Route:

NICE Road > Neelamangala > NH 48 > Hassan



Let me begin with some pictures of the brilliant Bangalore - Mangalore Highway (NH48).
The roads were super smooth with almost nil undulations.
It is maintained by L&T and must say that I was very impressed with the fact that the tolls that I paid were put to good maintenance.
NICE Road is a shame to drive on. Horrible road condition with roobery in the name of toll.

NH 48 - Bangalore Mangalore Highway.







We reached Hassan in 4.5hrs with a 30 mins break for food for all 3 of us.
I tried to cover maximum distance when the kid was sleeping. Hence did not stop at the famous Swathi Delicacy or Kamath Upachar.
Instead, when the kid woke up, I found a CCD nearby and stopped there.
Continued to Hassan after a 30 mins break.

Our earlier Google results for hotels had yielded a very nice hotel named "Mallige Residency".
I drove directly to the hotel and checked out the rooms. We got a very agressive pricing upon the mention of Team-BHP.
Luckily the owner was present and asked me if I knew any specifc members. I named a few including Parag who is from Belur. We were very happy and checked in.
The only sad part remained was that the attached restaurant was a vegetarian one. Never mind.

After a hearty veg lunch, we took a short nap and headed out to see the Shettihalli church ruins.

ROSARY CHURCH RUINS, SHETTIHALLI

Read More about Rosary Church, Shettihalli HERE and HERE

We started from Hassan at 4PM and the 26 Kms ride to this place was in excruciating pain.
There was absolutely no tar on the road. It was full of potholes. Best called as moon surface !!
Buses were running on this route in full speed. There were many blind turnings and at one such turning, a speeding on a blind turn KSRTC bus almost mowed us down !!

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.
Once on the bridge we witnessed a beautiful sunset and spent sometime clicking pictures and enjoying the fresh breeze.

Here are some pictures from Shettihalli.











We return back to our hotel with serious bodyache. Retire for the night.

Woke up early the next morning. Itinerary follows:
- Have breakfast and leave for Belur at 9 AM.
- Leave Belur to Halebidu at 12 Noon
- Leave Halebidu to Bangalore by 3 PM.

You may ask, what happened to Shravanbelagola ? We ditched the plan.
Google said that there are about 600+ steps that one has to climb.
With a 1.5yr super naughty kid we didn't feel the urge to see it.
We parked the plan to visit Sharavanbelagola sometime later with friends and no kids.

BELUR - CHENNAKESAVA TEMPLE:

You can read more about Belur, HERE.

The road from Hassan to Belur is a winding, beautifully tarred double lane road (with no dividers).
While leaving Hassan, once can spot a small bunch of Windmills. Beautiful scenery all the way till Belur.



We hired a guide for Rs.250/- to explain us the history of the temple and the detailing of the carvings / engravings on the temple.

The temple compound. On the left you can see a long pole.
This is a lamp post. The architecture is such that one of the side of the base of the pole isn't touching the ground. One can pass a paper beneath it !
The pole is just kept there. It is not affixed to the ground.









That is a double storyed house with balcony.
One thing to note. From the base:
- Elephants - For stability
- Lions - For power
- Horses - For agility
(Something of this sort, the guide told us)



The temple has 9 corners like this. It is like a 9 cornered star.





Garuda - Carrier of Lord Vishnu (this is a Vishnu temple).



The is the center ceiling of the temple. I was managing the kid, so didn't listen to what the guide was saying.



Engravings. Each one of these dancers has a different pose.
In this one, the dancer is combing her hair.





This pillar was rotation-enabled during its times.



People watching the center roof carvings



The Hoysala symbol.
Hoy means Boy
Sala means Kill.
The boy killed the lion. So the name Hoysala.



Some more carving and ancient age architecture.

Some final snaps before we exit Belur.





Finally we bid adieu to Belur.




HALEBIDU - HOYSALESWARA and KEDARESWARA TEMPLES


Then we drive to Halebidu. 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.

You can read more about Halebidu HERE.

The temple compound. There are two temples.



Beautiful engravings on the temples.











































Within the temple compound, we noticed a replica statue of Gommateshvara Bahubali, that is seen at Shravanbelagola. Since our plan to visit that was ditched, we got a glimpse of what we would miss.

And how can a trip end without a photoshoot of the ride.
The sun was setting. The hues in the sky, just perfect. The location deserted. Perfect for a photoshoot.

The Hottest Hatch in town @ Shettihalli clap:

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9 (Post 3600128) The Hoysala symbol. Hoy means Boy Sala means Kill. The boy killed the lion. So the name Hoysala.

Originally Posted by fusionbang (Post 3601618) Nice photologue Soumyajit:thumbs up Good to know you had a very calm and peaceful trip on a weekend to couple of best places in Karnataka with your family. Wish you many more visits to well known places in South India and treat us with more beautiful photologues:)

Originally Posted by pc73 (Post 3601697) Fantastic travelogue. Nice photos too. Thanks! One minor correction: Hoy is hit/strike/kill (old kannada) Sala is the name of the young person who killed a lion that attacked his guru. Hoysala means "strike Sala!" (according to folklore the guru wailed so to cheer Sala who was fighting the Lion).

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 3601388) Thread moved from the Assembly Line to Travelogues. Thanks for sharing!

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9 (Post 3600128) The trip was eventful..

Originally Posted by pc73 (Post 3601697) Hoy is hit/strike/kill (old kannada) Sala is the name of the young person who killed a lion that attacked his guru. Hoysala means "strike Sala!" (according to folklore the guru wailed so to cheer Sala who was fighting the Lion).

Originally Posted by FINTAIL (Post 3602115) This incident was so popularized, that later on it was depicted on the Hoysala Crest- Sala knocking the tiger out. Ironically, I've always read that Sala knocked a tiger, and not a lion. So, due to multiple discrepancies, this incident will remain a part of folklore, and not solid, verifiable fact. .

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9 (Post 3597955) It is maintained by L&T and must say that I was very impressed with the fact that the tolls that I paid were put to good maintenance.

NICE Road is a shame to drive on. Horrible road condition with roobery in the name of toll.

Hence did not stop at the famous Swathi Delicacy or Kamath Upachar.Instead, when the kid woke up, I found a CCD nearby and stopped there.

Our earlier Google results for hotels had yielded a very nice hotel named "Mallige Residency".

I drove directly to the hotel and checked out the rooms. We got a very agressive pricing upon the mention of Team-BHP.

Luckily the owner was present and asked me if I knew any specifc members. I named a few including Parag who is from Belur. We were very happy and checked in.

We started from Hassan at 4PM and the 26 Kms ride to this place was in excruciating pain. There was absolutely no tar on the road. It was full of potholes. Best called as moon surface !! Buses were running on this route in full speed. There were many blind turnings and at one such turning, a speeding on a blind turn KSRTC bus almost mowed us down !!

The road from Hassan to Belur is a winding, beautifully tarred double lane road (with no dividers).

We hired a guide for Rs.250/- to explain us the history of the temple and the detailing of the carvings / engravings on the temple.

The temple compound. On the left you can see a long pole. This is a lamp post. The architecture is such that one of the side of the base of the pole isn't touching the ground. One can pass a paper beneath it ! The pole is just kept there. It is not affixed to the ground.

Engravings. Each one of these dancers has a different pose. In this one, the dancer is combing her hair.

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9 (Post 3597955) Prologue: Let me begin with some pictures of the brilliant Bangalore - Mangalore Highway (NH48).

Originally Posted by paragsachania (Post 3604179) Lovely photologue there Soumyajit. Most of the snaps showing Hoysala Temples made my day. It always takes me back to my childhood for a reason.

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?

Like we exchanged over PMs, I missed your queries regarding this trip. Hassan otherwise have few more budget options too but Mallige was not a bad choice at all. :Shockked:. Now this is surprising and good news too that referring Team-Bhp you got good discount. Not sure if that may have worked in your favor. I seldom visited Mallige in Hassan. Gurudev, Suvarna Gate, Kadamba Comforts and I may have tried my best if I had learnt about your trip earlier.

Pay more attention and you will realize that the base which has 4 sides becomes 6, 8, 12 all the way to 32 at the Top. Scientific reason behind it. Each of the Shilabaalikes have bangles carved out of stone that move over the length of their hands, ear rings that shake on a pivot through that pierces ear. Such is the intricacy.

Thanks for this pic - Encircled is my home where I spent 22 years since birth till I moved to Bangalore. Of course, I still visit the place almost every alternate weekend!

Originally Posted by girimajiananth (Post 3604447) Nice Pictures . With your kind permission , may I post some of the pictures here that I clicked when I had been to Belur-Halebidu ?