Kan: ಬೇಲೂರು bēlūru
‘Radiant Town’ [Velur, Velapuri, Beluhur] Town, Karnataka (Kar)
From Kan: beḷ/veḷ, ‘bright’, shining’; and ūr/ūru, ‘town’, ‘village’.
Belur is famous for its 12thC Chennakesava temple [from Kan: canna/cenna, ‘handsome’, ‘elegant’; and Skt: keśava, ‘(name of) Vishnu’], an excellent example of ornate Hoysala sculpture.
It is suggested that the ‘beryl’ gem [Lat: beryllus, Gk: bēryllos] comes from the same root word as the town: the region has been famous for its emerald deposits since ancient times.
For related place names see Indian Place names and Karnataka place names.
Narasimha, Chennakeshava Temple (Belur) Jean-Pierre Dalbéra