Hoysala Kingdom

Hoysala Kingdom
1000–1346
Hoysala kingdom, c. 1050 – c. 1355
Capital	Sosavur (1026–1048) Belur (1048–1062) Halebidu (1062–1300) Tiruvannamalai (1300–1343)
Common languages	Kannada Sanskrit
Religion	Hinduism Jainism
Government	Monarchy
King
• 1026–1047	Nripa Kama II
• 1047–1098	Vinayaditya
• 1098–1102	Ereyanga
• 1102–1108	Veera Ballala I
• 1108–1152	Vishnuvardhana
• 1152–1173	Narasimha I
• 1173–1220	Veera Ballala II
• 1220–1234	Veera Narasimha II
• 1234–1263	Veera Someshwara
• 1263–1292	Narasimha III
• 1292–1342/43	Veera Ballala III
• 1342/43-1346	Veera Ballala IV
History
• Established	1000
• Disestablished	1346
Preceded by Succeeded by Western Chalukya Empire Vijayanagara Empire Delhi Sultanate Madurai Sultanate

Part of a series on the
History of Karnataka
Topics Political history of medieval Karnataka Origin of Karnataka's name
Polities Kadambas and Gangas Chalukya Empire Rashtrakuta Empire Western Chalukya Empire Southern Kalachuri Hoysala Kingdom Vijayanagara Empire Bahmani Sultanate Bijapur Sultanate Kingdom of Mysore Hyderabad State Nayakas of Keladi Nayakas of Chitradurga Haleri Kingdom Unification of Karnataka
Categories Architecture Forts Economies Societies
v t e

The Hoysala Kingdom was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. 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.

The Hoysala era was an important period in the development of South Indian art, architecture, and religion. The empire 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.^[1] These three temples were inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2023.^[2] The Hoysala rulers also patronised the fine arts, encouraging literature to flourish in Kannada and Sanskrit.