Belur Temple: 103 years of Carved Perfection

Belur, home to one of the most magnificent temples of India and a famous tourist spot – it is situated in the Hassan district almost 223 kms (139 miles) from Bangalore in Karnataka, India. The awe-inspiring Chennakesava temple along the Yagachi river was built during the Hoysala rule. Designed exquisitely, it is believed that the construction of …

Talakad : The Land of Hidden temples

Talakad, can be aptly called the land of hidden temples. There used to be around thirty temples in this area, according to the historical records. But today, one can find only a small number of these structures unearthed from the massive sand dunes. Ruled by many dynasties – the town of Talakad lies at the …

Sravanabelagola: 614 steps to the Colossal Gommateshwara Statue

Sravanabelagola is a holy place for Jains and a site of famous historical monument. It is about 143 kms (89 miles) from Bangalore in the Hassan district of Karnataka, India. Just over a two-hour drive on NH-48 from Bangalore, its great for a short visit. Surrounded by two hills with a small pond tucked perfectly …

Pattadkal : Exquisite Gems of History

‘Its a grand painting’, when seen from distance. Patttadkal has some of the finest temples of its time. And after visiting Aihole, we were looking forward to be here. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is located about 13 kms (8 miles) from Aihole in Karnataka, India. The moment you step into this place, it looks …

Aihole: Splendid Art of Craft

Aihole – this place saw the beginnings of Indian Temple Architecture. As per the historical records, it was the first capital of Chalukyas and has a cluster of 125 temples built during their reign (5th – 12th century) . It is situated almost 36 kms (21 miles) from Badami in Karnataka, India. The main temple called ‘Durga …

Badami : Enduring Landscape

“Wow”, we said together, when we first saw Badami along the Agasthya Lake- the view is out of this world. Badami is famous for its panoramic views and temples and is situated almost 500 kms (310 miles) from Bangalore in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. According to the historical records, it used to be the …

Arasikere Temple : Music Carved into Stone

After two detours and some beautiful memories, we were at the Ishvara temple in Arasikere – our final destination. Beauty of this temple is hard to put in words. I would start by saying – it is art in Stone, but wait that doesn’t define it completely; it is much much more than that. The best …

Banavar : Two temples and a Fort

“Yes, let’s see the fort.” There began our second detour of the trip, and this time we decided to visit Banavar/Banavara. It’s a small village in the Hassan district of Karnataka in India, almost equidistant from Arekere and Arasikere. Guided by the signposts, we drove through the village and found our way to the fort (kote, …

Arekere: Beautiful Stone Temple

Cruising along Highway 234 – with vast fields on both the sides and a truck in front of us – the views were similar to any other road in India. We were headed to Arasikere in Hassan district of Karnataka in India to see the famous Ishwara Temple.  Ascertaining from the pictures on the web, …

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A sliver of Motivation. A snippet of History. A slice of Adventure. And a big dollop of fun.