Hoysala architecture is the building style in Hindu temple architecture developed under the rule of the Hoysala Empire between the 11th and 14th centuries, in the region known today as Karnataka, a state of India. Hoysala influence was at its peak in the 13th century, when it dominated the Southern Deccan Plateau region. Large and small temples built during this era remain as examples of the Hoysala architectural style, including the Chennakesava Temple at Belur, the Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebidu, and the Kesava Temple at Somanathapura. These three temples were accorded UNESCO world heritage site status in 2023. Other examples of Hoysala craftsmanship are the temples at Belavadi, Amruthapura, Hosaholalu, Mosale, Arasikere, Basaralu, Kikkeri and Nuggehalli. Study of the Hoysala architectural style has revealed a negligible Indo-Aryan influence while the impact of Southern Indian style is more distinct.
Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, also referred to as Lakshminarasimha temple of Bhadravati, is a 13th-century Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, built by the Hoysala ruler Vira Someshwara. It is located in Bhadravati, Shimoga District of Karnataka state, India. The temple opens to the east and has three sanctums, one each dedicated to Venogopala, Lakshminarasimha and Vishnu-Puroshottama. It is notable for its Vesara architecture, with artwork that includes legends and deities of Vaishnavism, as well as those of Shaivism, Shaktism and Vedic deities. Important reliefs include those of Ganesha, Dakshinamurti, Bhairava, Sarasvati, Brahma, Surya, Harihara, and others. The temple's original shikaras were ruined, and have been restored with a conical structure. According to Adam Hardy – a scholar of Indian temple architecture, this temple has two "exceptional" stellate structures highlighting the architectural sophistication of the Hoysalas.
The Lakshminarayana Temple is a 13th-century Hindu temple with Hoysala architecture in Hosaholalu, Mandya district of Karnataka, India. Dedicated to Vishnu, this three-shrine monument is notable for its finely carved plinth (adhisthana) with panels of the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Bhagavata Purana. It has one of the most beautifully embellished Hoysala tower projection (sukanasa) that integrates the Dravida motifs with asta-bhadra Bhumija motifs from central India. Also notable are polish and jewelry-like carvings inside the temple's mandapa.
The Ishvara temple, also referred to as the Ishwara or Isvara temple, is an early 13th-century Hindu temple in Arsikere, Hassan district, Karnataka India. Dedicated to Shiva, it is one of the most notable early Hoysala architecture examples with a rotating circular plan, a domed mandapa with 16-point star shape, a pancatala vimana, and a galaxy of artwork depicting Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Vedic legends of Hinduism.
The Amruteshvara temple also spelt "Amrutesvara" or "Amruteshwara", is located in the village of Amruthapura, 67 km north of Chikmagalur town in the Chikkamagaluru district of the Karnataka state, India. Located 110 km from Hassan and 50 km from Shimoga on NH 206, Amruthapura is known for the Amruteshvara temple. The temple was built in 1196 CE by Amrutheshwara Dandanayaka under Hoysala King Veera Ballala II.
Bucesvara temple, also referred to as the Buceswara, Bucheshwara or Bhucheshvara temple, is a 12th-century Hindu temples in Koravangala village, Karnataka, India. The most sophisticated historical temple in the village, it is considered to be the flag-bearer of Hoysala architecture and was built by a wealthy patron named Buchi during the reign of king Ballala.
The Lakshminarasimha temple at Haranhalli, sometimes referred to as Lakshmi Narasimha temple of Haranhalli, is one of two major historic Hindu temples that have survived in Haranhalli, Karnataka, India. It is triple-shrine temple dedicated to Vishnu, while the other – Someshvara Temple, Haranhalli few hundred meters to the east – is dedicated to Shiva. Both temples reflect a Vesara-style Hoysala architecture, share similar design ideas and features, and were completed in the 1230s by three wealthy brothers – Peddanna Heggade, Sovanna and Kesanna.
The Kaitabheshvara temple is located in the town of Kubatur, near Anavatti in the Shimoga district of Karnataka state, India. The temple was constructed during the reign of Hoysala King Vinayaditya around 1100 AD. The Hoysala ruling family was during this time a powerful feudatory of the imperial Western Chalukya Empire ruled by King Vikramaditya VI. According to the Archaeological Survey of India, the architectural signature of the temple is mainly "Chalukyan". Art historian Adam Hardy classifies the style involved in the construction of the temple as "Later Chalukya, non mainstream, far end of spectrum". The building material used is soapstone The temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Kedareshwara Temple is a Hoysala era construction in the historically important town of Halebidu, in the Hassan district of Karnataka state, India. It is located a short distance away from the famous Hoysaleswara Temple. The temple was constructed by Hoysala King Veera Ballala II and his Queen Ketaladevi, and the main deity is Ishwara. The temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Panchalingeshwara Temple in Govindanahalli, Mandya district, Karnataka state, India, was constructed around 1238 A.D. during the reign of the Hoysala empire King Vira Someshwara. The name "Panchalingeshwara" literally means "five linga". The temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India. The famous sculptor of Hoysala times, Ruvari Mallitamma, is known to have made contributions to the temple.
The Rameshvara temple is a 12th-century Shiva temple in Kudli, Shimoga district, Karnataka India. It is an early non-ornate, Hoysala construction with simpler Vesara style. The village of Koodli – also spelled Kudli, Kudali – was a major town through the 14th-century and of great antiquity, with ruins of over eight major Hindu temples and monasteries. It is located about 18 kilometres (11 mi) north-east of Shimoga city, the district headquarters. The town gets its name because it is situated at the confluence of the Tunga and Bhadra tributaries that form the Tungabhadra river.
The Saumyakeshava temple at Nagamangala was constructed in the 12th century by the rulers of the Hoysala empire. Nagamangala is a town in the Mandya district of Karnataka state, India. It is located 62 km from the historically important town Mysore, on the Srirangapatna-Sira highway. Historically, Nagamangala came into prominence during the rule of Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana when it became an important center of Vaishnava faith and received patronage from one of his queens, Bommaladevi. During the rule of Veera Ballala II, Nagamangala prospered as an agrahara and had the honorific Vira Ballala Chaturvedi Bhattaratnakara. The temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Akkana Basadi is a Jain temple (basadi) built in 1181 A.D., during the rule of Hoysala empire King Veera Ballala II. The basadi was constructed by the devout Jain lady Achiyakka, wife of Chandramouli, a Brahmin minister in the court of the Hoysala king. The main deity of the temple is the twenty-third Jain Tirthankar Parshwanath. The temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India. It is part of an Archaeological Survey of India Adarsh Smarak Monument along with other temples in the Shravanabelagola group of monuments.
The Brahma Jinalaya, sometimes called as the Greater Jain Temple of Lakkundi, is an early 11th-century Mahavira temple in Lakkundi, Gadag District of Karnataka state, India. The temple is attributed to Attiyabbe, the wife of the local governor Dandanayaka Nagadeva. It faces east, has a mukhamandapa, a gudhamandapa and its sanctum is covered by a sur-temple style vimana superstructure. The temple is notable for its reliefs depicting Jaina artwork, statues of the Tirthankaras and the two statues of Brahma and Saraswati inside its inner mandapa.
The Group of temples at Talakadu, located about 45 km south-east of the culturally important city of Mysore in the Karnataka state of India are ancient Hindu temples built by multiple South Indian dynasties. Archaeological excavations of the sand dunes at Talakad have shown the existence of several ruined temples built during the rule of the Western Ganga dynasty (c.345-999). However, according to historian I. K. Sarma, only two temples, the Pataleshvara and Maraleshvara, built during the reign of King Rachamalla Satyavakya IV (r.975-986) are intact. According to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the Vaidyeshvara temple, the largest, the most intact and ornate of the group bears Ganga-Chola-Hoysala architectural features. Its consecration is assignable to the 10th century with improvements made up to the 14th century. According to the art historian Adam Hardy, the Kirtinarayana temple was built in 1117 A.D. by the famous Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana to celebrate his victory over the Cholas in the battle of Talakad. It has currently been dismantled by the ASI for renovation. Only its mahadwara is intact. The Sand dunes of Talakad are protected by the Karnataka state division of the ASI. The Vaidyeshvara and Kirtinarayana temples are protected as monuments of national importance by the central Archaeological Survey of India.
The Chennakeshava temple, dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu is located in the village of Hullekere, in the Arasikere Taluk, about 22 km from the commercial town Arasikere. It was built in 1163 A.D. by a minister of Hoysala empire king Narasimha I. The art historian Adam Hardy categorizes the architectural style as a single shrine (vimana) construction with miniature vimanas, the basic building material being Soap stone. The monument is protected by the Karnataka state division of Archaeological Survey of India.
The Lakshminarasimha temple at Vignasante is a 13th-century Vishnu temple in the village of Vignasante, Tumkur district, Karnataka, India. The three-shrine temple is dedicated to Venugopala, Narasimha and Lakshmi Narayana. One of the late temples built before Hoysala empire came under sustained attacks from the Delhi Sultanate, it illustrates the mature Hoysalanadu architectural tradition. The fully carved, three storey Vesara vimana of this temple is notable.
The Yoga Madhava temple, dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu is located in Shettikere, in the Tumkur district of Karnataka state, India.
Jain hoysala complex in Halebidu, Hassan district consists of three Jain Basadis dedicated to the Jain Tirthankars Parshvanatha, Shantinatha and Adinatha. The complex is situated near Kedareshwara temple and Dwarasamudra lake. The temple complex also includes a step well called Hulikere Kalyani.
Chavundaraya basadi or Chamundaraya basadi or Boppa-Chaityalya is one of the fifteen basadis located on the Chandragiri Hill in Shravanabelagola in the Indian state of Karnataka. Archaeological Survey of India has listed the Chavundaraya basadi in group of monuments in Shravanabelagola as Adarsh Smarak Monument.
