Kalleshwara Temple, Hulikal, Tumkur

During our course of conversation with the priest at Tandaga, he informed us about another stone temple situated about 3 km from Tandaga. He went on and appreciated the ASI, who helped restore the temple, which otherwise was in ruins. We were not aware of the temple of Kalleshwara in Hulikal. On following the directions given by the priest, we reached a canal, from where we had to take a right turn. Now, we were stuck in a rather funny situation, wherein there were two motorable roads turning right, running parallel on either side of the canal!! We stopped by to inquire a few locals about the route to Hulikal and none were really sure. Finally, we decided to trust our gut instincts and drove ahead, choosing one of the right turns. We traveled for almost 2 km with no signs of any temple around, nor any local in order to confirm about the route. We started to doubt our decision of taken the right right turn! Not giving up, we continued driving and luckily, an auto driver coming in the opposite direction confirmed to us that we were heading the right way towards the temple.

The Lovely Canal

A lady sitting nearby the temple confirmed to us that it was the Kalleshwara temple we were looking for. The temple has undergone restoration recently. Sadly,  there were no signs of any further maintenance, which was evident by the sight of water logging around the temple itself. Though the temple was locked, we were able to peep in and get a glimpse of Lord Shiva and his guardian Nandi through the grilled door. The architectural plan is very similar to the Chennakeshava temple of Tandaga. This temple was built by the Hoysalas, who, as we all know, are the masters of intricate temple architecture. Surprisingly, the Kalleshwara temple seemed to have the simplicity and plainness unlike most of the other hoysala temples, known for their artistic intricacies.

The Kalleshwara Temple

Shikara

A Peep into the Temple

Inscription Stone

The Lake

Nandi Kambha

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