After Svranabelagola and a tasty lunch, we stop in the town of Halebid. Here lies one of the two famous Hoysala period temples of the area. Building began in 1121 and lasted over 80 years, but was never completed... It’s setting next to a lake and surrounded by a well-groomed garden and many big trees are very pleasant. Families are pick nicking in the grass enjoying the tranquility of the site. We take a walk around the grounds to soak in the atmosphere before getting closer to the star shaped building. Halebid’s temple is dedicated to Shiva and has a large Nandi bull sitting in a separate area opposite the left entrance, facing the inner sanctum.
As we walk around the exterior you can see intricate carvings of many skilled artists of the time. The bottom row is filled with miniature elephants and as you slowly lift your eye higher, the sculptures keep getting larger and more complex. In the middle you can observe several dance poses, gods, demons, couples playing music or daily life scenes. We follow the crowd of joyful visitors around the building as well as the usual school classes giggling and staring at us. A few touts offer us their postcards and religious trinkets as we leave again, as night begins to fall.
