Halebidu is in the middle of Belur and Hassan although through an alternate route. The Shiva temple at Halebidu is inspired by the Vishnu temple at Belur. What adds to the charm is a flowing river by the side - and seclusion.
We reached the temple area in the middle of day. Deciding to leave slippers in car proved fatal as we had to tip toe back on hot road but not without burnt soles. The temple was calm - the most remarkable structures being two giant statues of Nandi both at the door entrances.
The placement of Nandis is as per Shiva tredition. With Nandi's permission we entered the central chamber. The work is intricate but not at par with Belur. A peice worth to mention was an umbrella protecting the door keepers. The flowers constituting this shed were almost real and delicate.
The outer walls were again dedicated to recent war events except one. This one talked about different avatars of Vishnu in an elaborate manner. I loved the Narsimhavatar although Krisha playing flute with Gopis during Raas Leela was highly elaborate.
We left for Bangalore at around 2 as we had to cover 140 miles before midnight. The trip was a success with a theme - we had covered some really artful places in Shravanbelgola, Belur and Halebidu.
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