Hassan: The Archaeological Survey of India, which is making a strong pitch for including the Hoysala temples of Belur and Halebeedu in Hassan and the Somanthapura temple in Mysore among world heritage sites, has made no such plea on behalf of the ornate Hoysala temples of Belavadi and Amrutapura.
Although the world heritage tag for monuments ensures them technical support for conservation and world- wide publicity, the monuments of Belavadi such as the Veeranarayan Temple, a classic piece of Hoysala architecture built in the 12th century, have not been included in the list that the department plans to submit to UNESCO.
“The Amritheswara Temple in Amruthapura, located close to the river Bhadra, is an excellent illustration of Hoysala architecture. This temple was built with black soapstone during the rule of Veeraballala II,” recalls an ASI official.
Heritage Commissioner, C.G. Betsurmath, who has prepared the proposal with ASI, said there were certain criteria such as “Outstanding Universal Values” which had to be considered before labelling a monument a heritage site. “ We will check on Belavadi and Amrutheswara before the proposal is submitted,” he assured.
