Shettihalli Holy Rosary Church - A place which is Ruined yet Remained.
Place of Visit : Shettihalli, Hassan, Karnataka, India.
Speciality of the Location : In my personal opinion, there are multiple attractions in this locality, like the scenic view of the village, the Hemavathi Dam etc however the main attraction is The Holy Rosary Church which I would prefer to call it as the Sinking Church. Monsoons fill the water around and this church submerged halfway almost.
History : There are no clear history I could find in the net in spite of running thoroughly yet here are some facts I could find about this monument. It is believed to be constructed by French Missionaries in 1860s and the Government decided to build the Hemavathi Dam in 1960s. Official data says that the dam was built in 1979 covering an area of 281 Th Ha in Gorur. Wherever and whenever, a dam was built, the fate of the villages sink into the waters in the name of wellness of their future and people migrate. Same happened to all the villages in and around Gorur. People moved but The Holy Rosary Church was left behind.
An hour of sail costed me Rs. 500 after a great negotiation, I began the journey to get closer to the church. In a few minutes I found that water seeping into the coracle and to my shock, the boatman assured it as normal. If you are carrying cell phones or any other electronic equipment, may not be a good idea. Also the coracle was trembling with the water current, making all the most difficult to get a steady shot of the church. Of all, the weather also played a spoil sport, it started drizzling. Well, so the shots that you see here are taken with such limitations.
Place of Visit : Shettihalli, Hassan, Karnataka, India.
Speciality of the Location : In my personal opinion, there are multiple attractions in this locality, like the scenic view of the village, the Hemavathi Dam etc however the main attraction is The Holy Rosary Church which I would prefer to call it as the Sinking Church. Monsoons fill the water around and this church submerged halfway almost.
History : There are no clear history I could find in the net in spite of running thoroughly yet here are some facts I could find about this monument. It is believed to be constructed by French Missionaries in 1860s and the Government decided to build the Hemavathi Dam in 1960s. Official data says that the dam was built in 1979 covering an area of 281 Th Ha in Gorur. Wherever and whenever, a dam was built, the fate of the villages sink into the waters in the name of wellness of their future and people migrate. Same happened to all the villages in and around Gorur. People moved but The Holy Rosary Church was left behind.
Though there few travellers mention the period of construction of this church was 1980s but www.Karnataka.com says that this Gothic Architecture is 450 years old. Still it sounds incorrect to me because the period of French in India was 1769-1954 . So the period of constructing of this church remains as a mystery still .
Driveway : On Bangalore-Mangalore highway NH 48, driving from Bangalore take Hassan ring road at Bovanahalli, driving ahead, take left to Haluvagilu Road. Driving 15kms ahead on this road reaches you to Shettihalli. Once you pass the village, you can have a look at the church. A narrow road to the left reaches the church.
Travelog : My visit was in July, 2015 on a bright and sunny morning. A long drive to Hassan and it was quite easy to get here with GPS. Do make a note that not much of eateries on your way. Even the few which are on the highway are at a good distances from each other. So if you miss one, then you may have to starve for a while to find another one. There isn't much sightseeing as such on the way however lonely four lane highway and good music will make your drive pleasant enough.
A good four and a half hours, I have reached the location and and it was a magnificent site to see this massive structure almost like floating in the water. There is a tiny mud road on the left hand side, just before you get to the bridge, which I missed almost, will take you closer to the waters, even by car. I was lucky enough to find a coracle and a young man who was willing to sail me closer to the church. Later I was told that it is supposed to be illegal however he made my day by helping me to click few lovely shots. During the sail, he has explained that the depth of the water nearer to the church could about 13 to 15 feet so, I wouldn't recommend children to make an attempt to travel on the coracle.
Crossing over, on the other side of the bridge, there are lovely grass plains if you wish to do camping. Since I wasn't prepared for that, I stopped by the bridge to take a few long shots of the submerged church and roll back to get Bangalore. If you are intending for a day trip, I am sure you won't be disappointed to be here. I have learnt that by the side of the river, there are few other attractions like Hemavathy Dam, the temples of Paravasudeva and Yoganarasimha, Bisle ghat or Bisle reserve forest, Veeranarayana temple, Ramanathpura temple and Mosale.
Last but not the least, in the summers, this church is completely out of water and you get to go around the church. So, now you decide when you wanna make your visit.
