[Soumyajit9]

Prologue:

We had barely returned from a trip to Tirupati, and the sad part was that my family did not approve me driving my own car, or even a Zoomcar for the trip. So we had hired an Innova and made the trip.
My hands were itching to hold the steering wheel on a long drive. I was finding and reading every other Travelogue here.

One fine day, wife said that there was some ceremony at her colleague's house in Hasaan and they (the team) would travel in a group.
I felt a silver lining here. I said let your friends travel in group. We will make it a long drive and visit famous tourists spots nearby.

We logged onto Google and found out famous tourist spots - Belur, Halebidu, Shravanbelagola and Shettihalli church ruins.

Sounded perfect and we started looking for hotels, road directions, eateries, climate, etc etc.

The Drive:

Finally we 3 (Me, Wife, 1.5yr Kid) embarked upon the journey on 29th Nov at about 7 AM from our South-Bangalore residence.
Roads were straight to Hassan. No confusion, no detours. We were super exicted.

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.

[Soumyajit9]

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.

[Soumyajit9]

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

[Soumyajit9]

The trip was eventful. Was a very good breather for the Beat, considering that it suffocates daily in Bangalore office traffic.

Vehicle Statistics:

Distance Travelled: 578 kms
Fuel Efficiency: ~17km/l (with 80% AC Usage).
Average Speed: 100km/hr
Top Speed: As much as you can control.

Tolls enroute Hassan:

NICE Road - BG Road - Tumkur Road exit: Rs. 120
NBTPL: Rs. 20
NH48, Neelamangala: Rs. 41
NH48, Belur Cross: Rs. 41
L&T Devihalli Hassan Tollway Plaza - TP01: Rs. 35
L&T Devihalli Hassan Tollway Plaza - TP02: Rs. 20

Hotels / Dhabas Enroute:

- Swathi Delicacy
- Kamath Upachar
- Cafe Coffee Day
- Other road side dhabas.

Parking / Entrance Fees:

- Belur :: No Entry Fee
- Halebidu :: Rs.5 Entry fee.
- No Parking charges anywhere.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to Travelogues. Thanks for sharing!

[fusionbang]

Nice photologue Soumyajit 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

[pc73]

Fantastic travelogue. Nice photos too. Thanks!

One minor correction:

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

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

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).

[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by fusionbang

Nice photologue Soumyajit 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

Thanks fusionbang !! Glad you liked them.
We have such many places in mind that we (me and wifey) want to cover and see. Hopefully we'll get to visit them soon.

Originally Posted by pc73

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).

Thanks a lot man for correcting the information !!
There is so much to know about the history, I got confused.
Now I remember that what you just said is correct. Apologies.

Originally Posted by GTO

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to Travelogues. Thanks for sharing!

Hey GTO,
Could you kindly update my post with this correct information ?

[FINTAIL]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

The trip was eventful..

Originally Posted by pc73

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).

Yes, indeed you're quite correct.

It has to be noted, that Sala, later became the very first Hoysala. The Hoysala Empire, thus formed was a very powerful Kannadiga Empire that ruled most parts of modern day KA, in the 10th, to the 14th centuries.

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.

As an aside, Belur was the capital of the Hoysala Empire.

[Mafia]

Originally Posted by FINTAIL

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.

.

Great travelogue!

Reminds me of the time when I had done a similar run.

And tiger it is! Not sure we ever had lions down South all those centuries ago.

[paragsachania]

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.

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

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.

Looking at the minuscule freight traffic on this road, it will remain in good shape for years to come although it is only 2-3 years old.

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

They seemed to have read this post of yours and are working day & night and relaying at many sections as I drove today .

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.

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?

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

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.

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

. Now this is surprising and good news too that referring Team-Bhp you got good discount.

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.

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.

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 !!

That is how this road has remained since years. Mostly a 1st, 2nd, 3rd gear type road.

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

Quite a few nasty medians on this road at almost every curve that has surprised many first timers and taken lives as well!

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.

That's the first thing I suggest. Hire an ASI Guide. it always helps you know a lot of hidden facts about an otherwise majestic looking 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.

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.

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

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!

[Traveller Nayak]

Lovely pictures. No matter how many times I look at the southern Indian architecture re; figurines/ deities - I am always spell bound by the sheer intricacies. As they say: work of art. But then I would also add - faith. Thanks for sharing.

[girimajiananth]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

Prologue:
Let me begin with some pictures of the brilliant Bangalore - Mangalore Highway (NH48).

Nice Pictures . With your kind permission , may I post some of the pictures here that I clicked when I had been to Belur-Halebidu ?

[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

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.

Glad that you could relieve your childhood days

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

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.
. 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.

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 !!

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.

Ohh didn't know that. Or may be I missed hearing that part. My wife and me were taking turns to manage the kid and listen to the guide.

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!

Whoa ! This pic must have been a pleasant surprise for you !!

Originally Posted by girimajiananth

Nice Pictures . With your kind permission , may I post some of the pictures here that I clicked when I had been to Belur-Halebidu ?

Definitely my friend. Historical beauties must be shared ! Please share your trip pictures.

[drabhayshah76]

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