“Hoy, Sala !” in Kannada language means “Strike Sala !”, a dialogue that comes from Kannada folklore. As per the story, a young boy called Sala fought with a lion (or tiger) and saved his Jain Guru named Sudatta. The young warrior became the founder of an empire called ‘Hoysala’ and a depiction of this incident was adopted as the emblem of Hoysala dynasty.

Hoysala Empire ruled the Deccan Plateau region of Southern India between the 10th and 14th centuries. They developed their own style of architecture and built a number of impeccable masterpieces around the kingdom, thus leaving their cultural imprint in and around the region. Several of these architectural wonders still exist in Karnataka, the most prominent ones are listed below in chronological order :

Click the name of a temple to go through a photo tour.

STATUE OF SALA FIGHTING THE LION AT THE ENTRANCE OF CHENNAKESAVA TEMPLE, BELUR. EMBLEM OF HOYSALA EMPIRE

 VEERA NARAYANA TEMPLE, BELAVADI 

Belavadi is a little village located 10 km north-west of Halebid (Halebeedu), the ancient capital of Hoysala kingdom. Belavadi is also known as Ekachakranagara which lies 29Km from Chikmagalur, and a centre for several magnificent temples.

FRONT VIEW OF VEERA NARAYANA TEMPLE, BELAVADI

Sri Veeranarayana Temple at Belavadi is one the best examples of typical Hoysala architecture. This temple also follows the soap-stone structures of other Hoysala masterpieces. This temple was built by King Veera Ballala II in 1200 AD. There is a grand entrance decorated with elephant statues on both sides. It has a trikuta structure (three shrines), every shrine has a complete superstructure (tower on top of shrine), the main idol of Sri Veeranarayana in the center facing East, Sri Venugopala (Krishna) facing North and Sri Yoganarasimha facing south. The spacious mantapas are supported by a large number of lathe-turned stone pillars. The Venugopala idol here is believed to be the most perfect and beautiful one that exists today.

THE GRAND ENTRANCE OF VEERA NARAYANA TEMPLE, BELAVADI

INSIDE THE MANTAP (HALL) OF VEERA NARAYANA TEMPLE, BELAVADI

A CLOSER VIEW OF IDOL AT VEERA NARAYANA TEMPLE, BELAVADI

EXQUISITELY CARVED CEILING OF VEERA NARAYANA TEMPLE, BELAVADI

How To Reach Belavadi :

By Road :-

(Distance 251 Km) Bangalore – Nelamangala – Hassan – Belur – Halebid – Belavadi.

(Distance 227 Km) Bangalore – Nelamangala – Hassan – Hagare – Halebid – Belavadi.

ISHVARA TEMPLE, ARSIKERE

Arsikere in Kannada language means the ‘Queen’s Pond’. It is a small town located in the Hassan district of Karnataka, which is famous for the Shiva temple (known as Shivalaya, Ishvara Temple or Chandramouleshwara temple) built by Hoysala King Veera Ballala II in 1220 AD.  Like any other Hoysala construction, this temple has also been built using soapstone with breathtakingly beautiful sculpures and intricate carvings.  This temple has an extraordinary feature compared to other Hoysala temples, which is a 16-pointed star shaped mantapa (hall) with a dome covering it. The richness and grandeur of Hoysalas is evident in every corner of this temple.

FRONT VIEW OF ISHVARA TEMPLE, ARSIKERE

INSIDE THE 16-POINT STELLATE NAVARANGA MANTAPA AT ISHVARA TEMPLE AT ARASIKERE

CARVING ON THE CEILING INSIDE THE DOME

FRIEZES (STORY DEPICTIONS) FROM THE EPICS ON THE OUTER WALLS DEFACED BY INVADERS

SIDE VIEW OF ISHVARA TEMPLE, ARSIKERE

ANCIENT KANNADA INSCRIPTIONS FOUND INSIDE THE TEMPLE COMPLEX

ANOTHER VIEW OF THE ISHVARA TEMPLE, ARSIKERE

How To Reach Arsikere :

By Road :-

(Distance 194 Km) Bangalore – Nelamangala – Baragur – Arsikere.