Quest for Hidden Hoysala Temples
It is twilight and the lights come up. We start walking. The temples still elude us. And then we see twin temples. This is the Veerabhadra – the old and the new..you want to see more temples – follow us. “ We turn around to see our guides.
It is twilight and the lights come up in some isolated houses. We start walking . We are searching for hidden temples that still elude us. And then we see twin temples – one which looks like it is freshly painted and another in Hoysala style, in complete ruins. “ This is the Veerabhadra – the old and the new..you want to see more temples – follow us. “ We turn around and meet our guides – two kids, who are siblings . They take us through a detour where we see an entire settlement within Halebeedu. Houses, temples, cows, dogs, bikes, cycles, shops are all scattered around in the narrow lanes. But where is the Buccaneswara temple ?” I ask the siblings. They look puzzled, but then they draw my attention to the small board in front of another small shrine- the Ranganatha temple. It said that it was an amalgamation of various sculptures found from different sites and it was earlier called the Buccaneshwara temple . We sit on the steps for a while and pass some moments in silence and then we realize that there is nothing ike exploring and discovering hidden places.. The siblings wave back to us as we leave Halebeedu.