[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by drabhayshah76

Very nice photographs Sir.
Which Canon DSLR model no. and lens sir?

Thanks buddy !!

Canon 600 D
18-55 Kit Lens
50mm EF f/1.8 II Prime

[drabhayshah76]

Hey I was thinking of going for Canon 600 D. But was confused between Nikon D5100 and Canon 600D.
Your photographs are making me bend towards Canon 600D.
Thanks alot buddy.
Regards
Dr Abhay Shah.

[girimajiananth]

I would like to share some of the photos during my visit to Belur Halebidu. The stone work is amazing and the attention to detail is simply mind blowing. It was during monsoon and the whole day it was cloudy and drizzling . I tried my best to edit the pics in lightroom , but the results may not be very pleasing since I have no idea on how to post process the photos.

[addyhemmige]

Lovely travelogue Soumyajit. Thanks for sharing the timeless beauty of Belur and Halebidu here. Although I have been to Belur & Halebidu plenty of times, it is still a delight to see it again.

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

The 26 kms took close to an hour of spine-breaking ride.
By the time we reached, it was already sunset.

The Church was submerged in water. The approach roads, either by walk or drive, were covered in rough bushes and the soil was muddy and soft.
Evaluating all these conditions, we decided to enjoy the view from distance on the bridge.

Can you tell me which route you took to reach Shettihalli? There are 2 routes to reach there.

Ever since the church was popularized (lot of Kannada movie songs have been shot here), there has been an avalanche of tourists visiting the place every year and with them comes littering. There is no one to guide or keep a watch on visitors and hence it has become a free for all over there.

It is a good thing you didn't take the dirt track all the way to the water as the thorny bushes have overgrown it. When the water level recedes in the summer, apart from the church, you can also see an old broken bridge just near the bridge you parked on. Did you also observe the Gorur dam (backwater side) from the bridge?

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

I went to the last CCD on the NH48. Beyond that, I entered the CR Patna bypass and went to Hassan.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

In fact, NH48 has got just 2 CCDs. One that comes soon after the second toll (Nelligere) on NH48 and the second one attached to an IOCL Jubilee outlet at Udyapura.

Incidentally, this is exactly where Kamat Upachar also is. I am sure you are referring to the same CCD?

I presume you went to the CCD which was on your left while going from Bangalore. This place is called Nelligere/Bellur Cross. The other CCD Parsg was mentioning is located after CR Patna at a place called Udayapura and it has a Kamat and an IOCL bunk attached.

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

I thought of PMing you to get hotels info. But then we Googled out and found Mallige to be good. My prime reason to consider was the neat floor. My 1.5 yr kid rolls a lot on the floor. Initially, the room was out of budget, but then a heavy discount on mention of Team-BHP brought the tarrif close to my budget !!

Mallige Residency is one of the better hotels in Hassan nowadays and is now the most preferred place to stay for people visiting here. It was really surprising and good to know they offered good rates upon mention of Team-bhp. I may book a room there shortly for a relative who is visiting Hassan, I will let you know if the 'discount code' works again

[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by drabhayshah76

Hey I was thinking of going for Canon 600 D. But was confused between Nikon D5100 and Canon 600D.
Your photographs are making me bend towards Canon 600D.
Thanks alot buddy.
Regards
Dr Abhay Shah.

I am still a noob in terms of distinguishing how one model body is better over another !! I believe that the trick still lies with the lens that you use, and the angle at which one takes photos, makes all the difference.
Canon 600D is serving me well. However, I still aspire to own a telephoto lens for better clarity and zoom !!

Originally Posted by girimajiananth

I would like to share some of the photos during my visit to Belur Halebidu. The stone work is amazing and the attention to detail is simply mind blowing. It was during monsoon and the whole day it was cloudy and drizzling . I tried my best to edit the pics in lightroom , but the results may not be very pleasing since I have no idea on how to post process the photos.

Very nice and detailed pictures. I use Picasa for simple edits like adjusting the colour, saturation, brightness and sharpness.
I am a total novice in Photoshop or Lightroom.

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

Can you tell me which route you took to reach Shettihalli? There are 2 routes to reach there.
Ever since the church was popularized (lot of Kannada movie songs have been shot here), there has been an avalanche of tourists visiting the place every year and with them comes littering. There is no one to guide or keep a watch on visitors and hence it has become a free for all over there.
It is a good thing you didn't take the dirt track all the way to the water as the thorny bushes have overgrown it. When the water level recedes in the summer, apart from the church, you can also see an old broken bridge just near the bridge you parked on. Did you also observe the Gorur dam (backwater side) from the bridge?

Below is the route I took.

I presume you went to the CCD which was on your left while going from Bangalore. This place is called Nelligere/Bellur Cross. The other CCD Parsg was mentioning is located after CR Patna at a place called Udayapura and it has a Kamat and an IOCL bunk attached.

Yes, probably this is the one I stopped, because after few kilometers, I entered the CR Patna bypass.

Mallige Residency is one of the better hotels in Hassan nowadays and is now the most preferred place to stay for people visiting here. It was really surprising and good to know they offered good rates upon mention of Team-bhp. I may book a room there shortly for a relative who is visiting Hassan, I will let you know if the 'discount code' works again

Heeeheee, good luck mate.

[justwheels]

Sorry for being late in spotting this thread @Soumyajit9. An amazing photologue and its very nice that history still attracts a few of us. Beautiful temples with so much to learn from the architecture and historical importance. Thanks a lot for sharing with us.

TBHP does have its share of popularity at various places I guess, after reading your instance at the Hotel.

Keep travelling and keep posting wonderful travelogues. Hopefully I will start my weekend drives from Bangalore from next year...

[Vipin Kumar]

Soumyajit,

Excellent highway. I always want to drive that Bangalore - Mangalore highway, even in those days when it was just a two-lane road. But I could not do, so far. Great photos too. Is Halebid possible in a single day trip from Bangalore? I mean, early morning to late evening drive, up and down?

Vipin.

[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by justwheels

Sorry for being late in spotting this thread @Soumyajit9. An amazing photologue and its very nice that history still attracts a few of us. Beautiful temples with so much to learn from the architecture and historical importance. Thanks a lot for sharing with us.
TBHP does have its share of popularity at various places I guess, after reading your instance at the Hotel.
Keep travelling and keep posting wonderful travelogues. Hopefully I will start my weekend drives from Bangalore from next year...

Thanks for liking the photologue !
Indeed there are abundant getaway places down south with so much of historical importance and learning.

Originally Posted by Vipin Kumar

Soumyajit,

Excellent highway. I always want to drive that Bangalore - Mangalore highway, even in those days when it was just a two-lane road. But I could not do, so far. Great photos too. Is Halebid possible in a single day trip from Bangalore? I mean, early morning to late evening drive, up and down?
Vipin.

Thanks Vipin. Glad you liked the photologue.
The NH4 is such a beautiful road to drive on. A driver's ultimate pleasure !
Halibedu and Belur is possibel in a day.
Each way takes about 3 hours. An early morning start from Bangalore ensures that you can reach these places by late breakfast time. And you can start back to Bangalore by around 4/5 pm to reach home before night falls.

[goandude]

" Halebidu can be reached from Belur via two routes.
1) 17.2 Kms - Direct.
2) 28.4 Kms - via Hagare. We took this per recommendation from NPV on another thread. Excellent roads. Easy speeds of upto 80kmph."

Excellent photologue of the two famous temples at belur and halebid.
Just asking about the direct road to Halebid from Belur, is it in bad shape?

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by goandude

Just asking about the direct road to Halebid from Belur, is it in bad shape?

Yes indeed. Thanks to the Belur Halebidu road becoming part of the newly named NH 234, this is undergoing expansion work all the way till Banawara and since more than a year now.

Even we locals never reach Halebidu directly from Belur and take the Hagare option which is only 10 km shorter. Takes only a bit of extra time than waiting at Sony world Junction at evening!!

[arun_josie]

Is this the route to Shettihalli church from hassan? Can anyone confirm please?

https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/Ba...5!2d12.8694353

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

Is this the route to Shettihalli church

Yes Arun that's the Standard Route for Shettihalli that goes Via Gorur Road which is the 2nd big intersection on Hassan bypass (As you see left, you'll spot an HPCL Fuel station on this road on the right). So you take left at this Intersection and drive on this road and turn right after around 12-15 Kms.

There is one more direct route that will take you to Shettihalli Church which will be a small intersection after this 2nd Intersection where you turn left. But for first timers, I would advise the Gorur road approach as its easier to follow on maps.