Pop: 3,000 Area Code: 08177

This town was the capital of the Hoysalas. It was known then as Dwarasamudra, and was founded in the 11th century. The Delhi Sultanate’s armies sacked xe "Halebid" Halebid in 1311 and 1327. It is now a small village. There are several large tanks here.

Hoysaleswara Temple
Construction of the Hoysaleswara Temple, dedicated to Lord Siva, was begun in the mid-12th century. It is covered with intricately carved sculptures. Even after 87 years of building, it was never completed because Halebid was sacked by the Delhi Sultanate. This star-shaped temple is actually a pair of two identical temples with separate sanctuaries (altars) and mandapams (halls) next to each other. One of the temples has active worship and the other does not. There are also two Nandi Bulls. One of them is 5m (16 ft) long and is said to be the seventh largest in India.

There are about 20,000 sculptures on this temple.
There are six rows of carvings around the base of the temple: elephants, lions, horsemen, scrolls, scenes from the Puranas, and geese. The base of the temple has the emblem of lions and elephants carved around it, seemingly supporting the temple and signifying stability. There are 1,200 elephants carved on the outer walls, none alike.

The upper parts of the temple’s exterior have carvings of gods and goddesses. There are also carvings depicting Lord Siva’s pastimes. There are also carvings of Lord Krishna and Vishnu on the temple and scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, carved in intricate detail. There is an interesting carving of Lord Narayana in the back right corner. Krishna is seen lifting Govardhan Hill and Rama is seen defeating Ravana. There is a carving of Chamundi killing Mahishasura, the buffalo demon, and an excellent carving of Ravana lifting Kailash, Lord Siva’s abode.

The informative ASI-sanctioned guides give a good explanation of the temple for Rs 40. The temple is open daily 7.30 am to 7.30 pm.
The Archaeological Museum, next to the temple, has a good collection of ancient sculptures. Open daily except Fri 10 am to 5 pm. Admission free.

Other Places
About 1km south of the Hoysaleswar Temple is the 12th century Jain Bastis, which consists of three temples. Twelve columns support the Parswanathasmi Temple. The nearby Kedareswar Temple (1221) houses a Siva-linga named after Lord Siva who is worshiped at Kedarnath. Non-Hindus are permitted to enter the temples. There are a dozen or so other smaller temples in the area.

Practicalities
Halebid is 216km from Bangalore, 27km north of Hassan, and 17km east of Belur. There are regular buses to Belur (35 min), Hassan (1 hr), Bangalore (3 hr), Mysore (4 hr), and Arsikere (1½ hr).

KSTDC’s Tourist Cottages (73224), by the Inspection Bungalow, is simple, clean and has a large pleasant garden. Rooms are Rs 200/250 and there are dorm beds. The basic restaurant here is about the only place to eat in town.

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