The Capital of Hoysala Empire - Halebidu

Location:
Hassan District
Karnataka

Distance from:
Bangalore - 220 Kms
Hassan - 32 Kms

Route:
Bangalore - Nelamangala - Chikkagondanahalli - Baragur - Hassan - Halebidu

Estimated Travel Time:
From Bangalore - Five Hours
From Hassan - One Hour

Temples to see:
1. Hoysaleshwara Temple
2. Parswanatha & Shakthinatha Basadi
3. Kedareshwara Temple

Best Time to visit:
Any time during the year

Stay:
The nearest and best place to stay is Hassan

This trip was planned by me and my friend Mr. Raghavendra. We boarded Mercedes Benz bus in KSRTC bus-stand in Bangalore Majestic. It took about four hours to reach Hassan with breakfast break in Kamat Hotel on Mangalore - Bangalore Highway. We boarded a private bus in Hassan to Halebidu which took about one hour due to many people and multiple stops.

1. Hoysaleshwara Temple

Halebidu is the capital city of the Hoysala Empire in the 12th Century and is a best example of the most beautiful Hoysala architecture. It was sacked by the army of Malik Kafur in the early 14th Century after which it fell into despair and neglect. This temple houses the idols of Hoysaleshwara and Santaleshwara. This temple has a huge wealth of the sculptural details and was built by Ketumalla, the miister of Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana.

The scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharata are very well sculptured on the outer walls of the temple. This temple is "most marvelous exhibition of human labour and their dedication". 

The walls of the temple is covered by numerous variety of depictions from Hindu mythology, birds, animals, various Hindu Gods, Shilabalikas (dancing figures). Even the roof inside the temple are very well decorated with rich architecture.

Carvings on the roof

There are pillars with various architectures spanned across the temple and each pillar has its own architectural beauty. 

Lord Shiva , one of the Trimurthis (Vishnu, Bramha & Shiva) is worshiped in the form of Shivalinga in this place.

Outer side view of the temple

Maha Ganapathi

2. Parswanatha & Shakthinatha Basadi:

A ten minute walk from Hoysaleshwara Temple leads us to the Jain Temple dedicated to Parswanatha, Shakthinatha & Adinatha. This temple is also a collection of rich sculptural details.

The Parswanatha Basadi is largest of all the Basadis and houses a beautiful Parswanatha statue. The pillars that hold the doom are very well carved with beautiful design. The lathing of the pillars are very well done to give a spectacular view. 

3. Kedareshwara Temple

It is located at a distance of few hundreds of meters from the Parswanatha & Shakthinatha Basadis. Though it is small, it is a gem of art. It was constructed in the year 1219 A.D. by Hoysala King Ballala - II. 

This temple is constructed on a platform and is made of soapstone. It is called as "Trikuta or three celled temple". The carvings on the outer walls of the temple depicts the scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharata. The various incarnations of Vishnu are also beautifully carved.

It was late in the evening when we completed the visit to all the three temples. We took some snacks by the side of the road and came back to Hassan at night. We visited another sculptural beauty "Chennakeshava Temple in Belur" the next day.