Friday Photo: The Temple at Belavadi
This is one of the places we visit in our upcoming Tour of the Less Known Hoysala Kingdom
Announcing: Tour of Less Known Hoysala Kingdom
The tour is now sold out. Thank you all for the overwhelming response. Stay tuned for the next dates, or do send me an email at arunchs a-t yahoo d-o-t com, if you would like to be informed of the next schedules
Regular visitors here would know of the guided tour that Lakshmi and I have been planning. It is about visiting the less known, but charming places that were built by the thousand year old Hoysala Kings. Besides the guided visits, the participants will learn about the history and know about the origin, evolution and collapse of the Kingdom. After a very successful beta trip that received great response, we are now kicking off the tour. The next departure is on the weekend of July 4th. Details of the tour below. Please email me at arunchs a-t yahoo d-o-t com or call Arun/Lakshmi at 9880006460/9902070689 to register for the tour, or for any questions. Look forward to seeing you travel with us!
Tour – The Less Known Hoysala Kingdom
From Bangalore – July 4th 2009, 6.30am
Do you long for the feel of the rain brushing against you? Do you relish being out when it rains? And would you enjoy a dose of history to go with the freshness of the monsoon?
Then come and join us for the rainy-season edition of the tour of ‘Less Known Hoysala Kingdom’. We are heading to the fringes of Malnad. See the only Hoysala Temple that has not one but four shrines. Visit the beautiful tank with small shrines all around the water, surrounded by coconut trees in a quiet village. See the remains of the ancient town of Dwarasamudra strewn with carved rocks in a large open space.
Join us on the trip to see the heritage of Hoysalas beyond the tourist map. Learn about the history, evolution and end of the dynasty as you travel.
In addition, stay in the verdant surroundings of a coffee estate. Spend a pleasant morning in the countryside before continuing on another serving of history.
Tariff
* 2 days and 1 night
* Rs.3,850 per person, all inclusive on twin sharing basis
Tariff includes all meals, transportation from Bangalore in AC vehicle, stay at a spacious and comfortable resort inside a coffee estate and guided tour at all destinations.
To register for the tour contact
Lakshmi – 9902070689
Arun – 9880006460
Email: arunchs a-t yahoo d-o-t com
Itinerary
* Pickup from MG Road on Saturday morning at 6.30am
* Stay at a resort near Belur
* Return to Bangalore by Sunday night (Drop off at home)
Places Covered
* The temple with four shrines at Doddagaddavelli
* Belur
* Halebeedu
* Ancient town of Dwarasamudra spread around Halebeedu
* Hulikere Tank
* Belavadi Temple
Testimonials from participants
* “very informative, and a wonderful experience… “
* “The places chosen to visit were too good. I have been there several times before but had seen only the main temples both at belur and Halebeed.”
* “the trip was fantastic”
* “Didnt have to bother about anything. Everything was taken care of well”
The Resort
The Charming Tank at Hulikere
Researching on the remains of the Hoysala Kingdom, I have visited some remarkable works of architecture in the last two months. Belur and Halebeedu, of course, shine when it comes to fine craftsmanship and in mastery of the the artist on the stones. Nothing I have seen comes anywhere close to the details etched into every stone in these temples. But surrounding these famed temples are many less known beautiful places that charmed me to no end. They may not match the flagship temples in artist’s accomplishment, but the atmosphere they are located in and the structural simplicity of these places brought me into a state of awe and filled me with admiration. Each of these is a place worth spending an infinite amount of time soaking in its environ and merging with the place. And of all those places I discovered, nothing moved me like the small tank at Hulikere did. I will not get into an exercise of playing with words describing it, but will leave you with a picture.
Hulikere is one of the places we are covering as part of the Tour of Less Known Hoysala Kingdom. Lakshmi and I have been working on it for sometime now, researching on locations and on the history of the Hoyslas. We did a trial run which turned out to be a runaway success; we will be going live soon, await more details.