Kedareshwara Temple Halebidu - Lord Shiva Temple

Located just beside the renowned Hoysaleswara temple at a distance of 500 metres, this wonderful temple is often overlooked due to the fame of the former. Built using soapstones by Veera Ballala II and his younger Queen Abhinva Ketala Devi of Hoysala dynasty around 1200 A.D, this Kedareshwara temple is majestic in every way in contrast with its small size. Historians praise this temple as there were probably few things in India, which would have conveyed a better idea of what its architecture was capable of doing. The temple stands on a raised platform around 5 to 6 feet above the ground level. Though it is dedicated to Lord Shiva, it has equal importance for Vishnu mythology too.

The temple has 9 levels of friezes from the basement and you can refer to the description about the friezes here. Above the friezes are the 200 different sculptures of the various godly forms and mythological stories. The four star-shaped pillars on either side of the entrance which are the usual masterpiece of Hoysala art welcomes the visitors. The entire temple is beautifully studded with images of Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Lakshmi, Saraswathi, Krishna, Varaha, Ganesh, etc, each holding their own weapons in different postures.

The ceilings and the spiked pillars inside the temple are the most beautiful parts to touch and feel. The sculptures in the corners of the walls share the limbs with each other on either side. This part of imagination and execution shows that the Hoysalas had mastered the art of 3 Dimensions and had understood the Geometry very well. The temple is a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India, which requires importance among the tourists visiting Hoysaleshwara temple of Halebidu, as it looks deserted most of the time!