Once the capital of the Hoysala Empire after Belur, Halebid is famous for the remnants of the glorious Hoyasala period and has one of the finest Hoysala temples.During the reign of Veeraballala II, the grandson of Vishnuvardhana, it reached the greatness of its zenith.
The main attraction is the Hoysaleswara Temple, which comprises of two temples joined by a single platform. The second temple is the Shantaleshwara Temple. It took more than 100 years to build and are still incomplete. Some of the sculptures are hollow, rather than being simply carved onto the walls. Vastu shastra has been followed to make the temple extremely comfortable even in hot weather. One wall, for instance, is completely solid to block out the afternoon sun, whereas the other has numerous perforations to allow air and light to enter without increasing the temperature inside. The resultant inner space is cool, dim and lovely.
How To Reach
By Rail - The nearest railhead is in Hassan.By Road - Halebid is well-connected by a network of roads to Bangalore, Mysore and Mangalore. Situated around 33 km from Hassan,regular buses ply from Hassan.
By Air - The nearest airport is at Bangalore about 226 km away.