06/03/2021
Garuda deva facing the main shrine of Sri Chennakeshava Temple and the Entrance Gopura of the Sri Chennakeshava Temple.
🚩About Temple
🚩Chennakesava Temple, Belur, Hassan district, Karnataka, India.
The Chennakeshava Temple, also known as Vijayanarayana Temple of Belur, is a 12th-century temple, Hassan district, Karnataka state,India.
🚩Temple was commissioned by King Vishnuvardhana in 1117 CE, on the banks of the Yagachi River in Belur also called Velapura, an early Hoysala Empire capital.
🚩The temple was built over three generations and took 103 years to finish. It was repeatedly damaged and plundered during wars, repeatedly rebuilt and repaired over its history.
🚩The Hoysala period of South Indian history began about 1000 CE and continued through 1346 CE. In this period, they built around 1,500 temples in 958 centres.
🚩Belur is called Beluhur, Velur or Velapura in old inscriptions and medieval era texts. It was the early capital of the Hoysala kings.
🚩The city was so esteemed by the Hoysalas that it is referred to as "earthly Vaikuntha" (Vishnu's abode) and "dakshina Varanasi" (southern holy city of Hindus) in later inscriptions.
🚩The Hoysala Empire and its capital was invaded, plundered and destroyed in the early 14th century by Malik Kafur, a commander of the Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji.
🚩Belur and Halebidu became the target of plunder and destruction in 1326 CE by another Delhi Sultanate army.
🚩The territory was taken over by the Vijayanagara Empire. The Hoysala style, states James C. Harle, came to an end in the mid 14th century, when King Ballala II was killed in a war with the Muslim army led by Malik Kafur.