Kedareswara temple, Halebidu, Hassan: History, Timings & Visitor Guide

Kedareswara temple, Halebidu is open every day, usually from early morning to late evening with a break in the afternoon. Darshan and aarti timings change with the season and on festival days.

• MorningOpens early morning (around 5 to 6 AM)
• AfternoonShort break around midday at many temples
• EveningEvening aarti around sunset, closes by about 8 to 9 PM

Ask the temple office on arrival for the day's aarti schedule.

Dress Code & Temple Rules

• DressModest, traditional clothes covering shoulders and knees
• FootwearRemove before entering; use the shoe stand
• PhotographyNot allowed inside the sanctum
• Not AllowedLeather items, tobacco, alcohol, non-veg food
• QueueFollow queue lines and staff instructions on festival days

According to art historian Adam Hardy, the temple was constructed before 1219 CE and is constructed with Soap stone. The usage of Soap stone was first popularised by the Western Chalukyas before it became standard with the Hoysala architects of the 12th and 13th centuries. 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. According to historian Kamath, this is a Hoysala innovation. Hoysala temples normally don't provide a path for circumambulation (pradakshinapatha) around the inner sanctum (garbhagriha). However, the platform provides this convenience in addition to giving the onlooker a good view of the wall relief and sculptures. The outlay of the main shrine (Vimana) is star-shaped (stellate) with two smaller shrines that have perforated windows (called Jali, literally, "sieve") on the sides. According to the art historian Gerard Foekema, star-shaped or "staggered square" (or cross in square) temple plans are quite common among Hoysala constructions, creating multiple projections and recesses in the outer walls. In these projections, the Hoysala architects created repetitive decorative sculptures and reliefs called "architectural articulation".

Since the temple has three shrines, it qualifies as a trikuta, a three shrined structure. Often in trikutas, only the central shrine has a tower while the lateral shrines are virtually hidden behind the thick outer walls and appear to be a part of the hall itself. Despite being a Shaiva temple (related to god Shiva) it is well known for its friezes and panel relief that bare depictions from both the Shaiva and Vaishnava (related to the god Vishnu) legend. The three sanctums are connected to a "staggered square" (indented) central hall (mahamantapa) by individual vestibules called sukanasi. A porch connects the central hall to the platform. The base of the temple wall (adhisthana) around the common hall and the two lateral shrines consist of mouldings, each of which is treated with friezes in relief that depict animals and episodes from the Hindu lore (purana). Historian Kamath calls this "horizontal treatment". The image of the deity of worship is missing in all three sanctums and the superstructure over all three shrines are lost. Some noteworthy pieces of sculpture worthy of mention are the dancing Bhairava (a form of Shiva), Govardhana (the god Krishna lifting a mountain), the god Vishnu as Varadaraja, and a huntress.