Kadalekalu Ganesha

Hampi has two temples that are dedicated to Lord Ganesha. Both temples and their idols of Lord Ganesha have their own stories behind their name and establishment. If you haven’t read the previous blog about the facts of Hampi, please read it from this link ‘Hampi – The jewel of South India‘

Sasivekalu Ganesha:

The height of the Sasivekalu Ganesha idol is nearly 8 feet tall. This idol was built in the 15th century by one of the Mustard merchants in the memory of King Narasimha. In the Kannada language, Mustard means ‘Sasivekalu‘. And because of this, this idol is known as ‘Sasivekalu Ganesha’.

According to the Hindu Mythology story, once lord Ganesh ate till the level where his stomach was on the verge of bursting. And then Lord Ganesha came to the Earth and tied his stomach tightly with the Snake. And he survived his stomach burst. At the same place, we can witness Sasivekalu Ganesha temple today. If you’ll look closely you can see the snake is carved on the stomach of the idol.

On the right side of Sasivekalu Ganesha temple, you’ll see some steps going upwards. These steps will lead you to Hemakuta hill which is one of the beautiful places for Sunset in Hampi.

Kadalekalu Ganesha:

The height of the Kadalekalu Ganesha idol is nearly 15 feet tall. This idol was made from a huge boulder. I didn’t find the exact history of this idol anywhere. But if you’ll look at the belly part of the idol, it resembles the Bengal gram. In the Kannada language, Bengal gram means ‘Kadalekalu‘. And because of this, this idol is known as ‘Kadalekalu Ganesha’.

These idols are two of the huge monuments in Hampi. Both of these Lord Ganesha temples are located at 300 meters of distance from each other.

In my next blog, I will introduce you to all the temples of Lord Shiva in Hampi and the history behind them.
So stay tuned for the next blog. 🙂