SSC
The Hoysaleswara Temple is located in:
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Answer: Option C — Karnataka
Detailed Solution
The Hoysaleswara Temple is located at Halebidu (Halebeedu), in the Hassan district of Karnataka.
About the Hoysaleswara Temple:
It was built in the 12th century (from about 1121 CE) during the reign of the Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana. Its construction was sponsored by wealthy citizens and officials, such as Ketamalla and Kesarasetti.
It is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
It is a "twin temple" (dvikuta), with two shrines side by side: one for "Hoysaleswara" (named after the king) and one for "Shantaleswara" (named after Queen Shantala Devi).
Each shrine has a Nandi pavilion in front.
It is built of soapstone (chloritic schist), which is soft when freshly quarried and allows very detailed carving, but hardens with exposure to air.
Its outer walls have bands of very fine carvings: rows of elephants, lions, horsemen, scrolls, scenes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagavata Purana, and gods and goddesses. No two elephants in the frieze are said to be identical.
The temple was never completed; its towers are missing.
Halebidu was the Hoysala capital, called "Dwarasamudra". It was attacked and plundered by Malik Kafur (the general of Alauddin Khalji) in 1311 and again later, after which it was abandoned. "Halebidu" means "old capital" or "ruined city".
About Hoysala architecture:
- The Hoysalas ruled much of present-day Karnataka from the 11th to the 14th centuries.
- Hoysala temples are built on a raised star-shaped (stellate) platform ("jagati"), with a star-shaped plan.
- They are known for extremely detailed carvings and lathe-turned pillars.
UNESCO World Heritage:
In September 2023, the "Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas" were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It includes three temples:
Chennakeshava Temple, Belur (built by Vishnuvardhana in 1117 to commemorate his victory over the Cholas).
Hoysaleswara Temple, Halebidu.
Keshava Temple, Somanathapura (built in 1268 by Somanatha, a general of Narasimha III).
It was India's 42nd World Heritage Site.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Tamil Nadu has Chola and Pandya temples.
- ✗Andhra Pradesh has temples such as Srisailam.
- ✗Maharashtra has the Ellora and Ajanta caves.
Quick tip
Remember: Hoysaleswara Temple = Halebidu, Hassan district, Karnataka (12th century; twin shrines; soapstone; Hoysala capital Dwarasamudra); "Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas" (Belur, Halebidu, Somanathapura) = UNESCO 2023.
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Monuments & Religious Places — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Monuments & Religious Places, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's important monuments, temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and pilgrimage sites, who built them and when, their architectural styles, and India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Questions ask who built a monument, where it is located, or which dynasty or style it belongs to. For example, the Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak, and the Sun Temple at Konark was built by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Revise the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a list, noting the most recent additions. Practise the monuments and religious places questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.