Dede Sophie

The temples built during the reign of the Hoysala kings of Karnataka happen to be some of the most intricately designed temples in all of India. Their lathe turned pillars, beautifully carved sculptures, ceiling work, reliefs, friezes, iconography, inscriptions and history are some of the best in the business. Out of the 1500 temples that were built during their reign, the 12th century Chenna Keshava temple at Belur happens to be the grandest of them all. Dedicated to the handsome lord Keshava, this 12th century temple marvel and an important pilgrimage site in Vaishnavism was built over three generations and took 103 years to finish. It was commissioned by King Vishnuvardhana in 1117 CE on the banks of the Yagachi river in Belur, also called Velapura, an early Hoysala empire capital. It was attacked and plundered many times by Muslim invaders and was always rebuilt. The Vijayanagara kings took over the mantle of temple management and restoration upon the end of the Hoysala era. The l

Once the world got locked down due to the pandemic in 2020, travellers have had to stay at home and say goodbye to exploring the world. And that too for a significantly long time. But, things are changing. Now, adventure seekers who have been fully vaccinated can continue to explore the world… though there are some things that travellers have to keep in mind such as social distancing, wearing a mask, and may be paying a slightly higher price for some products and services.  Tourism in India is on the uptick and many states have opened themselves to fully vaccinated travelers while offering them the safest of environments to explore the charms of this diverse nation. This opening of tourism channels is especially very appealing to budget travelers as discounts, upgrades and freebies are being offered all around and which makes it very affordable and incredible to visit India in 2021. Using any airline like Air India, you can safely land there and begin your fun exploration. Below are so