Agrahara Belaguli Sri Betteshwara Temple, Karnataka

Address

Agrahara Belaguli Sri Betteshwara Temple, Venkateshwara Loadge, Channarayapattana, Karnataka 573116

Diety

Sri Betteshwara

Introduction

It is situated about 25 km from Channarayapattana in Hassan district. Agraha Belaguli is a small village in Channarayapattana taluk is famous for the Keshaveswara temple of the Hoysala. It is elegant Hoysala temple at According to the inscription at the temple itself, this temple built by Keshva Dandanayaka (Kesiraja) the minister of the Hoysala king Balla II in about 1210 A.D. Though it is called by the name Betteshvara temple now, it was originally Keshaveswara. The prefix Agrahara indicates that the village housed a large number of Brahmin Scholar families who were said to have been performing the Shatkarmas. But now it has reduced to meager 3-4 families. During the Hoysala Empire the village called by Keshavapura and two large tanks called Lakshmi Samudra and Keshava Samudra built in the same era.

Puranic Significance

Bettesvara temple is another master piece of Hoysala architecture. This temple is a Dvikuta and has got Keshva facing south and a Shiva Linga facing east. This temple built in soapstone (Chloritic Schist) it appears western part built first and the southern part was added later. The temple is partially ruins. The temple consists of a Two Garbhagriha and a Mandapa of the open type and two minor shrines in Mandapa. The temple that was not built on a Jagati can have small Mukhamatapa on northern side that directly led to the Navaranga hall from ground level. The Navaranga contains two sanctum halls and it has two entrances that connect the shrine to the small Mnadapa in eastern side and Mukha Mandapa (vestibule) in east. The western side main Garbhagriha is square with a black-stone Shiva Linga now called Betteshvara, the doorways has sculptures of Dvarapalas and not highly ornamented.

Special Features

Sri Betteshwara/Kesaveswara temple is an east facing dwikuta houses lord Shiva in the form of linga in main garbhagriha and Lord Keshava in the other garbhagriha.