Belur:

Little town set elegantly on the banks of river Yagachi amidst lush surrondings was earlier known as Velapuri. It was chosen as the capital of the Hoysalas, after the sacking and destruction of their capital at Dwarasamudra (Halebeedu), by the Delhi Sultans. The Housalas ruled this region between 11^th and 13^th centuries. The temples and monuments at Belur are indeed the best Hoysala creations, showcasing their amazing architecture and sculptures in full glory.

The Hoysala temples are characterized by typical star shaped ground plan and are usually set on a platform. They are compact, squat structures and are more human in scale as compared to other soaring shrines of the south.

The temples at Belur are carved out of soap stone (steatite), quarried from Tumkur, about 200 km away. This stone is extremely easy to chisel, but attains iron-like firmness when exposed to atmosphere. To maintain the shine of the temple, the stone is treated with a chemical wash and then wax polished once in 10 years.

Halebeedu:

This ancient capital of Hoysala’s was founded in the early 11^th century and was known as Dwarasamundra, after a huge artificial lake of the same name, dating back to 9^th century. Halebeedu was attached by forces of Mohammad Big Tughlak, Malik Kafur (Muslim General), Sultan of Madura. The Hoysalas were forced to relinquish their beautiful capital. The town was then nostalgically referred as “Halebid” or the “Old Capital”. It was never re-occupied again and the Hoysala capital shifted to Belur, Just 16 km away.

Temple

Mother with her Daughter

Hoysala Dynasty is said to be named after the words “hoy Sala”, meaning ‘strike Sala!’, which were called out to Sala, the legendary head of this dynasty, when he was combating a tiger single handeldly. Sala killed the tiger and this act of bravery was immortalized in the royal emblem of the dynasty.

Pillers:

                 

Ceiling:

Beautiful carvings on the corners of the Hall.

Other Gods:

Lord Ganesh in front of Halebeedu Temple

Nandi with his Friend

Other Carvings:

These carvings on outside the entrance of the temple, wall.

Cute Baby (VijayaLaxmi)

Hoysala Rulers:

Nripa Kama II (1026 – 1047)

Hoysala Vinayadita (1047 – 1098)

Ereyanga (1098 – 1102)

Veera Ballala I (1102 – 1108)

Vishnuvardhana (1108 – 1152)

Narasimha I (1152 – 1173)

Veera Ballala II (1172 – 1220)

Vira Narsimha II (1220 – 1235)

Vira Someshwara (1235 – 1254)

Narasimha II (1254 – 1291)

Veera Ballala III (1292 – 1343)

Harihara Raya (vijayanagara Empire) (1242 – 1355)

The Hoysalas built over 150 exquisite temples in southern Karnakata, but the temples at Halebeedu, Belur and Somnathpur are considered to be outstanding.