Halebidu

Historical Places in Karnataka
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Halebidu ಹಳೆಬೀಡು is located in Hassan District, Karnataka, India. It is home to one of the greatest examples of Hoysala architecture in the ornate Hoysaleswara and Kedareswara temples.

1 Transportation
2 History
3 Temple Complex
4 References
5 See also
6 External links
7 Categories

Transportation

Halebidu is well connected by road and rail to Bangalore, Mysore and Mangalore. There are regular buses to Hassan. The distance is 149 km to Mysore and 31 km to Hassan.

History

Halebidu was the 12th-century capital of the Hoysalas. The Hoysaleswara temple was built during this time by built by Ketamala and attributed to Vishnuvardhana,^[1] the Hoysala ruler. It enshrines Hoysaleswara and Santaleswara, named after the temple builder Vishnuvardhana Hoysala and his wife, Queen Santala.^[2]

Then it was sacked by the armies of Malik Kafur in the early 14th century, after which it fell into a state of disrepair and neglect.^[3]

Currently Halebidu is facing serious problems in decaying infrastructure, including a lack of basic amenities like toilets and drinking water.^[4] The temples are said to be in a dilapidated state.^[5]

Temple Complex

Main article: Hoysaleswara temple

The temple complex comprises of two Hindu temples, the Hoysaleshawara and Kedareshwara temples and two Jain basadi. In front of these temples there is a big lake. The town gets its name the from the lake, Dhwara samudhra which means entrance from ocean. The two nandi bull statues which are on the side of the Hoysaleshwara temple are monolithic. soap stone or Chloritic Schist was used for the construction of these temples. However a number of sculptures in the temple are destructed by invaders. So the temple is incomplete. Halebid means ruined city. There is an archeological museum in the temple complex.

The Hoysaleswara temple, dating back to the 1121 C.E., is astounding for its wealth of sculptural details. The walls of the temple are covered with an endless variety of depictions from Hindu mythology, animals, birds and Shilabalikas or dancing figures. Yet no two sculptures of the temple are the same. This magnificent temple guarded by a Nandi Bull was never completed, despite 86 years of labour. The Jain basadi nearby are equally rich in sculptural detail. Belur and Halebid are 222 and 216 km from Bangalore, respectively.This temple is now being proposed as UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The decorated outer wall of the main temple	A sclpture inside the Main temple	The Boar Avatar in battle. A sclpture outside the main temple wall	Shiva and his consort Parvati siting on his lap. A sclpture outside the main temple
Profile of Hoysaleshwara Temple, Halebidu	Hoysaleshwara Temple, Vesara architecture Halebidu	Profile of Kedareshwara Temple, Halebidu	Decoratd pillar, Hoysaleshwara Temple, Halebidu