple features a sanctum, an antechamber, an ardha mantapa, a passage, a pillared hall with three entrances and an open pillared mantapa, and shrines for the other deities. The temples of Bellary district depict the engineering skills of that era. The inner sides of the entrance exhibit appealing carvings of Apsaras standing on fabled animals and the ten incarnations of the Lord Vishnu. However, the priceless image of Balakrishna has been handed over to the Government Museum at Chennai.

Located at the foot of the Matanga Hill, Achyutaraya Temple is one of the largest temples of Bellary district. An officer of the King Achyutaraya, Salakaraju Tirumaladeva, built this temple complex. The temple features two enclosures, each manifested by an entrance gopura. The main deity, `Tiruvengalanatha` or Lord Venkateswara is located at the second attachment of the temple. The shrine of Garuda stands opposite to the temple. Goddess Devi, Parvati, is enshrined in the southwest. The main attraction of this temple is its ornately carved Kalyana Mantapa that is located in the northwestern corner of the outer enclosure. Its basement is exquisitely decorated with the relief of elephants and the carvings on slim pillars feature lovely figures. The annual marriage ceremony of the deity is conducted here.

Kodanda Rama Temple is one of the magnificent temples of Bellary district, dotted around the historical city of Hampi. This temple faces the holy bathing ghat, Chakrathirtha. The rectangular sanctum sanctorum enshrines the 15 ft high idols of Shri Ram, Sita, and Lakshman in standing posture. Close by, there are temples dedicated to Lord Sudarshana and Yantrodharaka Anjaneya. Other than the mentioned ones, Garaga Sri Shanthinatha Temple, Raghunath Temple and Vighnantaka Vinayaka Temple are also revered temples of Bellary district in Karnataka.

Bellary District is a district in the Indian state Karnataka. There are various beautiful places in Bellary, which are worth visiting. Some of these places are given here:

Princely State of Sandur : This is a picturesque hill fringed region in a splendid valley. It has natural riches of iron and manganese ores. A huge fort can be seen in a marvellous palace here. This fort is a remarkable monument left behind by the famous Maratha rulers. There are two wonderful temples dedicated to Lord Kumaraswamy and Goddess Parvati. These are situated here in the hills of Bellary. The temple contains some amazing elements of art and sculpture and it has serene surroundings. A temple of Lord Rama can be seen on this hill resort.

Hampi : Hampi was earlier the capital city of the Vijayanagara Empire. It is situated at an altitude of 467 meter above the sea level. Harihara Temple also known as Hukka and Bukka, the Telugu princes established Hampi. This place has several precious monuments, which exist even today. This city is worth visiting to see the prestigious remnants of the great Vijayanagara Empire.

Pattabhirama Temple : This temple was constructed between 1530 and 1542. It is located on the south of the sacred Tungabhadra River. The surroundings of this temple are hilly and it is the largest among the ruins. This wonderful temple is noted for its largeness. There is a capacious hall in front of the temple.

Dussehra Dibba or Vijaya Bhavani : This is architecturally a very wonderful temple. The ruler of Vijayanagara, Krishnadevaraya built this temple to show his gratitude towards the ultimate Supreme Being after his invasion of Orissa. Exquisite carvings decorate the temple structure. Dussehra festival is celebrated with pomp and gaiety here. The marching soldiers, beautiful damsels in various dancing postures, horses and elephants are carved on the temple walls. The ruins of the once-magnificent palace can be seen from the top of the temple.

Virupaksha Temple : This temple was built in 1509 in the memory of Krishnadevaraya. It is also called `Temple of Pasupati`. It is also said that this temple was built by Krishnadevaraya to commemorate his triumph over the Bijapur and Gajapathy rulers. The temple has massive holy image of Lord Shiva, which is a sacred monolithic structure. The deity is called Lord Virupaksha here. The images of many other deities can also be seen here. The monolithic pillars with intricate and ethereal artwork can be seen in the "mandapam" of the temple. The Bhistappayyana gopuram or the temple tower here became the model for all the South Indian Vijayanagara Temple. These are also known as Rajagopurams.

Vittala Temple : This temple is found on the banks of the holy river Tungabhadra. It is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is one of the still existing holy monuments of the Vijayanagara Empire though the temple tower is damaged. The temple area is a rectangular courtyard of 152 meter X 94 meter. There are total 56 strong pillars in this temple and these are special as they produce musical tones. One more interesting feature of this huge temple is that the chariot here is made out of stone. It has now got place in the list of `World Heritage Monuments`.

Patal Lingeswar : This temple was uncovered during one of the excavations by the British. Lord Shiva was believed to be the presiding deity of the temple. Now, there is no deity in this temple. The ruins of the royal guesthouse can be seen in front of this temple.

Hazara Ramaswamy Temple : This is an ancient temple of Bellary District dedicated to Lord Rama. The royal family has been worshipping in this temple since long time. Various beautiful carvings can be seen in this temple. The pillars of the temple are carved with various incarnations of Lord Vishnu and some scenes of the great epics are also depicted. Moreover, the elaborate wall paintings include images of sacred animals.

Lotus Mahal : This is now an archaeological museum, which was earlier the resting place of the kings. A large number of artefacts can be seen in this museum. These things were unearthed from the excavations, which started in 1976, and going on even today. These articles include the ancient Chinese coins and many other instruments used by the kings of that period. A restaurant run by KSTDC can be seen at the entrance.

Kishkindha : According to the great epic Ramayana, Kishkindha was the kingdom of the Anthropoid King Vali. This place is situated on the splendid banks of the holy river Tungabhadra. The epic also referred about the grand hills Hrishyamuk, Malyabanta and Matanga. A mound can be seen here, where the king Vali is said to have been laid to rest. A temple dedicated to Lord Rama can also be seen here.

Twin Temple : This Twin Temple has wonderful artwork of the Chalukyas on the exterior walls. Fifty-nine polished and glossy pillars can be seen in the twin temple. A unique style is followed while building the Sikharas of the temple.

Tungabhadra Dam : This dam is situated about 7 km from Hospet and 20 km from Hampi. It is of 49 meter high and runs to a length of 500 meter across the ravishing river Tungabhadra. A Japanese style garden and a captivating horticultural farm make it a perfect picnic spot. A net factory and a steel project can also be seen. There is a serene reservoir created by the dam, which spreads over 387 sq meters.