Bangalore to Hassan – A historical and Archeological paradise – Belur – Halebidu – shravanabelagola – 2 days trip

You have weekend coming up and you are looking for a long outing with friends and family! Welcome friends to  – Bangalore to Hassan – a historical and Archeological paradise – Belur – Halebidu – shravanabelagola – 2 days trip.

There are many good places around Hassan and on the way from Bangalore to Hassan. In the blog below I would like to cover the itinerary which we have done in 2 days.

If you have 3 days in hand, you can do it in a more relaxed way. But 2 days are also good enough.

So first and foremost below are quick facts:
No of days needed = 3 days for a relaxed trip and 2 days for a packed one.
Distance = approx. 600 Kms in total (for round trip)
Road condition = very good till Hassan

Hassan a district in Karnataka has lots of gems to offer. It is a paradise for history lovers. It has everything an historian, an archaeologist or someone interested in culture.

And hence it is definitely well placed on the Karnataka’s and India’s tourist map.

There is lots and lots which can be written about this amazing place, but the aim of this blog for today is to write about the popular tourist places which people tend to cover in 2 to 3 days of time.

We started around 7.00 AM in the morning. Well could have done a bit earlier but this is earliest we could start.

Shravanabelagola is on the way to Hassan but we planned to cover it while returning.

Below is the route to follow for reaching Hassan (Belur – Halebidu – shravanabelagola – 2 days trip)

1. Head towards Yeshvantpur
2. Take NH4 towards Neelamangala/Tumkur
3. After you cross Neelamanga, look out for the marking for “Mangalore”
4. You have to take left towards Mangalore. This road is also called as NH48 or “Bangalore – Mangalore” expressway.
5. You have to drive approx 150 Kms on this road when you see markings for Hassan

Bangalore to Hassan – Day 1:

So we started by 7.00 AM from Bangalore.

By 11.30 AM we reached Hassan. Being tourists spots, everything is well marked. We decided first to head towards Halebidu.

Halebidu

We had some rest in Hassan. Had some light lunch and decided to head towards Halebidu. By 1.00 we reached Halebidu.

Halebidu has two main temple premises. Hoysaleswara temple and Kedareshwara temple. Both are some distance apart.
Both the temples are dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Below is the entrance of Hoysaleswara temple premises.

Though there is a enough open ground in the front of the temple. The whole temple is built on an elevated platform and is built of soap-stone.

During summer the stones become very hot and are difficult to walk. Temple authorities put mats around the temple so that it becomes easier go around.

Kedareshwara temple is also as beatuful as previous one, but less frequented. Bothe the temples are maintained by ASI.

Both the temples are an excellent example of Hoysala architecture.

Minimum time needed to visit these 2 temple premises = approx 2 hours. (1 hour each). If you are a person with lot of interest in history and architecture you will find a day less for these magnificent temples.

Belur

We were able to finish Halebidu by 3.00 PM. We started for Belur wich is apporx 15 kms from Halebidu. Belur is famous for Sri Chennakeshava  temple. Again an excellent example of Hoysala architecture. 

The temple known for its grandeur and dedicated carvings.

Below are some snaps from Belur Visit.

These two temples took 4 to 5 hours. By 6.00 we were free and headed back to Hassan. Checked in to the hotel. Rest for few minutes and headed out to explore the surroundings. Hassan is a lively town. We had nice dinner and by 9.00 were back to our room. It was time to call off the day!

Bangalore to Hassan – Day 2:

Woke up early in the morning. We knew that its going to be hot so early morning drive is  better. Moreover we were headed towards shravanabelagola which will need us to climb some good number of steps and hence its better to be there before it becomes too hot.

Shravanabelagola is one of the most important pilgrimage centers for jains. It is famous for  Sri Gommateshvara Bahubali statue which is a 57 feet tall structure and is just magnificent.

There has been a lot written about this place on internet and various texts, but one needs to visit this place to really appreciate it’s rich culture and history.

Shravanabelagola is a holy place for Jains. It is one of the most important pilgrimage destinations of Jainism. Much of it was created under the Ganga Dynasty of Talakad. It’s also said that king Chandragupta has lived here after becoming a Jain monk and died here in 298 BC.

There are ancient monuments in and around Shravanabelagola. The finest monuments are found in two sacred hills, Vindhyagiri and the Chandragiri.

There is a tank in the midst of this town called “Belagola” In Kannada, ‘Bela’ means white and ‘kola’ means the pond. .

Vindhyagiri is the main hill. It is is solid rock hill apprx 500 feet above the ground. This hill has the statue of Lord Gomateshwara also called as Bahubali.

This again is a 57 feet high monolithic structure and is considered to be the largest monolithic structure in the world.

To visit the temple at the top of the hill, one has to climb apprx 650 setps. First 550 steps take you to the base of the temple and then a another 100 steps will take you to the top where the statue of Lord Goamteshwara is installed.

You have to leave your shoes down the hill and there is a shoe locker where you can deposit your shoes for a nominal fee.

However the steps are carved out of stones and hence are hard and become hot as the day progresses.

During summer they become very very hot and it becomes difficult to climb up. Hence it’s recommended to keep a fresh/clean pair of socks or buy one at the base of the hill. Socks are allowed.

If you have a old person along with you who does not have a possibility of climbing up, you can hire a “Doli” available at the bottom of the hill. “Doli” is nothing but a chair carried by set of four people.

They can help carrying old persons or any one who have a difficulty climbing to the top of the hill. However you have to pay to hire this service. At the time of writing, I believe the fees is Rs600/- per trip. But please verify this information.

One the top of the hill, it’s not just Lord Bahubali, but there are other temples with in the premises.

We were able to cover Vindhyagiri  by 2.00 PM. Came down,  had some lunch in the city and started back for Bangalore. We were back home by 7.00 PM.

A nice and fulfilled trip. Though a bit hectic.

There are lot many other places which can be covered around Hassan, but next time.

🙂

Looking for one day weekend getaway from Bangalore – try these – Weekend getaways from Bangalore 0 to 50 Kms

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