Halebidu Tour & Travel Guide

Beholding the Opulence of 10th Century Hoysaleswara Temple

Halebidu (other names: Halibid, or Halebeedu) is a small sub-urban area in Hassan District, of Karnataka state and is the home to a stunning Hoysala temple, Hoysaleswara and a handful of other Jain temples. Halebidu once called Dorasamudra or Dwarasamudra, was the rouyal capital of the Hoysala Empire in 12th Century. The place got its name "Halebidu" as it was damaged, ransacked and looted by attacks of Islamic forces & other rulers and with time ran down into a ruined old capital around 14th century. Nevertheless, the town is even popular today for its temple complexes, which have exclusive workmanship & architecture. Halebidu is nearby Belur, also known for such temple complexes, and these twin-towns are near to Hassan. In general, tourists prefer to stay in Hassan city and visit these as day tours.

Halebid had a glorious past decorated with amazing temples and sculptures. This Gem of Indian architecture owes its heirloom to the Hoysala architecture and its gorgeous art of temple making & adorning with intricately chiseled soap-stone figurines. Hindu temple complexes and stunning Jain sites here attract history & carving lovers from all over the world. Tugged in history, Halebid is an elaborate showcase of culture, architecture and imprints of many important events of the bygone era.

Some prime tourist attractions here are the Hoysaleswara temple, Belur, Shantaleswara temple, Kedareswara temple and an archaeological museum. There are a handful of Jain temples and other structures with a dash of spirituality.

The Hoysaleswara temple complex in Halebid is illustrious for its intricate carvings in black soap-stone. The carvings on the outer side of the temple has been categorized into different layers. With Elephant dedicated designs at bottom layer and Lions in next layer above it, beautiful scenic representation of stories from Mahabharata and Ramayana are seen on the next layer above. Exclusively done floral ivy design decor the fourth level and the upper most layer have statues of Hindu Gods & Goddesses such as Vishnu and his different incarnations like Varaha Rup, Narsimha Rupa etc., Shiva & Parvati, Krishna and other deities. The Hoysaleswara Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Superb finishing & exterior polishing of the sculptures, done in that era, is remarkable for the fact that the sculptures have not lost their reflective sheen till date. The Museum here in Halebid has an exclusive collection of stone sculptures, wooden artefacts of the past with intricate carvings, maps, photos and much more to amuse. The Jain shrines here are also worth the visit. Not only religious but a piece of art in itself, these shrines have wonderful workmanship and are made with attention too every detail.