It was the time of Christmas. I was just whiling away time at home, literally doing nothing at all. Not like I had no work to do but it was Christmas and my laundry list of pending tasks was too mundane for the holiday season. I didn’t feel like even thinking about those, let alone completing them. The most boring Christmas was happening to me. I had no clue what to do. I had no plans at all. I wished to go to some place but didn’t know where. I checked out a couple of options that came to mind, but nothing seemed feasible. There was hardly any availability and prices were skyrocketing for those that were. My family was busy, everyone had a plan of their own. I thought I’d catch up with those friends who I haven’t met in a while. None of them were available, not surprising at all.
“Welcome to the new normal.”, I said to myself. Perhaps this is how Christmas is going to happen henceforth. Either I need to get used to it or plan months in advance. Being back from a holiday at the end of October, was primarily the reason of not having any plans for Christmas. Just when I had accepted the fact and settled down with the idea of having a quiet and lonely Christmas all by myself, I happened to connect with my friend, ‘S’ who I hadn’t met or connected with in a very long time.
As we chatted, I was intrigued to know about his newfound hobby. He’s been traveling to the villages of Karnataka and documenting the local stories and legends of the lesser known or dilapidated Hoysala Temples. He talks to the villagers, gathers their stories or folklore that have been passed on to them from their ancestors. He then documents all the information he gathers in his website. He doesn’t care about the authenticity. He doesn’t care if his work will serve any purpose. His only aim is to preserve these stories before they are lost forever. A very noble idea I thought!
If curious, you’ll find his documentation here: https://abitlikeme.blogspot.com/
What are Hoysala Temples?
The Hoysala Temples were built between 11th and 14th century by the the Hoysala Dynasty, who ruled almost all of what is now Karnataka. Known for their soapstone sculptures and star-shaped plan, Hoysala temples are distinctive in their architectural style. Their artistic brilliance is stunning, an extraordinary sheer treat to the eyes.
If you haven't you MUST visit at least one Hoysala temple to appreciate their architectural finesse. The threemain temples, which are UNESCO world heritage sites are Belur Chennakesava Temple, Halebidu Hoysaleswara Temple, and Somanathapura.
He was off to another such trip towards the Hassan district of Karnataka the very next day. He invited me to join along. Obviously, I couldn’t say no! The following day we covered a couple of such temples. Some pictures and descriptions are provided below. I did not bother to note the names of the villages or the temples, quite purposefully. Just enjoyed the entire experience of watching life happening in these villages.
Village – 1
The temple here was reconstructed and parts of the temple wore a modern look as seen in the second picture below. Some temple parts also lay scattered here and there. The villagers could not give us any stories and asked us to wait for the priest who was arriving from a nearby town. The priest got delayed and we left after clicking a few pictures.
Village – 2
This one was interesting. Each time ‘S’ enquired about the temple, villagers pointed in the direction of a waterbody. We could see no temple there other than a waterbody, not sure if I should call it a lake or a marshland (4th picture). Eventually we found an elderly man, who explained that the temple no longer exists. The ruins remain underwater for most part of the year. He led us into the marshland and a few meters into it, we could see the temple ruins covered completely in bushes and shrub. The vegetation was so thick that it wasn’t possible to step inside though we could see portions of the ruin. Some remnants lay strewn around in the ground (3rd picture). The ironical part was that it had a ‘Protected Monument’ board that was standing intact. Seeing our disappointment, the elderly man was quick to explain that he preferred the water body to the temple. It gives life to his crops.
Village – 3
The original temple in this village has long vanished, only the idol remains. The villagers built a new temple for the idol. Some old structures still remain scattered around the temple. The 1st picture is the village school and the 2nd is their homes.
Village – 4
There were two Keshava idols in this village that were kept in a makeshift shed while a new temple was being built. The priest explained that main idol facing the door was found in Arabian Sea many years ago. The other one was found in Hemavati River just 2-3 years ago.
Village – 5
Here we found a bunch of enthusiastic people eager to tell the story of their village temple. They narrated the story of a Rishi who had arrived in their village and went on to explain how he instructed them to dig the ground where they discovered the idol. And soon after that the Rishi disappeared making them believe that he was God’s messenger or God himself in disguise. There were a couple of temples here both old and new. The idol in one of the temples was won in a war – the 2nd picture. The 1st picture is remnants of the old temple, the idol inside this is the 3rd picture.
Village – 6
The temple in this village was almost intact and functional. Only certain portions were renovated. It was of typical Hoysala architecture but most of it was devoid of the intricate sculptures, only a few places had the decorative carvings. The priest informed that the temple was incomplete because a war had broken out at that time and there was nobody to complete the ornate sculptures.
It was a very long day and in the end I was happy that Christmas of 2023 was not boring afterall.