The besieged ocean, Dwarasamudra - Halebeedu itinerary

The Hoysaleswara temple at Halebeedu is one of the 3 key temples of Hoysala architecture. The other two are at Belur and Somnathpura. In addition to these three temples, there are also smaller temples which bear testimony to the wonder that is Hoysala architecture.

Hoysaleswara Temple

The Hoysaleswara temple was earlier the capital of Halebidu during the 12th and 13th centuries and during that time, the city was called Dwarasamudra. This seems to have been constructed during the reign of Vishnuvardhana although there are currently no inscriptions in the temple regarding the same.

Subsequently. after the Delhi sultans plundered the city, the place was abandoned and Dwarasamudra was no longer the capital of the Hoysala kingdom.

When we reached Hoysalewara temple, it was early in the morning. The sun rays shone from behind the marvelous grey structure.

As we enter the south gate, Lord Ganesha welcomes us on one side while on the other side we see the below sculpture of what looks like a yaali on the other side.

Hoysalewar temple has been built in the dvikuta type which has two linga sanctuaries.

Before the we enter, we see that there are pyramidal structures on either side of the entrance.

The insides of the temple have huge pillars in the typical Hoysala style. There are elaborate carvings on the ceilings of the temple insides as well.

The main deity, a Shiva linga can be seen in the image above.

The below scene in one of the mandapa walls shows Sala king (founder of the Hoysala dynasty) fighting beasts.

We can see perforated screens at various parts in the temple which seem to have been added at later points in time.

The carvings that run on all the walls of the temple have elaborate scenes from various epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharatha and even from Bhagvata Purana. The scenes are so detailed that one can imagine the whole story based on these.

Huge sculptures of Lord Narsimha can be found in more than one place within the temple. On a side note, we were also able to find similar Narasimha sculptures in the Kedareswara temple at Halebeedu.

When sunlight falls on the grey-green chloritic schist sculptures, the temple and the sculptures look simply stunning.

The precision of the carvings in all Hosala temples is beyond compare.

One of the astounding sculptures is that of the 10 headed Ravana shaking Mount Kailasa (on his head) that you can see below. The sheer intricacy and detailing of this sculpture is just amazing. As it was quite high for us, we took as many photos of the Kailasa mountain as possible, came back home and zoomed in on the picture.

Tirthankara

As we come out of the main temple, we see a tall thirthankara standing next to a well maintained lawn.

We spent a few minutes at the tirthankara statue and rested for a bit under the shade of the trees in the lawn. The Dwarasamudra lake can be seen from the lawn as well.

Parshvanatha and Adinatha Basadi

From the Tirthankara statue, we went to the Parshwavantha and Adinada Basadi that is just about a minute away.

This Basadi is very peaceful and although you might be done exploring the place in under fifteen minutes, it is a great place to just sit and soak in the calmness.

Again, not many tourists here.