Posts tagged ‘hoysala’

July 12, 2022

Twin Towers of Somnathpur Temple

This is from two years back, but still remember the day vividly. After a year of closure due to covid, we thought things were opening up (after the first wave, not realizing how the next 2 yrs were going to be) and decided to head out. The short trip to Chennakesava Temple, Somnathpur – turned out to be great. Luckily there were not many people around.

I had plans to shoot the temple tower during sunset. But the security guard had other plans. He started chasing us out by 5PM, though the documented closing time was only by sunset :( On that day, the forecasted sunset was around 6:30 PM. With no clouds in the sky, the light was still pretty harsh. Just when I was moving towards the exit, a shot captured by one of my friends, flashed in my mind. I knew I had to get the same. Dodging the security guy, ran to the extreme corner of the temple, literally dropped myself to the floor and comp-stomped this shot. I feel the black and white processing adds to the texture and composition. How do you like it :)

Thanks Ashok bro for this shot !

I want to be known for what I am, black and white, because I’m proud of both. – Logic

Sony A7III : Sony 16-35 mm : ISO 100: 16 mm : f4.0 : 1/8 sec

Keshava Temple
Somanathapura, Karnataka, India

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April 30, 2014

Jewel of the Karnataka–Belur & Halebid

Located around 140 miles from Bangalore, the temples of Belur and Halebid are one of the finest examples of Hoysala architecture. These were built by king Vishnuvardhana in commemoration of his victory over the Cholas at Talakad. Legend has it that it took 103 years to complete and Vishnuvardhana’s grandson Veera Ballala II completed the task. Belur is famous for its cluster of temples, the most beautiful being the Chennakeshava Temple. This shot in particular is that of the The Ranganayaki temple, a minor shrine in the Chennakeshava temple complex. I love the afternoon thunderstorms, they bring in such colors and clarity to the architecture. It also helped keep people out of the shot :)

Learnt that this temple along with Hoysaleswara temple in Halebidu and the Jaina monuments at Shravanabelagola are being proposed as UNESCO world heritage sites. But with such a rich history and ornate work, its a surprise that it is not already on the list of world heritage monuments !

  Ranganayaki Shrine, Chennakeshava Temple
Belur, Karnataka, India
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