Historical Halasi
District: Belagavi.
Town: Halasi,Khanapur
Temple: Sri.Bhuvaraha Narasimha Temple
The Sri Bhuvaraha Narasimha Temple is located in Halasi, one of the most ancient towns in Karnataka. Halasi has many temples, but the Bhuvaraha Narasimha temple is perhaps the best known of them all.
Sri.Bhuvaraha Narasimha Temple – Overview
Halasi was the capital of the Kadamba Dynasty. Nestling in a verdant setting in the Western Ghats, Halasi has many groups of temples – The Gokarneshwara temple, and The Kalmeshwara, Ramalingeshwra and Bhuvaraha temples. There are also references to ancient Jain temples. The currently standing Jain Basadi was built later after these Hindu structures.
Sri.Bhuvaraha Narasimha Temple- History
Halasi, originally called Palasika, was part of the Kadamba kingdom and its capital. The Kadamba dynasty was established by Mayura Sharma in the 4th century AD. The Kadamba kings extended patronage to Jainism, Shaivism and Vaishnavism. As such, there are temples dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu, and there were also many Jain Basadis present here. Many of the temples have survived the test of time and are still standing. The Bhoo Varaha Laxmi Narasimha temple was built in the 5th century. An inscription inside the temple states that it was built by the Kadamba king Shivachitta.
Sri.Bhuvaraha Narasimha temple – Architecture
This temple is one of the best examples of the Kadamba architecture. It has two Garbhagrahas. The main sanctum has an idol of Maha Vishnu in a sitting posture. Behind this figure are idols of Suryanarayana, Mahalakshmi and Lord Narasimha. According to legend, the idol of Narasimha was a swayambhu, that is, it was not made by human hands and it just appeared on its own.
The other Garbhagraha has a standing idol of Bhoo Varaha Swami. This idol was installed by Vijayaditya III in 1186-87.The five feet tall idol is depicted carrying Bhoodevi in his mouth. The lotus motif on the ceiling is typical of the Kadamba style of architecture.
How to get to Sri. Bhuvaraha Narasimha temple
Belgaum city is the nearest airport and railway station. From Belgaum, it is easy to get buses to Halasi. Halasi is also well connected to other places in Karnataka on the bus route.
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