Garudasthamba of The Belur Channa Kesava Temple.
One of the most brilliant pieces of architecture from the Hoysala Ages. Garudas were the elite body guards of the emperors. When the kings died, the garudas committed suicide. The Pillar is erected as a memorial. The interesting fact about this pillar is that it is balanced only on 3 points. You can pass your hanky underneath and pull it out from the other side. Notice the people bending and looking through the gap underneath the pillar.
The elite body guards are named after Garuda - The Vehicle of Lord Vishnu
Belur used to be the early capital of the glorious Hoysala Empire. The temple is regarded as one of the most magnificent pieces of Hoysala Architecture. It is estimated that it took over a 100 years to build this temple complex.It was finally completed in 1116 AD. The temple walls contain intricate sculptures of wars, great epics and the sagas of glorious kings. There are over a thousand miniature sculptures of elephants that adorn the outer (lower) walls. The interesting fact is that each of these elephants is unique in its design and posture.
How to get there?
* By Air: Bangalore airport is the nearest to Belur (222 kms)
* By Train: Hassan is just 40 kms from Belur. Banavara and Arasikere are also near Belur.
* By Road: Regular buses ply from Bangalore (222 kms), Halebid (16 kms), Hassan (40 kms),
Hospet (330 kms), Mangalore (124 kms), Mysore (149 kms) to Belur.
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Looking at base of the garuda Sthamba. This pillar is balanced only on three points.
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