Today's Belur is a small town in Hassan District in Karnataka. It was the earlier capital of a powerful Empire of Hoysala Kings, who once controlled major regions in South India.

The Channakeshava temple is one of the finest built using soft soapstone during Hoysala period. Belur is on the banks of river Yegachi. This place is one of the famous tourist destinations in Karnataka. Belur was also called as Velapuri during Hoysala period.

Vishnuvardhana Hoysala - 11th Century AD

Among Hoysala Kings, Vishnuvardhana was the most well known and was the one who got rid of the Chalukya control. The temple was constructed during 1116 AD to mark the victory of King Vishnuvardhana of Talakad against the Cholas.

But some say he built the temple after he renounced Jainism and adopted Hinduism as his religion. Whatever is the truth, thousands of visitors from all parts of the globe come to see the magnificent temple architectures.

Fine arts students never miss to see this marvelous piece of work. Many come here and stay for weeks together to undertake a detail study. The innumerable variety of ornaments, the doorways, the ceilings, the birds, the animals, dancers reflect the artistic taste of the times.

Mughals invade Deccan -14th Century AD

Queen Shantala Devi got the Channigaraya Temple built similar in form to the main temple, though it is less elaborate.  When Ganga Salar of the Tugalak dynasty invaded the Deccan, he laid siege to the Belur Temple and destroyed its gateway. Subsequently, the Vijayanagar Emperor took much pain and did all that was required for the temple.

Addition of other monuments 

In 1397 A.D, Gunda, a General under Harihara II constructed the seven-storied gopuram in the place of Mahadwara (main entrance). Later, three important buildings i.e. the Soumyanayaki Temple, the large Mantap on the West and the Andal Shrine were added behind the main temple. It is believed that materials from several ruined Hoysala buildings were freely used. 

Restoration of Belur temples under the Vijayanagar Kingdom 

The Tuluva Emperors of Vijayanagar had the Navaranga of Channigaraya Temple renovated because this deity was their family god. The Nayaka chiefs of Belur continued the repair work. In 1879, the dilapidated Vimana gopuram (spherical tower) had to be removed to save the main temple from collapsing.

Disclaimer: Go Dakshin or its authors do not claim responsibility for the accuracy of this article. The content has been derived from various references. Some text has been republished here (with permission) from open source websites. Please consult historians and libraries to verify and know more. 

See history come alive in the architecture of the Chennakesava temple in Belur or Go back to Belur Travel Guide