Hoysaleshwara – Shantaleswara Temple (1141 A.D), Halebedu, Belur Taluk, Hassan District.

BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS COURTESY: MR. DEEPAK of PANDURANGA COFFEE WORKS CHIKMAGALUR























Today's Halebedu was the then capital of the Hoysalas. It stood aloft inside a long stone fort running for about 10Kms. Dorasamudra was the name attached to that big town. Though there were many sculptural niceties in the form of temples and other buildings filled with art and architecture, mostly what we see today are only their remains. Nevertheless as a live symbol of Hoysala Architecture, the twin temple of Hoysaleshwara – Shantaleswara can be witnessed all most relieved even today. During the reign of Vishnuvardhana Raya this temple was erected by commander in chief Ketha Malla about 1120 AD though the first phase of the temple appeared to be completed in 1141 A.D. It has centrifuged all most all the beauty of Hoysala style of Architecture into itself and thus has proven to be a great gem in that lineage. The stone carvings standing along the length and breath walls reflect devotion in the Gods. The delineation in literally solid figures of the serials of the Ramayana and the Mahabharatha epics have been presenting hundreds of morals and models for the life of every one infused with real humanity in him. These themselves are the unwritten, big epics touching the mind and heart of even illiterates.

The idols of the door guards are very tall and drawing our attention inescapably to themselves because of the delicate artistic ornamentations over them. On the southeast corner there exists a little museum of sculptural art. On the east there is the biggest tank of Halebedu beside the temple. In the inscriptions it has been designated as Dorasamudra. The name "Adobe of the Dora Samudra " for the capital of the Hoysalas was derived from this tank itself In the 13th Century the dam was built across the Yagachi near Belur in order to canalize water into the Dorasamudra tank. This fact has been discovered through the inscriptions and relics left over.

A separate Maha Dwara (Main entrance) and a Navaranga (the long and broad interior hall) always precede the sanctum in each temple. Inside the northern sanctum there is the Siva linga going by the name Shantaleshwara. And inside the other sanctum - sanctorum is the Hoysaleswara Siva linga. In front of the eastern entrance of each temple there is a colossal idol of Nandi, carved out of monolithic stone. In addition to the above two sanctums, one of Sun God is also found existing where in shines a seven ft high idol of the Sun God.

There exist four entrances to the twin temple, out of which the southern one is especially bedecked with the beauty of very delicate artwork unimaginable in a stone plate. In front of this entrance there lays an eye capturing 8 ft. lofty Ganapati idol in a hefty form. The eastern entrances are also attractive.

Around this very temple rows or bands of elephants, horses, lions, crocodiles, creepers and swans are found in the form of solid roll models, the bands being arranged one over the other along the enveloping the wall surfaces. There are also arrays of idols depicting the epics in a continuously rolling serial fashion. Beautiful sculptural masterpieces have been contained as engraving in the walls themselves.