Dwarasamudra... a name rich with history.
A thousand years ago, the mighty Hoysala kings built a capital city. They ruled their subjects from this city; they walked among the sculptures of its temple complexes to worship their gods; they sat in those mantapas with carved pillars, flanked by their court, as they hosted many a dancer and musicians. And a thousand years ago, they lost it.
'Halebeedu' meaning old home is the new name for it, for once driven out, the surviving nobles and commoners alike scattered and found new homes; and Dwarasamudra with its intricately carved figures of devas, gandharvas and elephants and lions, looted and ransacked by invaders, lay abandoned.
Technically, Dwarasamudra isn't the name of the places I visited. But at a personal level, it stands an umbrella term for everything that happened during a memorable visit to three tourist attractions of Hassan, in October last year.
I clicked many photos. When I look at them, I see I have failed in capturing the memory. The photos I took don't have the liveliness of the stones of Belur and Halebeedu. Thankfully, there are some which are almost there. They bring back the memories, imagination and the lost-world feel.
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| A Mantapam atop Chandragiri Hill, Shravanabelagola |
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| Ceiling, inside a Stupa on Chandragiri Hill, Sharavanabelagola |
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| Entrance, Chennakeshava Temple, Belur |
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| Inside Chennakeshava Temple, Belur |
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| A Stupa atop Chandragiri Hill, Shravanabelagola |
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