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Of infinite grace

R Balaji

The Bangalore-Hassan National Highway is in good shape. Thankfully, as it carries a lot of traffic, especially tourists visiting Sravanabelagola, Belur and Halebid -- all temple towns with unique architecture.

A slow four to five hour bus ride out of Bangalore stand some of the best examples of sculptures that a tourist can feast his eyes on. The one day tour to Sravanabelagola, Belur and Halebid has to be arranged through the Karnataka tourism office in Bang alore a day or two in advance.

The bus ride starts at about 7.30 in the morning and two hours later takes the tourists to Eddiyuru, on the Bangalore - Hassan route, for breakfast. The Karnataka tourism hotel is pretty good compared to the normal fare that awaits the tourist on some o f the private package tours. The breakfast for two costs around Rs. 60 and there are facilities for the kids to play.

Then the bus ambles on to reach Sravanabelagola (the-monk-of-the-white-pond). Situated about 170 km from Bangalore a small detour on the Bangalore - Hassan route, it is even today a major centre of pilgrimage for Jains. Dominating the landscape stand tw o hillocks, Indragiri and Chandragiri. The former more popular because of the 17 metre tall statue of Gomateshwara.

A stiff climb up 612 uneven steps cut into the rock takes the weary to the feet of Gomateshwara. The less fit can avail the facility of a `doli', a cane chair tied between two poles, that, in the words of the tour guide, `four strongmen' will carry you in for Rs. 130.

The temple is believed to be 1,000 years old and is dwarfed by the idol. More than 50 feet tall, the monolith carved by Aristanemi stands head and shoulders over the walls surrounding the temple. Tourists get a glimpse of the grandeur even 10 km away as the bus winds through the rural roads to the town at the foot of the hill.

He stands serene, dominating the small town dotted with several Jain temples -- ``some big, some small but all old,'' according to the tour guide.

Also known as Bahubali, the giant statue of the Jain muni could well have been completed just the day before. The details in their simplicity arrest the attention. Oblivious to the vines and creepers twining up his legs, he stands imparting peace and in spiring awe to the worshippers and the tourists alike.

Then back down the steps to the bus, and 220 km from Bangalore, on the main road to Hassan, stand Belur and Halebid. These have successively, at various times, been the capital of the Hoysalas. Belur is a small dusty little town. It's on the tourist map of the world because of the two temples, one dedicated to Vishnu and the other to Shiva 16 km away at Halebid.

If the simplicity of the monolith leaves the tourists tongue-tied, the intricate frieze of the Chennakesava Perumal temple and the Shiva temple, still incomplete, take the breath away. The walls, every inch of them, are covered with carvings depicting s cenes from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana -- the 18-day war, pranks that the Pandavas and Kauravas played on each other, beautiful damsels washing their tresses, huntresses returning after a successful kill -- all done with microscopic attention to det ail.

Commemorating the victory of Vishnuvardhana, a Hoysala king, over the Cholas, the temple to Lord Vishnu was completed by 1116 by Vishnuvardhana. It is believed to have taken 103 years to build. The fascinating eye for detail will enthral those intereste d in temple architecture as well as the shutterbugs, who will not notice the time fly. The hour or two allotted for both the temples will seem inadequate...

After a day of contrasts -- the simplicity and asceticism but grandeur of one culture and the architectural extravagance unique to another -- tourists are rushed back at breakneck speed, compared to the leisurely trip in the morning, back to base.

Fact file

The one day trip has to be arranged through the Karnataka tourism office in Bangalore a day or two ahead. It costs Rs. 320 per head.

Pic.: The serene monolith of Bahubali is awe-inspiring.