Cycling to Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple, Koravangala and Sri. Keshava Temple, Honnavara near Hassan

BlueLeopard August 05, 2023

 

Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple, Koravangala


Before Start of Bicycle Ride (Cycle in KSRTC bus)

Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple, Koravangala
Want to make some change for every trip, experiment for this trip was not to book the bus ticket in advance but just go to Govardhan theatre bus stop and take any KSRTC bus going towards Hassan.

Reached Govardhan bus stop at 6:30 AM and first bus to show up was at 6:50 Rajahamsa to Udupi. Conductor said, cycle doesn't fit in the trunk of the bus though I said, it will fit as I have been plying for couple of weeks now. They didnt allow me to board. 

Second bus showed up but was full. Third bus KSRTC Airavat to Mangalore came around 7:25 AM and the conductor was happy to load the cycle in the luggage space. Didn't have to remove the front wheel as there is ample space for cycle in luggage compartment of Airavat. Paid Rs. 80 for ferrying the cycle and requested to drop me few kms before Hassan at Shantigrama. 

On the Way 
Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple, Koravangala  is
about 14 kms from Shanthigrama and
Honnavara is about 10 kms from Koravangala

Road from Shantigrama is really awesome with no traffic and a huge lake to pass by. There are many lakes on the way and best places to take pics.

On return, took the Arasikere Hassan road  and reached Hassan around 3:30 pm. Two reasons to reach Hassan

1. Driver/Conductor while reaching Shantigrama told me, its better to reach Hassan for boarding rather than waving for KSRTC bus at Shantigrama to board. Some bus drivers might stop but don't take chance.
2. Wanted to ride on a alternate route for different experience. 

Hassan Arasikere road is concrete road, all the way till Hassan. Though there was traffic but ride was good.

At the First Destination Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple, Koravangala 

Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple, Koravangala 

Temple gate was open and the temple door was also open. Wanted to find out the keeper to learn more about the temple.

Someone nearby gave the name of the temple guard and guided me to his home in the village. Reached his home and called him to come and explain about the temple. He said, will come soon.

Returned to the temple and started taking some pictures. A lady showed up and said she is the wife of the guard and would be glad to open the two shrine doors in the temple. She also mentioned that her husband does the upkeeping of the temple but he is sick and on medication.

She was kind enough to show inside of the temple and I appreciated her and her husbands dedication in maintenance of  the lawn and cleanliness in the premises. Her husband would sleep in the temple overnight to ensure no theft in the temple. Humble villagers doing their best to upkeep the historical temples in Karnataka. Hats off..

  • Dvikoota Temple. With two shrines facing each other and one gopura. Temple has Jagathi (Platform)
  • There is another small temple within the complex behind the main temple complex. Temple has Kala Bhairava (Shiva) idol.
  • Main gopura on the sanctum sanctorum of Sri. Bhuceshvara (Shiva Linga) has mesmerizing carvings and the Hoysala icon of Sala fighting the Lion.
  • In the close vicinity (300 mts) of the temple, there are 2 more temples and both are mostly ruined. 
  • Interesting to see 'pair' of dwara palakas on either side at the entrance of the temple.
  • Look for the pristine Kalasa on the temple gopura.

Deities and brief history

Temple was constructed in 1173 AD during the rule of Veera Ballala II. 

Temple was built by Buchiraja, he was a wealthy officer during the time.

Main deity of the temple is Sri. Bhucheshwara in the form of Shiva Linga. Opposite to the main deity is small Nandi. 

Priest lives in Hassan so regular pooja happens in the temple but main event is held during Shiva rathri.










Sri. Surya Narayana
Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple,
Koravangala

Opposite to Shiva Linga, is the the other shrine of Surya Narayana. Tall idol is beautiful and strongly recommend to carry head lamp or torch to see the beauty of the idol.

Wikipedia Link for more details.













Other Temples in Koravangala 

 Sri. Govindeshwara temple, Koravangala
About 300 mts from the Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple, there are twin temples. Both the temples are not maintained well and are in very bad shape.

First temple is Sri. Govindeshwara temple. This was supposed to be built by elder brother of Buchi Raja by name Govinda Raja.  

This temple was supposed to be built 15-20 years before construction of Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple.  Was built during the reign of king Narasimha I.



Sri. Nageshwara Temple, Koravangala
Second temple is Sri. Nageshwara Temple. This was also supposed to built by BhuchRaja's brother by name Nakimayya.

Could see some marking on the stones by ASI - Archeology Department. But needs immediate attention with at minimum fencing of the temple premises and cleaning the temple.

Enter the temple carefully, its full of cow webs and no light inside.


At the Second Destination Sri. Keshava Temple, Honnavara

Sri. Keshava Temple, Honnavara
Always I knew about the coastal town of Honnavara but not the Honnavara near Hassan. When you google, most likely you will get Coastal town results. If you are planning to visit this place, click for correct location. Sri. Keshava Temple, Honnavara

Honnavara is about 10 kms from Koravangala and roads are terrain are incredible. 
Reached Honnavara and the temple is kind of outside of village with nothing around. Temple has no compound and right on the road side. Temple was locked . Waited for few mins to find some villager's who pass by to get details of the priest.

Got the house details of the priest and went to their home, its about 500 mts form the temple in the village. Priest's family told, he has gone to fields. Requested them to give the temple keys for a quick look inside. His family called priest on his mobile and once he agreed, handed over the temple key a\to me. Here is what I liked about the trust of the people who trust a cyclist and hand over the key of the previous temple. Blown away!


Deities and brief history

Sri. Keshava idol 6 ft tall.
Sri. Keshava Temple,
 Honnavara
Based on the board near the temple, the temple was built in 1149 AD by KoNeya Shankara DhandaNatha.

Six feet idol of Sri. Keshava in the sanctum sanctorum is delight to see. 

  • Eka Koota Temple. With Single shrine and one gopura. Temple has Jagathi (Platform)
  • Main deity Sri. Keshava standing in SamaBhanga is on the pedestal. Pedestal has Garuda.
  • Main gopura on the sanctum sanctorum of Sri. Keshava has mesmerizing carvings.
  • Ouside walls of the temple has beutiful carvings of Keshava, Narayana, Madhava, Vishnu, Trivikrama, Vamana, Sridhara, Hrishika, Padmanabha, Damodara, Sankarshna, Vasudeva, Aniruddha, Purushottama, Narasimha, Janardana, Varaha, Manmatha, Venugopala, Govardhanadhari and other Hindu Deities. 

Sri. Keshava Temple, surroundings are not well maintained. Though its in main road, there were Parthenium all around. Its very hard to do Pradakshina (go around) of the temple due to shrubs all around. 

Ride Details:
Date: 5th Aug 2023 (Saturday)
Weather: Cloudy weather, max  25 °C
Start Time: 10:30 AM
End Time:  3:30 PM
Ride Time: 3H 05M

4 out of 5

Overall Rating for Sri. Keshava Temple, Honnavara
3 out of 5

  • 5: Excellent - Plan your ride ASAP
  • 4: Must Try - Add to your bucket list 
  • 3: Average - If you are close by then visit
  • 2: Not Worth it - Look for another destination 
  • 1: Don't take a chance - You will regret

Pictures and Video from Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple, Koravangala 





Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple, Koravangala 


At the entrance, twin guards
Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple, Koravangala 

Twin guards at the entrance
Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple, Koravangala 

Lord Narasimha
Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple, Koravangala 

Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple, Koravangala 


Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple, Koravangala 


Bhuvaneshwari
Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple, Koravangala 

Lord Ganesh with unusual Trunk
Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple, Koravangala 

Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple, Koravangala 


Lashmi Narayana, 

Sri Venugopala 
Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple, Koravangala

Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple, Koravangala

Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple, Koravangala

Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple, Koravangala

Lake behind Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple, Koravangala

Some carved idols in the Koravangala Lake
Sri. Bhucheshvara Temple, Koravangala

 Sri. Nageshwara Temples, Koravangala 


 Sri. Govindeshwara, Koravangala 




Bhuvaneshwari, 

Pictures and Video from  Sri. Govindeshwara and Nageshwara Temples, Koravangala 


Sri. Govindeshwara and Nageshwara Temples, Koravangala 


Sri. Govindeshwara and Nageshwara Temples, Koravangala 


Inscription about the temple
Sri. Govindeshwara and Nageshwara Temples, Koravangala 

Sri. Govindeshwara and Nageshwara Temples, Koravangala 





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BlueLeopard

Posted by: BlueLeopard

I have spent major part of my life trekking in Western Ghats of Karnataka, India. About 8 years back started long distance running and this year (2023) started cycling. With over 10 treks to Himalayan mountains at Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Nepal and having run 4 Full Marathons and 1 Ultramarathon, I want to share my stories.

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