Belur

Belur is a small temple town in Hassan district, Karnataka, containing the Chennakeshava Temple, constructed under the Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana and reportedly taking 103 years to complete beginning in 1117 CE. The temple exterior is encased in some of the most intricate ornamental stone carving produced anywhere in medieval India — band upon band of friezes depicting elephants, horses, scrolling foliage, mythological narratives, and the distinctive Hoysala bracket figures known as madanikas. The temple remains an active place of worship.