After visiting those 4 beautiful temples around Sagara, our next stop was Shivamogga and the beautiful 2 lane highway between Sagara & Shivamogga was a pleasure to drive on.
Temples Visited
1. Sri Ramesvara Temple
Location: Kudli
Google Maps Link: https://goo.gl/maps/nhakN8AdfGQ2
Distance: 18 kms from Shivamogga
Kudli or Koodli means confluence and its at this point that the Tunga & Bhadra tributaries meet to from Tungabhadra river. The Ramesvara temple is quiet small and not the best example of hoysala art but the river bank + setting sun more than made up for it.
Walk down to the river bank and you will see a lot of sculptures on the bank. The water level was low and we spent some time walking around in the water and watching the sunset color everything in golden hues.
2. Sri Amruteshvara Temple
Location: Amrutapura
Google Maps Link: https://goo.gl/maps/nhakN8AdfGQ2
Distance: 48 kms from Shivamogga, 6 Kms from Tarikere
One look at the temple and we were captured by its beauty ,it was a brilliant example of hoysala craftsmanship. Its one of the relatively well known Hoysala temples due to its proximity to the Shivamogaa – Bangalore route.
Supposedly built under the rule of Veera Ballala II, who was one of the later hoysala kings, this temple from the inside is very similar to the Veera Narayana temple, Belavadi.
If you observe, the main hall roof is supported by granite pillars from the outside, which makes me wonder if the main hall was moved at some point in time. Another missing detail that supports this theory is the base of the main hall. Most hoysala temples have a 5 or 6 layer base, which can be seen in the main temple but the hall seems to be missing this.
Even in the below pic, the hall in front is missing the bottom layers of the base where as the exit in the rear clearly follows the 5 layered base.
Intricately carved inside out, this temple is one of the best examples of Hoysala art and we did spend a long time in the midday heat enjoying the beautiful art work and relief on the walls & ceilings of the temple.
Carved around the walls of the hall are snippets from Ramayana, Mahabharata & Bhagavatam.
The towers on top of the vimana of the temple are brilliant carved with Kirthimukhas (demon faces) which are angled at 90 degrees.
“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta
And that is how we closed out 2016 and hope that 2017 brings with it more trips across the Indian subcontinent.
Route taken & Road conditions
Shivamogga – Kudli: Roads are broken, patchy and quiet narrow. I got stuck behind a line of school buses and had to patiently overtake them as the traffic on the road was high.
Shivamogga – Tarikere: Good 2 lane with moderate traffic
Tarikere – Amruthapur: Don’t take this route, you will see a board which will say Amruthapura 6 km and take you onto this route but please dont take this road – its a mess with a lot of potholes and broken roads. Take this route, which has proper tarmac and is easy to drive.
Amrutapura – Kadur – Arsikere: Usual 2 lane with lots of traffic. Really did not enjoy driving on this stretch.
Arsikere – CR Patna: Smooth 2 lane roads with minimal traffic.
Do read Tour de Hoysala Part 1 & Part 2 and drop us a note with your feedback or share the post if you liked what you read!
Man, Machine & Wanderlust 