Our own Belur/Halebidu, Miniature one, just 50 km from Pune.

 Chennakeshava temple at Belur and Hoysaleshwara Temple at Halebidu (both in Karnataka are world-famous temples built in around 1200 AD. Their fame comes from intricate carvings found on the inside and outside walls of these temples. Belur is about 750 km from Pune.

But to see the beautiful carvings shown below, one need not go that far, we have our own mini Belur and Halebidu, which is about 400 years older than both these temples. We need to travel just about 50  kilometers from Pune. Let us watch the photos first -

Kaurav Pandav War (Mahabharata(

Another Angle

Draupadi Swyamwar (Arjuna taking aim at the Fish target)

Dwarpal on the Stairs

A Beautiful Statue

These and some more carvings are present in this temple. As you reach closer to this temple situated on a hill fort (now in ruins), you get to see these three Shikhar.

First View of Gopur

Once you park your car and climb about 15 odd stairs, you reach an elevated platform where you see the exterior of the temple complex (the temple lies in this outer shell.

Entrance to the Temple Complex

Carving on the roof boundary

From the main gate seen in the photo above, one enters the temple complex and then one has to take a narrow flight of stairs to reach the main temple where a great Black Stone Nandi, the Bull of Lord Shiva.

Nandi with his eternal wait for Shiva

Another View

And finally, in the Garbha Gruha (sanctum Sanctorum) we get the darshans of the presiding deity, Bhuleshwar, the Shiva. See the beautiful image below -

Morning Darshans of Shri Bhuleshwar

After Darshans, one can enjoy the rustic Misal Pao or Wada Pao in one or two clean and simple hotels at the foothill of Mangal Gad.

A trip to Shri Bhuleshwar Mahadev Temple at Mangal Gad, about 60 km from Swar gate is a great trip which can be done in half a day or it can be clubbed with other attractions like Bhigwan on one side and Narayanpur Datta and Narayaneshwar temple and Prati Balaji Temple on the other side to convert to a day trip.

If enjoying a drive, enjoying a trip, seeing something spectacular, and sampling rustic Marathi food is the objective, go to Shri Bhuleshwar Remple