Veera Narayana Temple, Belavadi

temple · Chikkamagaluru

Photos: Santhoshbapu, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Rohit14400, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · VasuVR, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

One of the largest Hoysala temples, and the one most visitors have never heard of, in a village said to be the Ekachakranagara of the Mahabharata. Built around 1200 under Veera Ballala II: three shrines face a long pillared hall 103 feet across, so the plan is unusual and the effect is of a temple far bigger than its footprint. The carving is restrained by Hoysala standards and the stone is in remarkably good condition. Halebidu is 11 km on, so the two pair well for a day of temples.