5/5 Shankar S. 9 months ago on Google
A
view
of
the
new
Vitthal
temple
in
Honnur
village,
Belagavi
district;
the
ancient
Vitthal
temple
emerges
from
the
water
in
summer.
Summers
in
the
Hidkal
dam
backwaters
in
the
Belagavi
district
backwaters
can
yield
many
surprises.
As
the
waters
recede,
the
Vitthal
temple
emerges
after
being
underwater
for
a
year.
This
year,
the
delay
in
monsoons
has
ensured
both
visitors
and
villagers
will
be
able
to
keep
the
temple
in
their
sights
for
longer.
In
1977,
when
the
construction
of
the
dam
was
completed,
the
Hidkal
and
Honnur
villages
were
completely
submerged.
Houses
and
fields,
schools
and
temples
all
went
underwater
and
eventually
disintegrated.
The
Vitthal
temple
has
stayed
intact
in
spite
of
being
underwater
for
45
years.
In
the
peak
of
summer,
the
temple
becomes
accessible.
In
2020,
when
the
lake
was
almost
dry,
one
could
drive
up
to
the
entrance
of
the
temple.
This
year,
the
temple
could
only
be
seen
from
a
distance
of
50
metres
as
deep
waters
still
surround
it.
Viewed
from
a
height,
one
can
clearly
catch
a
glimpse
of
the
interiors
of
the
temple.
The
wide
façade
of
the
temple,
built
in
black
stone,
is
typical
of
the
Hemadpanti
style
of
architecture
which
was
famous
during
the
12th
and
13th
centuries.
When
the
dam
was
being
constructed,
and
the
submergence
of
the
temple
was
inevitable,
a
similar
temple
was
commissioned
at
the
Honnur
village
which
stands
in
reminiscence
of
the
old
structure.
It
has
similar
carvings
on
the
façade
and
the
inner
sanctum.
The
deity
inside
the
sanctum
sanctorum
is
that
of
Lord
Vitthal
and
Rukmini,
his
consort.
The
wide
and
spacious
courtyard
has
arched
pathways
which
house
several
rooms
today.
In
the
original
structure,
these
arched
areas
would
have
been
used
to
tie
the
animals
like
cows,
horses
and
ceremonial
elephants,
typical
of
many
south
Indian
temples.
At
a
distance,
one
can
see
the
dilapidated
Honnur
fort
and
still
further,
you
can
clearly
see
the
main
gates
of
the
Hidkal
dam.
The
Honnur
fort
is
believed
to
be
built
as
a
stopover
during
long
military
conquests
for
refuelling
and
for
storage
of
food
grains
to
be
used
by
the
army.
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