|
The Architect's pride and Joy
 May 1: - Summer. Holidays. Trips out of town. These are the key words that always crop up when that magic day comes round. This year, while debating where to go, how to go and when to go, many ideas were thought of and discarded. Delhi, nah, too hot. Singapore - no way, when there are so many lovely places in our motherland, why go elsewhere? Ooty or Kodai - how many times? The argument continued.
Western Ghats - YES! By car? YAHOO! Ten days? - PERFECT! So the destination, or rather destinations, were chalked out and, like Colombuses of the road, we armed ourselves with a road map, guide and travel book.
 To reach the statue, one has to climb about 700 steps carved on a steep granite slope, which starts from near the village tank. The colossus captures the tranquillity typical of much Buddhist and Jain art. The depth of Bahubali's meditation and withdrawal from the world is suggested by the spiralling creepers shown growing round his arms and legs and by the anthills and snakes at his feet. Every twelve years, there is a Mastakabisheka - a holy ritual bathing. The next is due some time 2006 - 2008. From there, on to
Hassan, take off point for Belur and Halebid and the incredible temples there. After a catnap, all of us were
rarin' to go.
 The dates: May 1 and the ten days thence.
The route: Chennai - Bangalore; Bangalore via Sravanabelagola to Hassan (to see Belur and
Halebid) ; Hassan to Mangalore (connecting point for Subramanya, Dharmasthala and
Udipi). Mangalore to Mercara (Madikeri) in Coorg for a brief rest before return. A perfect plan, but what plan is perfect when executed?
|
National Highway (NH4) from Chennai to Bangalore is well laid, with lots of sights along the way, from the Rajiv Gandhi Memorial at
Sriperambudur, the Kancheepuram gopurams (from a great, great distance) and the huge Hyundai factory with a private road for themselves and megasized vans along the sides.
The
Hoysalas, rulers of a large kingdom between the rivers Krishna and Cauveri with their capital at Belur -- and later Halebid --, were great patrons of art and culture. The rock available was steatite, a material that has the quality of being soft when quarried and hardening on exposure to air. This enabled the artisans to work great detail into the structures, which have a style that is unique and unparalleled. The sharpness of Narasimha's nails at Belur as he tears Hiranyakasapu apart and the droplets from the hair of a bathing maiden can still be made out.
 Bangalore was a big relief after travelling almost six hours. After a good night's rest, we were all ready, bright and early the next day. The day's destination was
Hassan, with a stop at Shravanabelagola to see the massive, 1000-year-old statue there of
Gomateshwara, as the saintly prince Bahubali, son of the first
Tirthankara, was known after he gained enlightenment, according to Jain legend.
The Chennakeswara temple, the oldest, took almost a century to complete. The temple, dedicated to Krishna, has a line of 650 elephants around the base, with rows of figures and foliage above. The 38 female figures, from the famed lady with a mirror to the dancing lady, evoke great wonder. One could spend many, many hours soaking up the culture, the stories of a glorious bygone era.
 But we had to leave for
Halebid. At least that is what we planned. For like the best-laid plans, things were taken out of our hands. Heavy rain for almost an hour, and approaching night forced us back to
Hassan. But half a cup is better than an empty one and throughout our onward journey to Mangalore, memories of the beauty of Belur kept coming to mind.
|
