So it was my Birthday. My 37th Birthday. Depressing. Thankfully it also happened to be a long weekend with Ganesh Chathurthi...and what better way to celebrate it with my dearest loved ones in the comfort of a cosy resort. Chikmagalur was the closest we could drive to and I was dying to get away. We had booked at the beautiful Serai Resort . It's the monsoons right now and apparently a beautiful season to drive and watch the coffee and pepper plants soak up the rain. It was indeed gorgeous.
We were awestruck by the beauty of the temple and the sheer number of the intricate carvings and idols that adorned the entire stretch of the temple. It apparently took three generations of the Hoysala dynasty to complete it.
These elephants adorn the entire stretch of the temple. Not a single elephant looks the same. There are about 644 elephants around the temple. It also has lotus symbolizing beauty, Tiger symbolizing bravery and Elephants for strength around the walls of the temple.
Our next drive was 16kms to Halebid from Belur...bad roads but interesting views. The entire stretch had ginger growing....and it was an interesting site to see it harvested, washed and cleaned.
Halebid or Halebidu used to be the regal capital of the Hoysala Empire. The Hoysaleshwara temple is now being proposed as the UNESCO world heritage site. It is quite well maintained with views of sprawling grass and has a small outdoor museum where some of the sculptures are kept.
And I did pick these totally awesome miniatures beauties from a vendor outside Hoysaleshwara temple in Halebid. Not really well made ones but seemed really interesting...and who doesn't love miniatures :)
Heading back home I was super excited to make that last trip of sight seeing to Sharavanabelagola which was on the way. The statue of Gommateshvara Bahubali at Śravaṇa Beḷgoḷa is one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in Jainism. Chandragupta is said to have died here in 298 BC after he became a Jain monk and assumed an ascetic life style. Jainism in this place is 2000+ years old. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shravanabelagola)
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| The Serai Resorts
We had a beautiful villa and a pool ready for us upon arrival. I was impressed. The staff were friendly and the service impeccable.
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Due to the erratic weather we were unable to do Kudramukh and Mullayanagiri peak. I will reserve another day another time to maybe trek these gorgeous hills. For now, all my family wanted to do was nap, laze, eat and hang around at the resort. However the next day I dragged the lazy bunch to Halebid and Belur . They have the most beautiful temple in Karnataka and are a must see. period |
Belur is a small town located on the banks of River Yagachi, in the Hassan district of Karnataka. The main attraction here is the Chennakeshava temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. In this temple Lord Vishnu is dressed as Mohini, the avatar he took to kill the demon, according to our guide. (http://www.karnataka.com/belur/about-belur/).
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| The Chennakeshava Temple built by King Vishnuvardhana of the Hoysala Dynasty in a Dravidian Style. |
We were awestruck by the beauty of the temple and the sheer number of the intricate carvings and idols that adorned the entire stretch of the temple. It apparently took three generations of the Hoysala dynasty to complete it.
These elephants adorn the entire stretch of the temple. Not a single elephant looks the same. There are about 644 elephants around the temple. It also has lotus symbolizing beauty, Tiger symbolizing bravery and Elephants for strength around the walls of the temple.
The temple inside was even more amazing. The entire structure was made out of soap stone and carved intricately. The daily poojas were taking place and so cameras were prohibited.
The pillars on below show the intricate carvings done . The first pillar had ball bearings and could until a few centuries ago rotate.
The second pillar depicts the carvings similar to the bangles worn on queen Shantala Devi.
Our next drive was 16kms to Halebid from Belur...bad roads but interesting views. The entire stretch had ginger growing....and it was an interesting site to see it harvested, washed and cleaned.
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| The Hoysaleshwara Temple at Halebid |
By the time we headed back to our resort we were exhausted, not because of the sight seeing but by the bad roads and our kids constant whining. The next day we cancelled all sight seeing and roamed around the resort..checked out the coffee plantation and did the boring resort activities.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE : DECOR
I love art and decor in any form.Where ever I go I look for art, decor, handicrafts, little nick nacks and souvenirs to take back home to remind me of the place I have been and to take with me back a part of these awesome places. While Chikmagalur has nothing more than coffee ... I just couldn't help falling in love with this gorgeous newsprint upholstery while I was having a drink at the resorts blue lounge and Bar...and while, No, I couldnt buy it or bring it home with me, I made a mental note to check out for this fabric in stores back in Bangalore.
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| The Blue Lounge, The Serai Resorts, Chickmangalur |
Last but not the least :
Food has to be an intergral part of any travel. No travel is complete without visiting a few well reviewed or famous restaurants of that place. The kadur club (need to be a member of some affiliated club ) is a no fancy club we visited for some decent home cooked kinda food. The chicken cutlets and mutton curry was good...nothing to rave about. On our way out of Chickmaglur we were asked not to miss eating breakfast in the famous Town Canteen...an old hole in the wall place famous for its butter masala dosa. I liked it...not out of the world but still worth the visit. Their idlis were good too. I was however intrigued by their sign below...! So if you are in a hurry...please think twice to go here.
I had also read that the statue was one of the 7 wonders of India. I was however not ready to climb the 600 steps or so leading to the temple.
The Gommateshvara statue is 58-feet tall and is located on Vindyagiri Hill. It is considered to be the world's largest monolithic stone statue. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shravanabelagola)
Upon reaching the small town, we got a view of the temple on the hill and what a fantastic view it was. Breath-taking. The town itself had a serene and relaxing feel to it. I loved it. I wish I could have climbed the steps to see the temple...but with my bad back it would have been a disaster. Again, maybe another day , another time....! I will for now add it to my bucket list :)
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| The Gommateshvara Statue |
And in the true spirit of Ganesh Chathurthi...I was also lucky to catch a glimpse of Lord Ganesha getting ready to be dissolved in a lake.
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| Sharavanabelagola |
