Kedareshwara Temple, Halebeedu

Karnataka , Hassan, Bengaluru

Kedareshwara Temple is a Hoysala era construction in the historically important town of Halebidu in Hassan district of Karnataka state, India. Located at a short distance from the famous Hoysaleswara Temple, this temple was constructed by Hoysala King Veera Ballala II and his queen Ketaladevi in the year 1219 A.D and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The Temple was constructed with Soap stone.

Legend

Veera Ballala II (r.1173-1220 CE) was the most notable monarch of the Hoysala Empire. His successes against the Yadavas of Devagiri, the Southern Kalachuris, the Pandyas of Madurai and the waning Western Chalukya Empire, and his domination over the diminishing Cholas of Tanjore took the Hoysalas to their peak of power. His architectural legacy includes numerous ornate temples and the Kedareshwara temple being one among them.

Architecture

The temple architecture reflects the Hoysala style of Temple architecture. The outlay of the main shrine (Vimana) is star shaped with two smaller shrines that have perforated windows on the sides. The temple has three shrines. The three sanctums are connected to a central hall (mahamantapa). A porch connects the central hall to the platform. The image of the deity of worship is missing in all three sanctums and the superstructure over all three shrines are lost. The temple stands on the platform called jagati which is typically five to six feet in height and which can be reached by a flight of steps.

Picture Courtesy: commons.wikimedia.org

Darsan Info

Temple timings : Morning 9:00 AM To evening 8.00 PM

Darsan Dresscode

There is no particular dress code though it is advised to wear clean and conservative attire.

Famous Festival

Shiv Ratri

Culture

Halebidu is a place where lots of historical and ancient temples are around. The climate and culture of the place is always peace loving and is surrounded by ponds and water canals.