Belur

D1

Belur ( Kannada: ಬೇಲೂರು Bēlūru [be ː lu ː ru] ) is a town in the Indian state of Karnataka with around 20,000 inhabitants ( 2001 census). Belur is located in Hassan district, around 220 kilometers west of Bangalore and 35 kilometers north- west of the district capital, Hassan, at an altitude of around 975 meters in the Deccan Plateau in the south Karnataka. The city is the capital of taluks (sub - district ) Belur.

Belur was from the 12th to the 14th century to the heartland of the Hoysala Empire, whose capital Dorasamudra, today Halebid, just 15 kilometers east lies. At the Hoysala time recalls in Belur the beginning of 1116 started Chennakesava - stamp that the Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana was built to Hinduism after his conversion from Jainism. Along with the temples of Halebid and Somnathpur of Chennakesava Temple is one of the most important examples of Hoysala architecture, which is primarily distinguished by their extremely delicate reliefs. The main shrine is dedicated to Lord Vishnu in his form as Chennakesava, is at the center of a 132 × 108 -meter temple complex, which includes the further secondary shrines and a 1397 erbauter during the time Vijayanagar gopuram ( gate-tower ). In contrast to the temples in neighboring Halebid the Chennakesava temple of Belur is still actively used.

Main shrine of the temple Chennakesava

Relief at Chennakesava Temple ( Shiva kills the elephant demon Gajasura )