Standing at the base of Sravanabelagola, the largest monolithic structure in the world. This incredible Jain holy site is set atop a mountain - we climbed barefoot up 614 ancient steps hewn into the side of the rock. Remarkably, this project was completed in 981AD.
Halfway there! The views were spectacular. My camera just can't do justice to sites like these.
We made it. A series of temples and shrines have been built at the top of the mountain, but the piece de resistance is the monolithic statue (again, carved out of the mountain) of Gomateshvara, a Jain saint.
Our group received the "VIP Treatment" and was allowed to climb to the temple roof to get a better view of the towering monolith. Gomateshvara is depicted naked as some devout Jains live that way. Their tenants of non-violence are so strongly adhered to that they don't want to harm any animals, insects or organisms in the harvesting of materials to create textiles for clothing.
The doorway of the breathtaking temple in Belur (my apologies for my tour guide's unfortunate photobomb in the corner...). The Chennakesava Temple at Belur is an iconic representation of South Indian architecture, which is distinctly different from North Indian architecture. The temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, was commissioned in 1100AD and is believed to have taken 100 years to complete.
Flashback! On my last visit, I also took a picture with one of these lions, which are outside both temple entrances. They are a symbol of the king of Hoysala, the kingdom that commissioned the temple. The level of detail in every aspect of this temple is breathtaking - not a single original surface was left unadorned - even each towering each pillar inside the temple is carved with a different pattern.
No comments:
Post a Comment