Day 37, Belur [Wednesday 9th January 2008]
Previous day: Day 36, Udupi [Tuesday 8th January 2008]
Next day: Day 38, Belur, Halebid [Thursday 10th January 2008]
We get the bus to Belur, the capital of the Hoysala empire in the 1100s, and home to an impressive temple intricately carved from soapstone. It is a squat building, and geometrically shaped, square at the front and angular, like a star, at the back.
The dramatic, detailed carvings cover the outside of the temple in several strata. At the base, where the wall meets the plinth, there is a row of elephants, about a foot high. Above that is a row of tigers, and next a line of riders on their horses, followed by a series of decorative swirls. Finally, there is a row depicting individual, almost formal images of the gods of the Hindu pantheon. The spacing and presentation of these carvings is so uniform that they appear to be part of a portrait gallery. Many of the deities here are recognisable by their appearance or accoutrements, and we spot Brahma, Kali, Ganesh, Shiva, Parvati and Vishnu, although there are dozens more.
At the front of the temple the higher rows of carvings are of scenes from the Kama Sutra, dancers and musicians. Some of them are particularly raunchy.
On the plinth that the temple is built on, which extends several feet around its edges, the sun has been beating down, turning it red hot. We have removed our shoes to walk around the temple, and hop from one foot to the other trying to avoid the blistering heat.
On the gopuram - the entrance gate - which is topped with a pair of awesome 'horns', there a more explicit scenes of dancers indulging in intercourse, fellatio etc. Inside, the temple is dark and quiet, and just as intricately carved.
The town becomes very still once the daytrippers and schoolchildren have left. We drink tea and eat fried snacks, get dinner at our hotel and play Scrabble.
Next day: Day 38, Belur, Halebid [Thursday 10th January 2008]
Previous day: Day 36, Udupi [Tuesday 8th January 2008]