Basuli (Bishalakshi) Temple

Hours: generally open morning to evening; confirm locally
Entry: No entry fee for main complex; small donation appreciated
The principal temple on the Bhita is dedicated to Devi Basuli, also called Bishalakshi, 'the wide-eyed goddess', who was the patron deity of Chandidas. This south-facing, flat-roofed temple with a single tower and triple-arched entrance leading to a covered verandah is the devotional centrepiece of the complex. According to legend, when Chandidas left Nanoor under persecution, he took the idol of Bishalakshi with him; the present idol was recovered and reinstalled by local families in the early 18th century.
Scholars have identified the deity, a four-handed brass-and-bronze figurine holding a veena, a book and an akshamala (prayer beads), as a form of Saraswati, Goddess of Learning, consistent with Chandidas's role as a poet-priest devoted to the arts. Tragically, the original 10-inch idol was stolen from the temple in 2001; the current image is a subsequent installation. The temple retains its atmosphere of ancient devotion despite this loss.