My Favourite Pillar

This is the only picture I had of the place. This is one of the many carved pillars at Chennakeshava Temple, Belur which I told you all, is my absolute favourite place. The temple has to be seen to believe its beauty. It is full of sculptures of dancers, stories from mythology. The Queen Shantala, an accomplished dancer herself, is said to have posed for the sculptures in various Bharatanatyam poses. Some of the bangles on the figures actually move, though made of stone, from one slab. I would only be doing grave injustice to the place by trying to describe it. See it.
Now this pillar is unique because all the sculptures in the outer walls of the temple, have been reproduced in minute form on this pillar, down to the tiniest detail. The detailing is fantastic. The best part is that the main architect, I forget his name, left a small panel blank in the pillar and asked that it be filled by someone from the future generations, if they thought themselves capable of doing so. Of course, no one had volunteered so far. The guides, in their well practiced voices, talk of how humble it was of him to think there would be better architects, while at the same time, throwing an open challenge that he probably knew would never be accepted.

If you ask me, no person can claim to have seen Karnataka without a visit to this temple.
By the way, Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) has a new slogan now- 'One State. Many Worlds.' Earlier, it was 'Theatre of Inspiration.'