Hoysala Kingdom
Hoysala kingdom | |||||||||
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| 1000–1346 | |||||||||
Greatest extent of the Hoysala kingdom, c.1050- c.1355 | |||||||||
| Capital |
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| Common languages | Kannada Sanskrit | ||||||||
| Religion | Hinduism Jainism | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| King | |||||||||
• 1026–1047 | Nripa Kama II | ||||||||
• 1343–1346 | Veera Ballala IV | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 1000 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 1346 | ||||||||
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| Part of a series on the |
| History of Karnataka |
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The Hoysala Kingdom was a kingdom originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka, parts of Tamilnadu and South-Western Telangana between the 11th and the 14th centuries CE. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later moved to Halebidu.
The Hoysala rulers were originally from Malenadu, an elevated region in the Western Ghats. In the 12th century, taking advantage of the internecine warfare between the Western Chalukya Empire and Kalachuris of Kalyani, the Hoysalas annexed areas of present-day Karnataka and the fertile areas north of the Kaveri delta in present-day Tamil Nadu. By the 13th century, they governed most of Karnataka, north-western Tamil Nadu and parts of western Andhra Pradesh in the Deccan Plateau (Now Telangana).
The Hoysala era was an important period in the development of South Indian art, architecture, and religion. The Kingdom is remembered today primarily for Hoysala architecture; 100 surviving temples are scattered across Karnataka.
Well-known temples which exhibit what the historian Sailendra Sen has called "an amazing display of sculptural exuberance" include the Chennakeshava Temple in Belur, the Hoysaleswara Temple in Halebidu, and the Chennakesava Temple in Somanathapura. These three temples were inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2023. The Hoysala rulers also patronised the fine arts, encouraging literature to flourish in Kannada and Sanskrit.