A marvel carved in soapstone

As ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram moonwalking telescoped us into the future, I was reminded of my recent trip to Hassan, Karnataka, where one of its master control facilities is based. I took a detour to the small tourist town of Belur, which has an outsized reputation of its own. One is a monumental feat, while the other is a monument that is a treasure of our land and deserves to shine.

Imagine a place where wonder, beauty, human ingenuity, awe, and ancient secrets blend together in an irresistible concoction. The result is a transcendence that defies words. The memory of the journey may fade, but the memory-defying experience, a sensory rollercoaster of sights and feelings, will stay with you for a lifetime.

The 900-year-old Chennakeshava Swamy temple complex in Belur, Karnataka, is one such experience. It is a beauty carved in stone, a delight for the senses, and a living proof of the awe-inspiring times of our ancestors. They lived a blissful life, surcharged with a confluence between knowledge of science and spirituality, before the plunderers brought in their chapter of dark history of destruction and barbarism.

To understand ancient India, you must understand its temples and the engineering prowess that went into them. Temples were the most revered symbols of a king’s power and might and their divine pursuits. The Chennakeshava Swamy temple complex in Belur was built in the 12th century by three successive generations of the Hoysala kings, and it took 103 years to be completed. The monument symbolizes victory over the Chola kingdom. The temple is a masterpiece of engineering, science and artistry, and it is a testament to the heights that the Hoysalas achieved. The precision of the details and the high standards that were set back then, the modern generations might find them as insurmountable – an architectural enigma that continues to challenge time itself.

Imagine a temple sculpted from soapstone, a delicate material that allows for intricate carvings and hardens over time. The sculptures exhibit a range of hues, from pale yellow and light black to delicate blues. The craftsmanship is nothing short of electrifying. Whether you are a painter, fashion designer, fine artist, scientist, or architect, the Chennakeshava temple complex is a mandatory destination for you. It is a seamless fusion of multidisciplinary talents, science, and heightened aesthetics.

The temple is star-shaped and reportedly has a staggering 10,000 statues, large and small, carved and assembled using an interlocking method that I had never heard of before. Each statue is distinct from the other. The level of intricacy and complexity of its design, carved on a single piece of rock, displays the boundless talents of the ancient artisans, much like the boundless expanse of the universe itself.

Step right up to the temple’s grand entrance, the Gopura arch. It flaunts two majestic cow horns on both sides. Once you reach the main monument, you will see enchanting sculptures of madanikas, a total of 42 of them. Each one is intricately carved with such finesse that it will leave your eyes misty and your mouth gasping for words. One of them is Darpana Sundari, a showstopper. Picture this: a lady holding a mirror in her left hand, adorned from head to toe in dazzling jewelry, carved with such lifelike expressions that it’s as if she’s just caught her breath. She is the emblem and crown jewel of Karnataka tourism drawing millions of visitors every year. And speaking of emblems, flanking the steps are the Hoysala kings’ royal insignias: a lion, powerful, fierce, and dripping with regal vibes.

As you sidestep and glance up the monument, you will see a cascade of creativity. The base of the monument is a tiered masterpiece, with a running strip or band form made of 644 elephants. No two elephants are alike; each carving is unique. Shift your gaze to the next band, where you will see a cavalry of horsemen in an array of gallant poses. Slide up a notch, and you will suddenly be in a miniature world of madanikas, boasting 620 different hairstyles that will make your hair curl with envy. Dancers, musicians, and all sorts of characters join the party. We’re not done yet. Tilt your head up, and let your eyes feast on scenes from the Mahabharata and Ramayana, chiseled into the stone like an epic tale frozen in time. With nothing more than a chisel, a hammer, stone, and heaps of boundless imagination, this monument has stories hewn from rock, and imagination dances through every carved corner.

As I wiped my forehead, sweat beads cascading down my face, the scene before me left me in awe. It was one of those moments when curiosity nudged the mind. What if, in the midst of sculpting this masterpiece, an artist’s hand faltered, leading to an inadvertent blunder or blemish? The answer, it seemed, was ruthless: discard. There was no patience for the mediocre here; excellence reigned supreme. Envisioning the commitment these artisans had could send shivers down one’s spine. The sheer mental and physical weight of their endeavor would seem daunting for a tourist who is struggling to manage his selfie stick. The jarring blue information and signage boards protrude like a sore thumb, contrasting against the intricate magnificence of the monument, a stark reminder that even in this realm of aesthetics, bureaucracy’s fingerprints cannot be concealed.

My mind was dizzy, so I took a few sips of water and walked past a filigree work. The delicate lace-like artistry looked so effortless that it felt like I was in a staring contest. All the fellow tourists’ retinas had a hard time keeping their eyeballs steady. Apparently, Kafur Malik and Tughlak squinted at these creations and, unable to bear the affront to their senses, moved to flattening, raising, and disfiguring the monument. They were like medieval school bullies vandalizing your textbooks or slapping gum on your uniform.

Imagine the plight, like kids in a candy store with too many candies, the tourists would try to click one photo, then ten, then a gazillion of the statues’ photographs. Earrings, bangles, necklaces, dresses, waist belts, anklets—the entire monument appears like a blingy runway of a fashion parade, with even the tiniest of details getting a spotlight. Not only that, but in the carvings, no living creature—animal, plant, fruit, flower, you name it—was left uninvited or depicted.

It is time to step into the temple’s inner realm, where the spotlight shifts to the breathtaking dwara pallakas guarding the sanctum sanctorum. These ornate masterpieces radiate such an ethereal presence that even the most adamant atheist would find their gaze glued to them

Even after 900 years, the stone pillars shine, gleam, and glow. No ancient secrets are spilled here as to how they achieved this engineering feat. Again, no pillars are alike. Each has a unique shape: bells, flowers, umbrellas, stars, diamonds. The dark interiors of the temple transform into a living canvas of light, as beams dance and rays run wild, painting the interiors with their own brand of magic.

There is a center stage and a domed ceiling about 10 feet in diameter and 6 feet depth on the top. And at four corners are the four iconic madanikas on each side striking a pose. If you look up there are 48 stone carvings and pieces defying gravity and doing the balancing act to hold everything in place since the last 900 years.

While exiting the monument, you will see a pillar that is approximately 36 feet high and weighs 16,000 kg. It is a showstopper that defies the laws of physics. The pillar is not firmly rooted to the base, nor is it supported from above or sideways. It stands on three sides touching the ground, while the fourth side remains untouched. There is a gap through which you can pass a piece of paper or cloth. This head-scratching display of material science and gravity-defying equilibrium is a testament to the knowledge of science and spirituality.

Belur temple monuments have been on the UNESCO World Heritage tentative list since 2014. If it were granted this well-deserved recognition, it would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the revered monuments of Pattadakal, Aihole, and Badami — stories to be told for some other time. Who knows, maybe one day, the world will witness the Belur temple’s grandeur as it rightfully takes its place among the stars of heritage. #DekhoApnaDesh.

The writer is a media and communications consultant based in New Delhi and a travel writer.