Travel - A pilgrimage... Concluding Part 4 (Vittal-Hassan-Shravan Belagola-Halebid-Belur-Bangalore-Mumbai)
It's time to start the scariest part of the journey. From Vital one had to pass through Shravan Belgola, Belur and Halebid to reach Hasan. There were two ways to do this. One through Charmadi Ghat and the other through Shiradi Ghat and the two Ghat roads were notoriously challenging for off-road riders so it was a matter of choosing between the devil and the deep sea. After getting a lot of tips and tricks on car and various travel forums, I decided to take the route via Shiradi Ghat. We left for Vital at 2.30 pm after attending an important service at the temple followed by a delicious prasadam lunch. The road to Shiradi Ghat was good though it was two lane. I had to crawl along the Shiradi Ghat and then the road was good again towards Hasan. It took four hours to travel 151 km and check in at Sri Krishna Hotel at 7:00 PM. This hotel is clean and affordable. The next morning we decided to visit Shravan Belgola before visiting Belur and Halebid so that we don't have to climb stairs in the scorching sun. We left from Idli Vada at 08:15 after breakfast at the house restaurant, took the Mangalore Bangalore highway and turned right from Chanaraipatna to reach Shravan Belagola at 09:00, a distance of 50 km.
Good signs everywhere. It is R20 to park in the designated car park and the police ensure that everyone parks in the right place, thank you. Everything is very organized there. As it has religious significance, you must climb it barefoot. At the base there is a booth with attendants where you can leave your shoes in front of a sign and sit safely for a small fee. If you want to protect your feet, there are people who sell socks. Next to it are clean toilets and places to wash feet before and after climbing. 
It took about 30 minutes to climb the 600+ steps to the top. For a small fee you can use the services of porters who will take you to the top. 
At the top we were out of breath from the climb and there was a panoramic view behind the huge monolith towering over us. 
Shravan Belagola is an important Jain pilgrimage site. By the way, Bel means white and Kola means tin. 
The mentioned white dam is probably the beautiful dam below the hill. A colossal statue of Gomteswar (17 meters high) is located on the top of Indragiri hill. 
It was engraved by Aristanemi in AD. Carved from a single stone in 981 and placed in AD. 983 by Chamundara, a general and minister of the Ganges king Rachamalla. 
Considered one of the largest monoliths in the world, it symbolizes renunciation, self-control and surrender to the ego as the first steps to salvation. The Digambara form of Baahubali represents complete victory over worldly desires. The idol came to be known as Gomteswar, which means "beautiful youth" in the local language. 
The perfect size of the idol does not allow the devotee to bathe the Gomteswara idol every day, so only the feet are washed. But every 10-15 years when there is an auspicious combination of stars and planets, the entire idol is bathed in milk, honey and herbs and called Mahamastakabhisheka. 
Chamundaraya Basadi with Manastambha on the holy hill of Chandragiri. The photo was taken from Indragiri Hill where the idol of Gomteswara stands. After taking all darshan and blessings we got down within 15 minutes and returned to Hasan to go to Halebid. Reach Haleb, 50 miles in 90 minutes, 12:30 p.m. Halebid was the capital of the Hoysalas until it was destroyed after the invasion of the Delhi Sultanate in the early 14th century. 
Hoysaleshwar Temple survived the looting but somehow remained incomplete after 87 years of uninterrupted construction. 
The temple is dedicated to Shiva and has two huge Nandi bulls at the entrance. 
The intricate architecture and exquisite craftsmanship of antiquity is almost divine. 
The temple has carvings inside, outside and on the roof. 
Many stories are depicted on plaques around the temple and explained by local guides to interest their customers. After spending an hour there and talking to some researchers who reproduced the art and architecture, we drove to Belur which is just 23 km away. The road connecting Belur to Halebid is single lane and it took 30 minutes to cross the road. Parking in Belur and Halebid is 30 rupees each. As both are close to the temple, shoes are not allowed and socks are recommended if you arrive in the afternoon as the rock gets very hot in the afternoon. Jain Faith to Vaisnava Faith by Rishi Ramanuja. The king changed his name to Vishnuvardhana and built the temple with great determination and devotion. He built the Belur temple in 1117 AD to commemorate his victory over the Cholas at the Battle of Taluk. 
She was a famous dancer and one of the walls of the temple carved her dancing position in a very graceful and elegant style. 
The most famous temple of Belur is the Chenakeshav (Sudarshan Keshav), a monumental structure that took 103 years to build, probably because of the intricate details and countless friezes and sculptures that adorn the walls of the temple. 
It is about 30 meters high and has a magnificent entrance tower (gopuram) built in the Dravidian style. 
The main sanctuary, surrounded by a group of subsidiary aediculi, stands in the center of a rectangular paved courtyard with a row of cells preceded by a portico along the perimeter. The main temple has a pillared area (Navaranga). The Great Hall is supported by forty-six pillars, each of a different design. 
It seems that the Narasimha pillar can be turned at will, but not now. :) 
The Hoysala kingdom, which flourished in these parts of ancient India between the 11th and 14th centuries, is widely regarded as the 'crown of Indian architecture'. After enjoying the wonderful historical industrial atmosphere for an hour, we had to come back to the present. We sated our hunger at the Mayura restaurant outside the complex. Simple, airy and clean. He left Belur at 3:30 PM and reached Malleswaram in Bangalore at a distance of 220 km at 7:00 PM. We enjoyed staying with my in-laws for a few days and driving around and then unfortunately had to end the holiday. I visited the HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) Museum in Bangalore. Somehow it gave the impression that it was more of a botanical garden than an aviation museum. They proudly displayed their horticultural trophies and of course the flowers were beautiful. 
Unfortunately, the planes were dusty and forgotten. 
The drive back to Mumbai was smooth but pleasant with a stopover in Belgaum. 
Back to grinding.
Good signs everywhere. It is R20 to park in the designated car park and the police ensure that everyone parks in the right place, thank you. Everything is very organized there. As it has religious significance, you must climb it barefoot. At the base there is a booth with attendants where you can leave your shoes in front of a sign and sit safely for a small fee. If you want to protect your feet, there are people who sell socks. Next to it are clean toilets and places to wash feet before and after climbing. 
It took about 30 minutes to climb the 600+ steps to the top. For a small fee you can use the services of porters who will take you to the top. 
At the top we were out of breath from the climb and there was a panoramic view behind the huge monolith towering over us. 
Shravan Belagola is an important Jain pilgrimage site. By the way, Bel means white and Kola means tin. 
The mentioned white dam is probably the beautiful dam below the hill. A colossal statue of Gomteswar (17 meters high) is located on the top of Indragiri hill. 
It was engraved by Aristanemi in AD. Carved from a single stone in 981 and placed in AD. 983 by Chamundara, a general and minister of the Ganges king Rachamalla. 
Considered one of the largest monoliths in the world, it symbolizes renunciation, self-control and surrender to the ego as the first steps to salvation. The Digambara form of Baahubali represents complete victory over worldly desires. The idol came to be known as Gomteswar, which means "beautiful youth" in the local language. 
The perfect size of the idol does not allow the devotee to bathe the Gomteswara idol every day, so only the feet are washed. But every 10-15 years when there is an auspicious combination of stars and planets, the entire idol is bathed in milk, honey and herbs and called Mahamastakabhisheka. 
The monolith is in a courtyard surrounded by a colonnade displaying more images of Tirthankar.
Chamundaraya Basadi with Manastambha on the holy hill of Chandragiri. The photo was taken from Indragiri Hill where the idol of Gomteswara stands. After taking all darshan and blessings we got down within 15 minutes and returned to Hasan to go to Halebid. Reach Haleb, 50 miles in 90 minutes, 12:30 p.m. Halebid was the capital of the Hoysalas until it was destroyed after the invasion of the Delhi Sultanate in the early 14th century. 
Hoysaleshwar Temple survived the looting but somehow remained incomplete after 87 years of uninterrupted construction. 
The temple is dedicated to Shiva and has two huge Nandi bulls at the entrance. 
The intricate architecture and exquisite craftsmanship of antiquity is almost divine. 
The temple has carvings inside, outside and on the roof. 
Many stories are depicted on plaques around the temple and explained by local guides to interest their customers. After spending an hour there and talking to some researchers who reproduced the art and architecture, we drove to Belur which is just 23 km away. The road connecting Belur to Halebid is single lane and it took 30 minutes to cross the road. Parking in Belur and Halebid is 30 rupees each. As both are close to the temple, shoes are not allowed and socks are recommended if you arrive in the afternoon as the rock gets very hot in the afternoon. Jain Faith to Vaisnava Faith by Rishi Ramanuja. The king changed his name to Vishnuvardhana and built the temple with great determination and devotion. He built the Belur temple in 1117 AD to commemorate his victory over the Cholas at the Battle of Taluk. 
She was a famous dancer and one of the walls of the temple carved her dancing position in a very graceful and elegant style. 
The most famous temple of Belur is the Chenakeshav (Sudarshan Keshav), a monumental structure that took 103 years to build, probably because of the intricate details and countless friezes and sculptures that adorn the walls of the temple. 
It is about 30 meters high and has a magnificent entrance tower (gopuram) built in the Dravidian style. 
The main sanctuary, surrounded by a group of subsidiary aediculi, stands in the center of a rectangular paved courtyard with a row of cells preceded by a portico along the perimeter. The main temple has a pillared area (Navaranga). The Great Hall is supported by forty-six pillars, each of a different design. 
It seems that the Narasimha pillar can be turned at will, but not now. :) 
The Hoysala kingdom, which flourished in these parts of ancient India between the 11th and 14th centuries, is widely regarded as the 'crown of Indian architecture'. After enjoying the wonderful historical industrial atmosphere for an hour, we had to come back to the present. We sated our hunger at the Mayura restaurant outside the complex. Simple, airy and clean. He left Belur at 3:30 PM and reached Malleswaram in Bangalore at a distance of 220 km at 7:00 PM. We enjoyed staying with my in-laws for a few days and driving around and then unfortunately had to end the holiday. I visited the HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) Museum in Bangalore. Somehow it gave the impression that it was more of a botanical garden than an aviation museum. They proudly displayed their horticultural trophies and of course the flowers were beautiful. 
Unfortunately, the planes were dusty and forgotten. 
The drive back to Mumbai was smooth but pleasant with a stopover in Belgaum. 
Back to grinding.
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