Veera Narayana Temple, Belavadi

The Veera Narayana Temple in Belavadi village, Chikkamagaluru district, is a three-shrined Hoysala temple begun about 1200 CE under King Veera Ballala II. Belavadi lies 11 kilometres north of Halebidu and about 29 kilometres south-east of Chikkamagaluru town, and local legend makes it Ekachakranagar of the Mahabharata, where Bhima killed the demon Bakasura. The oldest shrine faces east and is for Veeranarayana, a form of Vishnu; the shrines of Gopala and Yoga-Narasimha, facing each other across a great open hall, were done by about 1206. It is a nationally protected monument.

Belur and Halebidu are famous for sculpture, but Belavadi is known for its architecture. The soapstone complex has 59 bays, 37 in the open hall alone, and so a forest of pillars, mostly lathe-turned and bell-shaped, some polished and banded as if wearing jewels. Every shrine has its own Vesara tower with fine detail, one shrine is star-shaped, and the ceiling panels tell stories of Krishna.