Halebid
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Halebid, (
Halebidu in
Kannada), located in
Hassan District,
Karnataka,
India, is home of one of the greatest examples of
Hoysala architecture.
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.
Image:Carving2.jpg|The decorated outer wall of the main templeImage:Carving1.jpg|A sclpture inside the Main templeImage:Carving3.jpg|The Bohr Avatar in battle. A sclpture outside the main temple wallImage:Carving4.jpg|Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi siting on his lap. A sclpture outside the main templeImage:Halebidu_Hoysaleshwara_temple.JPG|Profile of Hoysaleshwara Temple, HalebidImage:Halebidu_Hoysaleshwara_temple1.JPG|Hoysaleshwara Temple, Vesara architecture HalebidImage:Halebidu_Kedareshwara_temple.JPG|Profile of Kedareshwara Temple, HalebidShravanabelagolaBelurSomanathapuraHassan District*
Photographs from Belur and Halebid*
Photographs from Belur and Halebid
