This is eleventh in the series on the rich cultural heritage of ancient temples in India. Today we move to South India for exploring the sculptural marvels at two ancient temples at Belur and Halebid. On the walls of the temple the stories from Hindu epics have been carved with great detail with attention to every minute aspect.
At Belur, there is a 12th century Chennakesava Temple beautifully carved out of soapstone as various sculptures on its walls.
At Halebid there is a 12th century Hoysaleswara Temple beautifully carved out of soapstone.
Once upon a time in the forests there lived a king of elephants named Gajendra. One day he went to the lake with his herd to cool off in its fresh waters. Suddenly a crocodile living in the lake attacked Gajendra and caught him by the leg. Gajendra tried in vain to escape from the crocodile's clutches. When there was no hope he prays Lord Vishnu to save him, holding a lotus up in the air as an offering. This act of rescue has been carved very intricately covering all details.
There are many more sculptures all around on the walls of the temple. Some of them are shown here above. In the rightmost image one can see a man in the Western getup - dress, hairstyle.
Prev 10 Next 12
At Belur, there is a 12th century Chennakesava Temple beautifully carved out of soapstone as various sculptures on its walls.
At Halebid there is a 12th century Hoysaleswara Temple beautifully carved out of soapstone. Once upon a time in the forests there lived a king of elephants named Gajendra. One day he went to the lake with his herd to cool off in its fresh waters. Suddenly a crocodile living in the lake attacked Gajendra and caught him by the leg. Gajendra tried in vain to escape from the crocodile's clutches. When there was no hope he prays Lord Vishnu to save him, holding a lotus up in the air as an offering. This act of rescue has been carved very intricately covering all details.
There are many more sculptures all around on the walls of the temple. Some of them are shown here above. In the rightmost image one can see a man in the Western getup - dress, hairstyle.
Prev 10 Next 12
49 comments:
Nice to read your post and Thanks a lot for beautiful photographs.
Beautiful!!
Kim,USA
I visited this place a couple of years back and loved it.Very nice pics..:-)
really that is a poetry :)
Indeed, poetry in stone.....and the verses are awesome....
Beautiful place to go...
Belur and Halebid has some extraordinary architecture. Nice post.
http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in
I don't know of anywhere else in the world that has the wealth of scultured temples that you find in India. Thank-you for sharing.
Amazing carving, Rajesh! Your photos are beautiful!
Thanks much for the story and interpretation. Reminds me of a video I saw a couple of days ago where an elephant drinking in a stream was attacked by a croc. The elephant shook the thing off and stomped on it and then sauntered up out of the river! Pretty cool!
Impressive sculptures!
Such intricate, amazing sculptures, Rajesh!! Superb captures and a wonderful look at your world!!
That looks incredibly detailed, and so old. Nice photos!
Excelentes fotografias de valioso património....
Cumprimentos
wow! absolutely breathtaking creative in stone ~ Excellent photos ~ (A Creative Harbor) USA
So lovely and intricate!
Grand work in these.
Those are really so very intricate, and i cant imagine the patience of those ancestor artists. I've seen similar sculptures with Hindu past at Angkor Wat, Cambodia and Prambanan, Indonesia
Yes, wonderful poetry in stone, I love. Greetings.
Such intricate tales and sculptural details.
Stunning carvings!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
As always, beautiful pictures!
Remarkable sculptures of wall! There’s a great piece of depict on the Gajendra... Quite poetic post :)
As I have repeatedly said, the carvings and architecture are truly amazing.
awesome poetry indeed!
great HISTORY behind these!
ROG, ABC Wednesday team
the details took my breath away!
H is for...
Wonderful shots of the beautiful art in stone. Carver, ABC Wed. Team
Thanks for your magnificent series of photos of these beautiful sculptures. I wish I could see them with my own eyes.
Have a great day tomorrow.
Wil, ABC team.
Hi ! It has been a long absence, but things have been a bit hard: father 95, mother almost 91 doing radiotherapy, wife broke right elbow and I’m consuming some much needed holidays to take care of all this...
Fabulous!!
As far as Blogtrotter Two is concerned, it seems nobody is interested in St. Kitts, so maybe I should try something else. Anyhow, enjoy and have a great week or better a vacation, if still available!!!
incredible.
Magnificent!
Wouldn't you just love to be able to go back in time to that period in your history. These carvings/sculptures are stunning. I just cannot one country having so much historical and ancient beauty. genie
These carvings are definitely poetic in beauty. The detail is amazing.
What a very interesting story about Gajendra.
And the sculptures are always breathtaking.
It's hard to even imagine how people could carve so intricately on stone. Each panel tells a story.
Soapstone - I learned something new today.
The sculptures are just amazing !
Gattina
ABC TEAM
Interesting & Nice Post
Poerty in stone is a very apt title. Can never tire of Belur & Halebidu
Impressive carvings. Beautiful photos.
Historical! Visiting from ABC Wednesday!
Such a grand pillars.
Rose, ABC Wednesday Team
Stunning. A wonderful way to tell the Hindu stories.
Thank you all for appreciating the beautiful craftsmanship.
do they still train these kinds of artisans?
Beautiful Narrations through Sculptures..
Marvelous indeed! The skill and the intricate carvings never fail to amaze.
Incomparable artistry
Post a Comment