Karnataka, India

Ancient Rays, Belur - Karnataka

Focal length: 24mm
Shutter speed: 1/50
ISO: 125
Aperture: f/9.0

After we headed back to Chennai from our grandparents place, we had about two weeks to finish shopping and visiting places. It was a sudden plan but we decided to visit Banglore in Karnataka- India. This was all decided because I really wanted to take pictures of these famous temples in Karnataka: Hoysaleshwara Temple in Halebidu and Chennakesava Temple in Belur. These temples are famous because of the amazing sculptural details throughout the temples walls. It is also unique because these temples are laid out in a star shape, which maximizes the space for more art and architecture. So when we booked for a tour of these two places we were set to a package of also visiting Shravanabelagola, a famous Jain temple for Gomatheswara Statue. We had taken a tour for a day, and these were our stops. We have about few hours at each place and with all the coverage, i just ended up snapping some of the shot without looking for perspective.

Shravanabelagola was all about simplicity as there is no distraction from what is being presented. It sits a top of hill overlooking a beautiful little village. The stairs up to the shrine/temple is all carved out of the hill. Its definitely quite a trek up as the stairs are uneven from the carving. The statue itself, depicting Gomatheswara, stands 57feet tall and is monolithic. Next we headed to Halebidu and had lunch before entering the temple. This definitely caught my eye as it is a grandeur of beauty. Hoysala architecture is famous for its star shaped temples as it provides more surface area for art and architecture. Halebidu temple, a.k.a Hoysaleshwara Temple, is used for many Bollywood movie backdrop as well as for Dance arangetrams. The beauty of its details makes it a wonderful backdrop to Dance to. I remember not being able to listen to the tour guides story and just photographing all the details and practically getting yelled at for being slow tourist :P. Afterwards, we headed to Belur our last stop just before Dinner and Sunset. It was a good place to end as I found it to be the most peaceful. This temple, a.k.a. Chennakesava Temple, had vast area with different periods of structures. The main temple itself was from the Hoysala Empire in Hassan District. There were lesser details than the Halebidu temple, but still enough details to give stories. Such architectures make me wonder how they were able to do all these back in those days with very few technology. I guess this is what makes it an Ancient Wonder. So all these places were covered in one day, from 7 am to 10 pm. So here are the pics:

The Feet of Wisdom, Shravanabelagola - Karnataka
Focal length: 58mm
Shutter speed: 1/160
ISO: 100
Aperture: f/7.1

A Rocks Touch, Shravanabelagola - Karnataka
Focal length: 105mm
Shutter speed: 1/200
ISO: 100
Aperture: f/5.6

Gomatheswara Standing Tall, Shravanabelagola - Karnataka
Focal length: 40mm
Shutter speed: 1/200
ISO: 100
Aperture: f/10.0

On Guard, Halebidu - Karnataka
Focal length: 70mm
Shutter speed: 1/60
ISO: 100
Aperture: f/4.0

The Beautifully Skirted, Halebidu - Karnataka
Focal length: 24mm
Shutter speed: 1/160
ISO: 500
Aperture: f/9.0

G.O.D. (Generator, Operator, Destroyer), Halebidu - Karnataka
Focal length: 58mm
Shutter speed: 1/100
ISO: 100
Aperture: f/5.6

Scrolls of Beauty, Halebidu - Karnataka
Focal length: 105mm
Shutter speed: 1/40
ISO: 100
Aperture: f/4.0

Dancing Queens, Belur - Karnataka
Focal length: 24mm
Shutter speed: 1/50
ISO: 100
Aperture: f/4.5

Free standing Pillar, Belur - Karnataka
Focal length: 24mm
Shutter speed: 1/200
ISO: 125
Aperture: f/10.0

The Color of Faith, Belur - Karnataka
Focal length: 24mm
Shutter speed: 1/50
ISO: 100
Aperture: f/5.0

The Chennakesava Temple, Belur - Karnataka
Focal length: 24mm
Shutter speed: 1/60
ISO: 100
Aperture: f/5.6

Hope you had a good vacay!