Halebid

State : Karnataka
Distance : 226 km W of Bangalore. Journey time by road 4 1/2 hrs.
Location : situated a short distance from the foothills of the western Ghats. 16 km from belur. 32 km from hassan and 90 km from Sravanabelgola.
Route : NH 04. to Nelamangala ; NH 48 to Hassan via Kunigal. Yediyur and Channarayapatna; state highway to halebid

Halebid is one of Karnataka’s open secrets. Although supposedly on the well – worn tourist path. I have seldom met people who have actually been to halebid. And the once who have seen the place – well they’ve been there done that and said little about it.

Capital of the Hoysala Empair which flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries Hale Bedu
( old city ) is the most apt of several names that are tagged on to this little town in Karnataka. Another ancient name was Dwarasamudra gateway to the sea – indicating the numerous water bodies that must have been in the vicinity at the time. A town on can walk about in should one choose to do so halebid is still one of those deserted places that unexpectedly comes upon you round a bend in the road. And surprises you with its charm. It is surrounded by fields which now cover the area of what used to be a large tank providing irrigation to the surrounding areas.

On clear days from the road one can see the Gomateswara statue at Sravanabelgola looming n the distance. Owing to its proximity to Bangalore. Most people do halebid as a day trip, so ironically it’s a great place to spend a couple of days since few people stay the night.

There’s nothing to do in Halebid except walk around the temples, admire the carvings and breathe deeply. The main attraction is the Hoyasaleswara Temple, which actually comprises two temples joined by a single platform. The second temple is the Shantaleswara Temple. Together they took roughly 100 years to build and are still incomplete. This temple is set in a pristine lawn and the restoration work done on the temple gives one an impression of impeccability. The highlight is the nature of carvings done on the walls which are so intricate as to resemble carving done on sandalwood rather than stone.

Halebid is in almost pristine condition after almost a thousand years of living history visiting is a pleasure partly due to that fleeting sense of reconnaissance one experiences on seeing the Hoyasaleswara Temple a relic from almost forgotten history textbook and partly owing to jewellery – like sculpture of the temple.

The best part of Halebid is its finely executed carved sculptures. Along with Khajuraho and konark, Halebid is one of those temples with ornate carving which are precisely done. These are so numerous on the walls that they should from a noisy cluster with humans and animals speaking to each other but they don’t. the temple although incomplete resembles a finely engraved casket. Some of the sculptures are actually hollow, rather than being simply carved on to the walls. So a stick passed into the ear of a figure can come out through the nose and so. On strict Vastu Shastra has been followed to make the temple extremely comfortable even in hot weather. One walls. for instance is completely solid to block out the afternoon sun. whereas the other has numerous perforation to allow air and light to enter with out increasing the temperature inside. The resultant inner space is cool, dim and lovely.

Where To Stay

In Halebid Karnataka Tourism’s Mayura Shanthala
Phone No : 08177 – 773224. Tariff Rs – 150 – 275.

Tourist Cottages
Phone No : 08177 – 773224. Tariff Rs – 210 – 275

The Suvarna Regency
Phone No : 08177 – 264006 / 266774 / 264279. Tariff : 303 – 880.