Halebid

Everyone talks about Belur alone. But Halebid temple is in a class of its own. If you asked me, I would say that I find Halebid temple more beautiful than the one at Belur.

Shravanabelagola, Belur and Halebid can be covered as a single day trip from Bangalore, Mysore or Hassan. Or Hassan, which is just 27 kms away, can be a good central point to visit these 3 places.

Halebid ( pronounced Halebeedu ) was called Dwarasamudra, and it used to be the capital of the Hoysala kings during the 12th Century. The Hoysalas shifted the capital to Belur due to 2 reasons. Halebid was attached very often by the invaders from the north. In 1311 Malik Kafur invaded Halebid and carried away all the treasures. In 1326, Muhamad Bin Tughlak invaded and took away what was left. After the death of King Ballalla – 3, the city was reduced to poverty.

In the 17th Century, King Vishnuvardhan abandoned Halebid. He defeated the Chola Kings at Talacad, and built his new capital Belur to commemorate his victory.

Halebid’s temple is one of the finest examples of the Hoysala style of architecture. It is made of soap stone, is a homogeneous structure that stands on a star shaped platform, and has beautiful carvings on the inside as well as the outside of the temple. This temple has 4 doors, and is unique coz it has 2 Garbha Grahas or Sanctum Sanctorum. In both these sanctums are large Shiva lingas. Puja is not conducted here.

I wonder why the king made 2 sanctums in one temple, in one large hall. I am told one is temple of Vishnuvardhan Hoysaleshwawra Linga and the other is of Shantaleshwara Linga. To me, both looked the same.

So, for each of these Shiva Lingas, there is a Nandi which is right in the front, facing the diety. The Nandi’s also have their temple, called Nandi Mandaps, smaller but equally beautiful.

Behind the Nandi Mandap is the Surya temple, the Surya idol is over 2 metres tall, and is beautiful.

The exteriors of these temples are beautiful, decorated with panels of warriors, dancers, horses, elephants, mythical creatures. There are beautiful apsaras, and there are several sculptures of hindu deities, and scenes from Mahabharat, Ramayan and Bhagavat Gita. The sculptures here are larger than the ones you will find at Belur, and are carved on both sides of the stone.

There are other temples in Halebid, They are Kedareshwara temple, Trikuta Temple, Hoysaleswara Temple, Sri Ranganath temple and the Jain Mandir.

I visited only the main temple. It took about 90 minutes to go around , and to look at each and every sculpture. You will recognize most of them as Shiva Parvathy, Bhrahma, Krishna, Arjuna, Ganesha etc. The sculptures are very beautiful. The temple is well maintained, but, as in the case of most monuments in India, there are many sculptures were the hands, parts of jewelry, head and other parts are missing. There are several notices placed here by the Archeological society at vantage points, indicating that it is prohibited to touch the sculptures. But, at many places, you will find scribblings by people, who have tried to engrave their names on the sculptures and on the pillars.

Never the less, whatever we are able to see today is because of the good work of the Archeological society. The lawn and gardens are well maintained. There are several dustbins, so the place is fairly clean.

There are several guides here, whom one can engage for an explanation for each of the sculpture…but, I think, it is better to avoid them.

Right outside the temple, there are several shops selling artifacts made in soap stone.

Halebid temple can get hot in the summer, as the stones get heated up. Wearing socks will be a good option as wearing footwear is not permitted inside the complex.

Getting There :

Road : Halebid is about 220 kms from Bangalore and is well connected by road from Bangalore, Hassan, Mysore and other important places.

For all those who visit Bangalore or Mysore on a vacation, I think visiting Belur, Halebid and Shravanabelagola is a must. Belur is 14 kms South West of Halebid.

Trip Duration : 1 day

Best time : Any time of the year

Accomodation : Hassan has good accommodation facilities. Belur, Halebid and Shravanabelagola can be covered as a single day excursion, either from Bangalore, Mysore or from Hassan.