Halasi
Encyclopedia
Halasi also called as Halsi or Halshi, is a town in Khanapur
Taluk, Belgaum District
in North Karnataka
, Karnataka
, India
. It is 14 km from Khanapur
and about 25 km from Kittur
. It is famous for having been the capital of a branch of Kadamba Dynasty. The town is rich in historical monuments and temples and is near Khanapur
.
Halasi is in Background of Western Ghats
in lush green atmosphere. It was the second capital of the Kadambas of Banavasi. The huge Bhuvaraha Narasimha temple has tall images of Varaha, Narasimha, Narayana and Surya. The place has a fort, and also temples of Gokarneshswara, Kapileshwara, Swarneshwara and Hatakeshwara.
Halasi has groups of monuments like Kalmeswara, Suvarneswara, Ramalingeswara and Bhuvaraha temples.
The Archeological Survey of India is looking after this ancient structure
Halasi was called Palasika in ancient times and the Bhoo Varaha Laxmi Narasimha Temple is one of the best examples of the Kadamba style of architecture. The 50 feet tall tower of the inner shrine or garbhagruha is very similar to the Madhukeswar temple in Banavasi built by them.
According to historians, it was built during the Kadamba period or 5th century AD, and inscriptions inside the temple also support this. As per the records, it was built by Shivachitta. In 1169 AD, the idol of Ananta Viravikrama Narasimha installed by Matayogi.
According to a legend associated with this shrine, Pandava
s built this temple overnight during their exile and worshiped Lord Vishnu
here.
According to the temple priest, the two feet tall idol of Narasimha, on the left side of Vishnu, is swayambhu or udbhava and not sculpted by anybody.
Inside the temple
There are two garbhagruhas facing each other. In the right one is the four feet idol of Lord Shri Vishnu in a sitting posture. The idols of Suryanarayana and Mahalaxmi are just behind the main idol.
The garbhagruha on the left side has the idol of Bhoo Varaha Swamy. In 1186-87, a 5 feet standing idol of Varaha was installed by Vijayaditya III. Lord Vishnu's Varaha avatar, where he carries Mother Earth (or Bhoodevi) in his mouth, can be seen. The beautifully carved lotus on the ceiling goes to prove that the Kadambas
patronised and developed their own art form.
Just outside the main temple are smaller temples dedicated to Ganesha, Shiva and Vitthala. One fine statue of Radha Krishna can also be seen in a smaller shrine.
Khanapur
Khanapur is a Town Council in Belgaum district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is about 26 km from Belgaum. The town is governed by the Khanapur Municipal Council. Khanapur taluka falls under Belgaum District. The town is on the Belgaum - Panaji National Highway 4A...
Taluk, Belgaum District
Belgaum district
Belgaum district is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. The city of Belgaum is the district headquarters in North Karnataka. By the 2011 Census of India, it had a population of 4778439...
in North Karnataka
North Karnataka
North Karnataka is an arid plateau from elevation in the Karnataka state of southwest India. It is drained by the Krishna River and its tributaries the Bhima, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, and Tungabhadra...
, Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is 14 km from Khanapur
Khanapur
Khanapur is a Town Council in Belgaum district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is about 26 km from Belgaum. The town is governed by the Khanapur Municipal Council. Khanapur taluka falls under Belgaum District. The town is on the Belgaum - Panaji National Highway 4A...
and about 25 km from Kittur
Kittur
Kitturu , also called Kittur is a village in Belgaum District of Karnataka state. It is part of the Bailahongal taluk in Belgaum district. It is a place of historical significance because of the resistance of Rani Chennamma of Kitturu to the British Raj.-History:On the outskirts of the town lies...
. It is famous for having been the capital of a branch of Kadamba Dynasty. The town is rich in historical monuments and temples and is near Khanapur
Khanapur
Khanapur is a Town Council in Belgaum district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is about 26 km from Belgaum. The town is governed by the Khanapur Municipal Council. Khanapur taluka falls under Belgaum District. The town is on the Belgaum - Panaji National Highway 4A...
.
Halasi is in Background of Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
in lush green atmosphere. It was the second capital of the Kadambas of Banavasi. The huge Bhuvaraha Narasimha temple has tall images of Varaha, Narasimha, Narayana and Surya. The place has a fort, and also temples of Gokarneshswara, Kapileshwara, Swarneshwara and Hatakeshwara.
Halasi has groups of monuments like Kalmeswara, Suvarneswara, Ramalingeswara and Bhuvaraha temples.
Bhoo Varaha Laxmi Narasimha Temple
Halasi was called Palasika in ancient times and the Bhoo Varaha Laxmi Narasimha Temple is one of the best examples of the Kadamba style of architecture. The 50 feet tall tower of the inner shrine or garbhagruha is very similar to the Madhukeswar temple in Banavasi built by them.
According to historians, it was built during the Kadamba period or 5th century AD, and inscriptions inside the temple also support this. As per the records, it was built by Shivachitta. In 1169 AD, the idol of Ananta Viravikrama Narasimha installed by Matayogi.
According to a legend associated with this shrine, Pandava
Pandava
In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu , by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Their names are Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Although, Karna is told by Lord Krishna that according to the laws and ethics he is the first son of Kunti making...
s built this temple overnight during their exile and worshiped Lord Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
here.
According to the temple priest, the two feet tall idol of Narasimha, on the left side of Vishnu, is swayambhu or udbhava and not sculpted by anybody.
Inside the temple
There are two garbhagruhas facing each other. In the right one is the four feet idol of Lord Shri Vishnu in a sitting posture. The idols of Suryanarayana and Mahalaxmi are just behind the main idol.
The garbhagruha on the left side has the idol of Bhoo Varaha Swamy. In 1186-87, a 5 feet standing idol of Varaha was installed by Vijayaditya III. Lord Vishnu's Varaha avatar, where he carries Mother Earth (or Bhoodevi) in his mouth, can be seen. The beautifully carved lotus on the ceiling goes to prove that the Kadambas
Kadambas
The Kadamba Dynasty was an ancient royal family of Karnataka that ruled from Banavasi in present day Uttara Kannada district. The dynasty later continued to rule as a feudatory of larger Kannada empires, the Chalukya and the Rashtrakuta empires for over five hundred years during which time they...
patronised and developed their own art form.
Just outside the main temple are smaller temples dedicated to Ganesha, Shiva and Vitthala. One fine statue of Radha Krishna can also be seen in a smaller shrine.
Gallery
See also
- BanavasiBanavasiBanavasi is an ancient temple town in Uttara Kannada District bordering Shivamogga district in the South Indian state of Karnataka .-History:Banavasi is one of the oldest towns in the Karnataka state...
- GoaGoaGoa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
- HangalHangalHangal is a town in Haveri district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is 75 km away from Hubli-Dharwad.It is on the left bank of the Dharma river, and has ruins of some fortification on the...
- Kadamba Dynasty
- Kamala Narayana Temple, Degaon (Degamve / Devgram)
- North KarnatakaNorth KarnatakaNorth Karnataka is an arid plateau from elevation in the Karnataka state of southwest India. It is drained by the Krishna River and its tributaries the Bhima, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, and Tungabhadra...
- Tourism in North Karnataka