The detailed carvings all around the temple walls. No wonder this temple took so many years to construct. Can see the amount of dedication each artist would have put into these carvings. Seems like this one is showing a normal evening enjoying life. Totally a guess though.

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Hoysaleswara Temple is the main attraction and a 900-year-old monument in Halebidu or Dwarasamudra, the capital of the Hoysalas. This is one of the finest Hoysala temples. Every visit to this place brings peace and calm to me always. Each time I have visited Chikmagalur, a stop at Halebidu while coming back to Bangalore has become a kind of ritual for me. The Hoysaleswara temple which is dedicated to Lord Shiva too is filled with intricate carvings and engraved sculptures. The shrine is built on an elevated star-shaped platform and displays beautiful scrollwork in stone.&nbsp;

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Hoysaleswara Temple - Halebidu

The monolithic Nandi bulls. Nandi, the great bull which is Shiva’s vehicle, is an essential part of a Shaiva temple. The Nandi is a vast monolith and measures about twenty feet from the nose to the tail. It is about eleven feet from the hump to the pedestal.Check out the level of intricate details that have been carved on the Bull. To imagine that they worked on a single rock and polished it to this level, simply amazing. &nbsp;It's sad to see miscreants displaying their artistic skills on the Nandi. It has been cordoned off for good reasons, to prevent miscreants from damaging the Nandi any further.

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The monolithic Nandi bull at  Hoysaleswara Temple Halebidu

Intricate carvings at Hoysaleswara Temple Halebidu

The sculptures that invite you into the shrine. Though damaged, they highlight the level of sophistication in Hoysala architecture. Wonder how they were able to carve out hollow hands in the first place. Many invaders have rampaged this centuries-old temple that has seen numerous rulers and kings.&nbsp;

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The entry to the Hoysaleswara Temple Halebidu

As is common with almost all the monuments especially religious ones, the invaders or the conquerers usually rampaged and damaged the sculptures. The heads of most of the sculptures in the temple have their heads cut off as in the one above.&nbsp;

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Sculptures with the heads cut off - Hoysaleswara Temple Halebidu

The multiple layers of carvings. Our guide explained that the band which has lions carved is pretty unique. If you examine them closely, none of the lions resemble the other. You will also find thousands of intricately carved sculptures depicting the Hindu mythological epics “Ramayana” and ” Mahabharata “. The base of the main temple has a frieze of rows of elephants in relief, and above that is a row of lions, and the third frieze above has foliage, and this is surmounted by friezes of galloping horses, scenes of mythological episodes (from Ramayana, Mahabharata, etc). Another row of yalis (a mythical animal), swans, etc, all intricately wrought. Above this, there is a row of taller figures of gods and goddesses and the various manifestations of Vishnu etc., on the wall, all wonderful works of art.

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Depicting the Hindu mythological epics Ramayana and Mahabharata

Looks like a band from the past. Wonder how the music would have 900 years ago. The music instruments though look similar to the harmonium and drums we play today.

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A band from the past - 900 years ago at Hoysaleswara Temple Halebidu

The base of the main temple has a frieze of rows of elephants in relief, and above that is a row of lions, and third frieze above has foliage, and this is surmounted by friezes of galloping horses, scenes of mythological episodes (from Ramayana, Mahabharata, etc)

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Elephants at the base of the temple - 900 years ago at Hoysaleswara Temple Halebidu

Giant Ganesha statue at Hoysaleswara Temple Halebidu. The statue is in a very good condition as well.

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Giant Ganesha statue at Hoysaleswara Temple Halebidu

The platform has some interesting motifs on its side. The base of the main temple has a frieze of rows of elephants in relief, and above that is a row of lions, and third frieze above has foliage, and this is surmounted by friezes of galloping horses, scenes of mythological episodes (from Ramayana, Mahabharata, etc), and another row of yalis (a mythical animal), swans, etc, all intricately wrought. &nbsp;The upper part of the Outer&nbsp;dividers portrays statues of Hindu Deities, for example, Shiva Parvati, Krishna, Vishnu, Varaha Rup, Narsimha, and so forth.

Intricate carvings at Hoysaleswara Temple Halebidu

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