Santhebennur Pushkarini


 Santhebennur Pushkarini, locally known as ‘Santebennur Honda’, is a historic pond in Santhebennur village in Davangere district of Karnataka, India.[1] It was built by a local palegar, Kenga Hanumantappa Nayaka, in the 16th century.


Pushkarini has a length of 250 feet (76 m) and width of 240 feet (73 m), and the depth is over 30 feet (9.1 m). The sides are lined with granite steps. Originally there were eight towers; only six remain.[2]

At the centre of the pond is Vasantha Mantapa, also known as karanji (fountain) mantapa, a symmetrical pillared tower which is built in Indo-Arabic style of architecture. It is built using granite, brick and mortar.[3] The design of this multi-levelled tower, which covers an area about 34 sq ft (3.2 m2), is in such a way that it appears to be floating in water when viewed from the banks of the pond. The arches, vaults and domes of the mantapa are built in the Arabic style of architecture while its columns, pyramidical towers and carvings are built in the Indian style. According to the local people, the water can cover the mantapa to a height of 10 feet (3.0 m) when the pond is full.

The Musafirkhana adjacent to the pond is a spacious building 150 feet (46 m) long and 40 feet (12 m) wide. It is made of granite stones and displays Muslim architectural style. A large, pillared hall within the building was probably a prayer hall. For sometime, this building was also used a military store.

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Halebidu

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  Halebidu   ( IAST : Haḷēbīḍ, literally "old capital, city, encampment" [1]   or "ruined city" [2] ) is a town located in   Hassan District ,   Karnataka ,   India . Historically known as Dorasamudra or   Dwarasamudra , Halebidu became the regal capital of the   Hoysala Empire   in the 11th century CE. [3] [note 1]   In the modern era literature it is sometimes referred to as   Halebeedu   or   Halebid   as the phonetic equivalent, a local name after it was damaged and deserted after being   ransacked   and looted twice by the forces of the   Delhi Sultanate   in the 14th century. [4] [5] [6] Halebidu is home to some of the best examples of Hindu and Jain temples with  Hoysala architecture . These show the breadth of Hindu artwork traditions – Shiva, Vishnu, Devi and Vedic deities – fused into the same temple complex, depicted with a diversity of regional heritages, along with inscriptions in scripts from South and North India. The Hindu temples include Jaina relie
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