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Ideal Trip Duration: 2-3 Hours

Base Station: Halebid, Hassan (32 Kms)

Nearest City to Halebid: Bangalore (211 Kms), Mysore (148 Kms)

Best Time to Visit Halebid: November to March

Peak Season: November to March

State: Karnataka | District: Hassan

Halebid Weather: Maximum - 38°C
Minimum - 20°C

At a distance of 17 km from Belur, 34 km from Chikmagalur, 32 km from Hassan, 148 km from Mysore & 211 km from Bangalore, Halebidu is located in Hassan District of Karnataka State. Halebid (or Halebidu) is famous for the beautiful Hoysala Temples of Hoysaleswara and Kedareswara built in 1121 AD. It is one of the three Hoysala temples nominated for UNESCO World Heritage Sites (other two being the temples at Belur & Somnathpur). The Hoysala temples are known for minute & intricate carvings and sculptures with metal like polishing.

Halebidu was the glorified royal capital of the Hoysala kingdom in 12th Century. Halebidu, which was previously called Dorasamudra or Dwarasamudra, got the name 'Halebidu' literally meaning 'The Old City' because it was ruined two times during the invasion of Malik Kafur. The temple town comprises two Hindu temples, the Hoysaleswara, Kedareswara temples and two Jain basadis. There is an archeological museum in the temple complex. These temples are surrounded by a big lake. The town gets its name from the lake. Soap stone / Chloritic Schist was used for the construction of these temples.

The Hoysaleswara temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, is built on a star shaped platform. This temple enshrines Hoyasaleswara and Santaleswara. Ketumalla, a minister of Vishnuvardhana the Hoysala ruler, built Hoyasaleswara temple during 1121 AD and attributed to his king Vishnuvardhana and Queen Shantala Devi. The construction of the temple took about 105 years to complete. The walls of the temple are covered with an endless variety of depictions from Hindu mythology, animals, birds and dancing figures. Each sculpture in the temple is unique and beautifully carved.

The Kedareswara temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is built in Chalukya style. This was built by King Ballala II is considered to be a gem of architecture. It was decorated with sculptures and panels in typical Hoysala style. The basement shows the rows of Elephants, Horse, Lion and an imaginary animal called Makara.

Mangalore Airport is the nearest airport, which is 185 km from Halebid. Nearest Railway Station is at Hassan, which is about 32 km from Halebid. It has trains from Dharwar, Cannanore, Bangalore, Mysore, Shimoga and Arsikere. Hassan is the base station to travel to Halebid and it is well connected by bus with Halebid. Hassan is linked with Belur, Halebid, Chikmagalur, Shravanbelgola, Bangalore, Mangalore and Mysore by bus.

Hoysala Mahotsava, a dance festival held in the temples of Belur and Halebid is celebrated in the month of March. It is one of the important festivals in Belur and Halebid. This place can be visited throughout the year. Usually it takes 2-3 hours to visit temples in Halebid.

Temple Timings: 9 AM to 6 PM.

OTHER INFO
Internet Availability: Poor
STD Code: 08177
Languages Spoken: Kannada, Hindi, English
Major Festivals: Details Not Available
Notes/Tips:
None

HOW TO REACH HALEBID / HALEBIDU


By Air

Nearest Airport: Mangalore - Mangalore Airport (185 Kms)

By Train

Nearest Train Station: Hassan Railway Station (32 Kms)

By Bus

Nearest Bus Station: Halebid Bus Station (0 Kms)

7 PLACES TO VISIT & THINGS TO DO IN HALEBID / HALEBIDU


Historical & Heritage

At a distance of less than 0.5 Kms from Halebid Bus Station, Hoysaleswara Temple is the primary attraction of Halebid. Built in Hoysala style of architecture, this temple is listed in UNESCO World Heritage Site along with other Hoysala temples at Belur & Somnathpur.

Built in 1121 AD, the temple has two shrines, one dedicated to Hoysaleswara and another for Shantaleswara named after Shantala Devi, Queen of King Vishnuvardhana. Standing on a star-shaped platform, the temple is made out of soap stone. Both the shrines are located next to each other with a common portico. The shrine.....


Museum & Gallery

At a distance of about 0.5 Kms from Hoysaleshwara Temple in Halebid, Archaeological Museum is situated in front of the Hoysaleswara Temple. Established in early 1970s, this museum has more than 1500 sculptures & inscriptions of historical significance recovered in and around Halebidu.

The collection is displayed in a closed sculpture gallery as well as in an open air museum with a large reserve collection. It also display 18 feet Tirthankara image from the ruined tank of one of the Jaina basadis. The open air museum has in its display many sculptures of importance like.....


Historical & Heritage

At a distance of about 1 KM from Hoysaleshwara Temple in Halebid, Kedareshwara Temple is a Hoysala temple built by King Ballala II and his younger Queen Abhinava Ketala Devi in 1319 AD.

Kedareswara Temple is a fine example of Hoysala style of temple architecture. The carved ceilings of the temple are supported by finely polished pillars. The magnificent idol of Nandi Vahana in its lying posture adds extra elegance to the temple. Unfortunately portions of the temple collapsed and they are never restored again.

The main shrine is raised over a beautiful star-shaped platform of.....


Historical & Heritage

At a distance of about 1 KM from Hoysaleshwara Temple in Halebid, Basadi Halli (or Jain Mandir) is situated between Hoysaleshwara Temple and Kedareshwara Temple.

There are three Jain temples at Basadi Halli - Parshwanatha Swamy Temple, Adinatha Swamy Temple and Shantinatha Swamy Temple. Parshwanatha Swamy Temple is an important structure with wonderful carvings. The 12 pillars that hold the doom have been cut in a fine and attractive manner. The pillars have been carved well that the images differ from one another.

The Parshwanatha Swamy figure is made out of black stone and.....


Historical & Heritage

At a distance of 82 km from Kemmangundi, 64 km from Chikmagalur, 27 km from Belur & 12 km from Halebid, Belavadi is a village situated in Chikmagalur District and is famous for Sri Veera Narayana Temple built in Hoysala architectural style. The place is described as Ekachakranagara of Mahabharata and is said to be the place where Pandava prince Bheema killed the demon Bakasura and protected the village and its people.

The Veera Narayana temple was built in 13th century by the Hoysala King Veera Bhallala II. This temple is dedicated to Load Vishnu in three different forms. While Belur.....


Historical & Heritage

At a distance of 25 km from Chikmagalur, 40 km from Hassan, 165 km from Mangalore, 154 km from Mysore and 217 km from Bangalore, Belur is very famous temple town situated in Hassan District of Karnataka State. It is renowned for the grand Hoysala Temple dedicated to Lord Chennakesava, an incarnation of Vishnu. It is the best of three Hoysala temples nominated for UNESCO World Heritage Sites (other two being the temples at Halebid & Somnathpur). The Hoysala temples are known for minute & intricate carvings and sculptures with metal like polishing.

Belur was the early capital of the.....

Distance (From Halebid): 17 Kms
Trip Duration (From Halebid - Including Travel): 4 Hours/Half Day
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Historical & Heritage | Pilgrimage

At a distance of 140 Kms from Bangalore, 50 Kms from Hassan & 83 Kms from Mysore, Shravanabelagola is one of the most popular Jain pilgrimage center in South India. This place is named after the pond in middle of the town (Bela-Kola means White Pond). This is one of the popular weekend getaways from Bangalore and a major heritage / historical site in Karnataka.

Shravanabelagola is famous for the Bahubali Statue which is supposed to be the tallest monolithic stone statue in the world with a height of 58 feet carved out of a single block of granite. The Gomateswara temple is built on top.....

Distance (From Halebid): 81 Kms
Trip Duration (From Halebid - Including Travel): 1-2 Days
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