5/5 Rajendran R. 2 years ago on Google • 125 reviews
Halebidu
Temple
&
Shantaleswara
temple,
especially
the
former,
is
often
regarded
as
a
perfect
example
of
Hoysala
style
of
architecture.
These
shrines
are
named
after
the
masculine
and
feminine
aspects.
Halebidu
was
the
capital
region
for
the
Hoysalas,
who
ruled
from
10th
to
14th
century.
The
construction
of
this
temple
was
sanctioned
in
the
12th
century
by
the
then
Hoysala
ruler
‘Vishnuvardhana’.
Dedicated
to
Lord
Shiva,
the
work
began
in
1120
AD
and
completed
in
1160
AD.
Though
the
temple
had
to
face
the
rampages
by
the
Muslim
rulers
from
Delhi
and
ruined
in
some
way,
its
artwork
remains
intact,
which
is
the
reason
behind
the
flock
of
tourists.
The
entire
compound
had
a
lot
of
temples
to
Hinduism
and
Jainism,
most
of
them
were
destroyed
in
that
invasion.
Built
using
the
trademark
soapstones
(metamorphic
rocks),
the
outer
walls
have
very
intrinsic
carvings
of
animal
figurines
like
elephants,
horses,
lions
etc.
They
are
followed
by
miniature
carvings
of
dancers,
friezes
narrating
legends
from
the
Hindu
texts.
It
is
followed
by
depictions
of
daily
life
of
people
in
the
next
few
layers
of
carving,
including
festivals.
One
can
also
find
different
carvings
depicting
artha,
kama,
dharma
scenes
including
courtship
and
eroticism.
Large
panels
with
bigger
figurines
depicting
the
deities
of
Hinduism,
and
the
mythical
scenes
from
different
epic
stories
are
beautifully
explained.
The
interiors
are
as
beautiful
as
the
outer
walls.
There
are
4
entrances
to
each
of
the
temple
shrines.
The
doors
also
had
two
doorkeepers
statues
on
either
side,
while
some
were
damaged
and
missing.
The
four
pillars
right
in
front
of
the
shrine
have
carvings
on
top
of
them.
Lord
Shiva’s
attendant
Nandi
statue
here
is
acclaimed
to
be
one
of
the
largest
monolithic
statues
In
India.
The
most
interesting
part
of
the
temple
is
the
Garuda
Sthamba,
a
rare
pillar
that
depicts
the
history
of
the
bodyguards
that
lived
with
the
Kings.
These
bodyguards
committed
suicide
on
the
death
of
their
master
and
the
event
is
narrated
in
detail
on
the
pillar.
There
is
a
museum
in
the
temple
premises,
managed
by
the
department
of
archeological
survey
of
India,
consisting
of
different
ruins
and
pieces
that
were
recovered
from
around
the
temple.
Though
there
are
four
different
porches
serving
as
four
entryways,
only
the
North
one
is
open
for
the
visitors.
This
temple
is
considered
a
marvellous
and
outstanding
example
of
the
kind
of
labor
that
has
been
put
to
construct
and
the
kind
of
intricate
work
that
is
depicted
to
compete
with
worldly
arts
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