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Hassan District
Halebid
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Hoysaleswara Temple
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Hoysaleswara Temple

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Hoysaleswara Temple
4.5
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
768 reviews
Excellent
543
Very good
204
Average
19
Poor
1
Terrible
1
SMLikestoTravel
Bengaluru, India262 contributions
Must visit Hoysala-era Shiva temple
Nov 2023 • Family
Personally, we found the Belur Chennakeshava temple to be more beautiful and better preserved/intact carvings. But that doesn’t mean that one can skip this - no absolutely not. Never ending series of beautiful sculptures and carvings take your breath away. Sad to see the destruction caused by Muslim invaders.
Written 26 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sonal Agarwal
Bengaluru, India47 contributions
Serene place to watch sunset and sunrise
Sep 2023 • Family
We visited this temple on the way to Bangalore from Chikkamagaluru. Its one of the most beautiful temple I have ever visited. The architecture takes you back to the ancient times and one can feel how old it is. Hoysaleswara temple, also referred simply as the Halebidu temple, is a 12th-century Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is the largest monument in Halebidu, a town in the state of Karnataka.
There is large garden surrounding the temple and one can enjoy the view of not only the temple but also sit and relax. There is a huge lake also. The whole premises is beautiful and scenic. We really loved the place. we wanted to spend more time by sitting but had no time and left for Bangalore.
There is no entry feel. Feel free to take videos and pictures. There is washroom available. Parking fee is 50/- and dont park outside on the road, they still charge 50/-.
Written 19 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TheWorldNut
Bangalore District, India582 contributions
Marvellous
Apr 2023
I have been to many temples, beautiful and ornate including the likes of Aihole, Hampi, Khajuraho to name a few, but with due respect to the artists of other empires the exquisite carving by Hoysala artists at Halebeedu is totally class apart. It is said that the skills of the Hoysala sculptors surpassed those in gold jewellery and the later looked up to the carvings on stone for inspiration for making jewellery designs. It's unfortunate that the place suffered so much destruction and what we see these days is only a fraction of what was, in fact the name Halebeedu itself means destroyed city after all the plundering and destruction made the city change the name from that Dwarasamudra (Gateway to Ocean) to Halebeedu (Destroyed City).

The site is now maintained by ASI and the entry is free. However there is an official/ unofficial car parking fee of 50/- charged. There is also a museum but it is closed on Public holidays. There is an open garden with tree shades and one can plan a picnic also if needed.

The guide charges are 500Rs. and totally worth it as they will help you appreciate the details and the hidden gems, else there is so much that everything looks beautiful but at the same time - the same.
Written 12 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Praveen Babu
3 contributions
Terrible and threating
Dec 2022 • Family
Today I visited the temple at Halbeidu and had a very bad experience by the people who are managing the parking. I went to drop my family at the temple and they were demanding and behaving like goons to take the parking fee even if I came to drop them there and leaving.

They were not allowing my family to enter the temple and behaving rude with them until I was made to forcefully pay the money.

The amount is not big, but the kind of behaviour and pestering people should not be done especially in these kind of historical and heritage places.

Most pathetic thing is that there is no one who can be approached at the temple to lodge a complaint.
Written 30 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Prabir
3 contributions
Beauty in black
Dec 2022
The two Nandies, the time frozen sculpture. Need plans of the erstwhile capital of the Hoysalas at site, the museums need to be a little more organized.
Written 30 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nithya18
Gurugram (Gurgaon), India54 contributions
Beautiful temple
Aug 2022 • Family
Stunning architecture and worth every minute of this experience. Must visit if in Chikmagalur. Makes one appreciate the skill of the artisans who built this temple over 900 years ago.
Written 16 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SudhirJoshi
Bengaluru, India159 contributions
Must visit historical place
Apr 2022 • Family
1. Beautiful temple, well maintained with lush green grass at the entry.
2. Plenty of parking slots for cars
3. No entry fee
4
Written 4 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kovai Ponna
Chennai (Madras), India16 contributions
Stones that speak
Apr 2022
A Sculptural wonder to be seen and admired. Lot and Lot and Lot of sculptures put together and made as a temple. Very minute carving to see and admire. As there is a saying that every stone is a sculpture, only thing is that the skilled artist removes the unwanted portion of the stone to reveal the real beauty that is hidden in that. And some body has done this.

Temple is maintained well. But there could be some more lightings inside and brightness could be improved. Lot of sculptures are damaged and further getting damaged.

A well maintained Lawn and a lake are there nearby to relax.

However this can be made a good tourist attraction by providing a proper parking lot, a good decent restaurants, Toilet facilities, eateries, some light and sound shows etc..,
Written 20 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
prakashorchid
Mumbai, India97 contributions
Architectural Crown Jewel of Hoysala Dynasty
Oct 2021
This temple will leave you spellbound. The entire temple is filled with sculptures and carvings of every kind, so intricate and accurate that you wont belief it was done in hard rock. It was constructed around 3000 years back, at the peak of the Hoysala rule and dedicated to Shiva. The 3 shiva lingas and the 3 Nandis facing the lingas are central to the temple. The outer facade has intricate carvings, each one surpassing the other in beauty and craftmanship. There is a large lawn surrounding the temple and a museum as well. This temple alongwith a few others in the vicinity are a must visit in Halebidu, Hassan district, Karnataka.
Written 25 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amith Kumar S
Bengaluru, India234 contributions
Halebeedu - The last of the Hoysalas
Aug 2021
After visiting the beautiful temple at Belur, one has to visit the Hoysaleshwara Temple in Halebeedu. Both Belur and Halebeedu are part of the Hassan district and are the few remaining architectural marvels of the Hoysala Dynasty. Halebeedu was the ancient capital of the Hoysalas, the city never recovered post the attacks and has been in ruins for centuries now.

The temple is very clean and has a lot of beautiful stories associated with it. The parking is right around the corner, it would cost you 50 INR. You have some small eateries for you to get some snacks and fresh coconut water. There is no entry fee to the temple and one should spend on hiring a guide as they would explain everything about the temple and share some amazing stories.

The temple has stories about the Ramayana, Mahabharatha, and Bhagavad Gita. The guide would be more than happy to take you around and explain each of these stories in detail. It takes you a good hour or two to explore the temple. It is one of the biggest Shiva temples built during that era although now a lot has changed over the years and everything is not the same.
Written 21 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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