Hoysaleshwara Temple, Karnataka

Address

Hoysaleshwara Temple Halebeedu, Karnataka 573121

Diety

Hoysaleshwara

Introduction

Hoysaleswara temple, also referred simply as the Halebidu temple, is a 12th-century temple dedicated to Shiva. It is the largest monument in Halebidu, a town in the state of Karnataka, India and the former capital of the Hoysala Empire. The temple was built on the banks of a large man-made lake, and sponsored by King Vishnuvardhana of the Hoysala Empire. During the early 14th century, Halebidu was twice sacked and plundered by the Muslim armies of the Delhi Sultanate from northern India and the temple and the capital fell into a state of ruin and neglect. The Hoysaleswara temple is a Shaivism tradition monument, yet reverentially includes many themes from Vaishnavism and Shaktism tradition of Hinduism, as well as images from Jainism.. The artwork in Hoysaleswara temple is damaged but largely intact. Within a few kilometers of the temple are numerous ruins of Hoysala architecture. The temple, along with the nearby Jain Temples

Puranic Significance

The Hoysala period of South Indian history began about 1000 CE and continued through 1346 CE. In this period, they built around 1,500 temples in 958 centres. Halebidu was originally called Dvarasamudra (or Dorasamudra), a name derived from two Sanskrit words “Dvara” (gateway, door) and Samudra (ocean, sea, large water body). The capital used to be Belur, Karnataka, but Dvarasamudra became the established capital under king Vishnuvardhana and served as the capital of the Hoyasala Empire for nearly 300 years. Pillar and ceiling carvings with a damaged madanakai. A better preserved dvarapala at mantapa entrance (hands broken). The Hoysala style, states James C. Harle, came to an end in mid 14th century, when King Ballala III was killed in a war with the Muslim army led by Malik Kafur. Dvarasamudra and its temples became ruins, the capital abandoned and the site became known as “Halebidu” (literally, “old camp or capital”). About 300 of the original Hoysala Empire temples survive in different states of damage, scattered around the Halebid region.

Special Features

The Hoysaleswara temple is a twin-temple dedicated to Hoysaleswara and Santaleswara Shiva lingas, named after the masculine and feminine aspects, both equal and joined at their transept. It has two Nandi shrines outside, where each seated Nandi face the respective Shiva linga inside.