Halebid
About the city
Halebid is one of Karnataka's open secrets. Although supposedly on the well-worn tourist path, I have seldom met people who have actually been to Halebid. and the ones who have seen the place well, theyve been there, done that, and said little about it. Capital of the Hoysala Empire which flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries, Hale Bidu (Old City) is the most apt of several names that are tagged on to this little town in Karnataka. Another ancient name was Dwarasamudra gateway to the sea indicating the numerous water bodies that must have been in the vicinity at the time. A town one can walk about in should one choose to do so, Halebid is still one of those deserted places that unexpectedly comes upon you round a bend in the road, and surprises you with its charm. It is surrounded by fields which now cover the area of what used to be a large tank providing irrigation to the surrounding areas. On clear days, from the road one can see the Gomateswara statue at Sravanabelgola looming in the distance. Owing to its proximity to Bangalore, most people do Halebid as a day-trip, so ironically it's a great place to spend a couple of days since few people stay the night.Halebid (Hale'beedu) literally means ‘the ruined city'. During the 12th and 13th centuries AD, it flourished as the capital of the Hoysala Dynasty for about 150 years. It was then known as Dwarasamudra (Gateway to the seas). However, it was twince attacked by invaders who robbed it of its treasures, leaving behind the ruins of the once-magnificent shiva temple. The Hoysalas then shifted their capital to Belur, leaving behind Halebid, a city once grand and since reduced to poverty and ruins.
Founded around AD 1000, Halebid was the centre of the Hoysala kingdom until the capital was moved to Belur perhaps a hundred years later.
The Hoysaleswara Temple is arguably the finest in all India. The most distinctive features of the Hoysala style are the star-shaped ground plan, lack of a tall spire, and superb sculpture. Dedicated to Shiva it has two shrines (the other for Parvati, Shiva's wife) each with a large Nandi. The friezes which cover the whole exterior are rather battered but were obviously even finer than those at Belur.
The Kedareswara Temple and some Jain temples 1 km further on are very fine, but you will do better spending your time at the Hoysaleshwara.
This ancient of Hoysala's was founded in the early 11th century and named Dwarasamudra, after a huge artifical lake dating back to 9th century. The flourishing capital city had a small fortress with a magnificent palace. It was fortified with a wall of enormous boulders and a mnoat that was connected with the lake. Halebid attained glorious heights during the reign of ?Ballala-II, the grandson of Vishnuvar\dhana. The prosperity of Halebid attracted the forces of Delhi Sultanate, who invaded and annexed the town in 1311. In 1326, it was again attacked and ravaged by the forces of Mohammad bin Tughlak. Repeated invasions and the killing of king Ballala III, in the battle against the sultan of Madura in 1342, forced the Hoysalas to relinquish their beautiful capital, which was then rteferred as ‘Halebid' or the ‘Old Capital'. The Hoysalas built over 150 exquisite temples in southern Karnataka, but the temples at Halebid, Belur and Somnathpur are considered to be outstanding.