28th April 2012
This year’s Hoysala trail started
from the village of Anekere. As the names suggests, the village is situated
next to a big lake. It may be a lake for bathing the elephants during old times
but now it is an ordinary lake. A Temple from Hoysala times adorns the village
and that was the reason why we went to Anekere.
As I stopped the car on the
narrow street that leads to the Temple, we found it locked. One can jump the
wall with little difficulty but the beauty of this Temple lies inside. So we
had to find the key of the Temple. As luck would have it the priest’s family
lived just next to the Temple. Within few minutes the priest’s son Venkatesh
comes and opens the Temple.
It is a small Temple and looks
very ordinary from outside. But it is the Temple interiors that contain the
great architecture. It was dark inside and Venkatesh helped us with his torch. Venkatesh
provided a brief history of the Temple. The Hoysala King Veera Ballala II on
returning from a successful battle against Chalukyas stayed in Anekere. In
memory of it, he constructed the Temple. It was during 12th century.
 |
| Opening on the ceiling |
The main idol of Channakeshava is
intact and is worshipped daily. The carvings at the ceiling are intricate and
if differentiates it from other Temples. Also see the red color is used in the stones.
There is also a small opening that was used as a secret place for hiding.
Another highlight of the Temple
is the stone Khalasa at the top. It is said to be biggest in the state. It
would have looked nice if the tube light was not installed.
This Temple was recently
renovated with the help of Dharmasthala trust. Even though it is not under ASI,
the Temple is maintained well by the trust and villagers.
How to reach Anekere:
Anekere is 8 km from the town of Channaraya Patna. One need to take left turn (if coming from Bengaluru) that is opposite to Vijaya Bank. The road is small and is hard to find the deviation.
Labels: Hoysala, Temples, travel
