India's new heritage sites: 900 years old

A set of three Hoysala temples in Karnataka, separated by 200km, have given India its 42nd Unesco World Heritage Site

- Anita Rao Kashi

Just outside Hassan, which sits almost in the middle of southern Karnataka, undulating plains begin to incline into the Western Ghats. This is the heart of Karnataka's malenadu (mountainous region), fed by several small and big rivers. One of these is Yagachi, a major tributary of the Hemavathy river; it rises from the Baba Budan hills and joins the Hemavathy near Gorur. On the way, it passes through Belur, a nondescript town except for the spectacular Channakeshava temple built by the mighty Hoysalas, who ruled between the 10th-14th centuries.

After years of lobbying, research and documentation, this, along with the Hoysalesvara temple in Halebidu and the Keshava temple in Somanathapura, were awarded Unesco World Heritage Site status on 18 September under the title Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas.

About an hour's drive to the north-west of Hassan, whizzing through little hamlets, lush green paddies and swaying coconut trees, is Belur. Much of the little town, once the thriving capital of the Hoysalas, appears to have arranged itself to cater to the thousands of tourists who visit the Channakeshava temple. The Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana began building it in the early 12th century to commemorate victory over the Cholas; according to legend, it took 103 years and three generations to complete the architectural marvel. Veera Ballala II finished the project started by his grandfather.