Hoysala temples are now also included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Hoysala temples include Channakesava Temple, Hoysaleshwara Temple and Kesava Temple. This temple, built in the 12th century, is the 42nd monument of India and the fourth of Karnataka to be included in the World Heritage List. This temple and how to reach here…
The Hoysala temple was built during the Hoysala dynasty. The Hoysala dynasty built many temples and religious places during their reign. A very beautiful example of this is the Hoysala temple of Karnataka. Hoysala temples are so beautiful that it is said that poetry is written on the stones. They were built by a mixture of Dravidian and Nagara styles, but Dravidian style is more prevalent.
Hoysala Temple Channakesava Temple, located in Belur, is the largest of the Hoysala temples and is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The Hoysaleswara Temple in Halebidu is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Keshav Temple is smaller than this but its beauty is worth seeing. Statues of various gods and goddesses are carved on the walls of these temples. Another specialty of these temples is that they are built in crooked shapes.
Halebidu is 150 km from Mysore. It takes three hours to reach here from Mysore. You can reach here easily by train or flight. Apart from this, you can also come here easily from Bangalore. It takes about 4 hours to reach Hoyalbidu from here.
Apart from these three temples, you can also visit many other tourist places like Kedareshwar Temple, Gorur Dam, Basadi Halli, Archaeological Museum, Shravanabelagola. Kedareshwar temple is also a part of the Hoysala temple. The statue of Nandi situated here adds to the beauty of this temple. Shravanabelagola is a major Jain pilgrimage site in South India. Basadi Halli has three very famous Jain temples – Parshvanath Swamy Temple, Adinath Swamy Temple and Shantinatha Swamy Temple. You can also enjoy visiting these important places.
