Hoysaleswara temple, Halebidu is one of the largest and finest temples in South India. The sculpture of Hoysaleswara Temple to a certain extent follows the school of Hoysala temple architecture. This particular temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is interesting to note here that the temple was named after Vishnuvardhana Hoysaleswara, Hoysala king. However, the temple was commissioned by affluent Shaiva citizens of Dorasamudra, particularly, Ketamalla and Kesarasetti. The sculpture of Hoysaleswara Temple dates back to 12th century.

Hoysaleswara Temple is two shrined or `dvikuta vimana.` While one of these shrines is dedicated to Hoysaleswara or Lord Shiva, the presiding deity in the other temple is Shantaleswara or Shantala Devi. The entire temple is built by chloritic schist or soapstone. The temple has been built on a raised platform or jagati. Both the shrines face the east direction and each have a mandapa. The two mandapas are connected and hence give a large and imposing view of the hall. Besides these the outer wall is quite ornate with intricate sculptures. The sculptures included the images of the dancers. The dancing poses and the apparels of these statues are detailed and well rendered. Every panel has a different story to tell.

The outer wall of the Hoysaleswara Temple is unique due to the height of the temple. A variety of relief sculptures are to be found on the temple walls. The wall is divided into three sections. The lower base has been designed with eight rows of reliefs. These are accompanied by a variety of animals, such as, elephants, lions, horses, crocodiles and others. The interesting miniatures have been sprinkled with fashionable scrolls. In fact the walls act as picture galleries. Hindu temples can never be far away from the Hindu mythology. The architecture of this particular temple has been interspersed with events from Hindu epics, such as, Ramayana and Mahabharata and Bhagawad Gita.

In fact Hoysaleswara Temple is hailed as representing the entire Hindu divinity. No other temple in the subcontinent is as detailed as this one. This Halebid temple is also considered an iconography on Lord Shiva. Rarely has religious iconography seen Lord Shiva in so many forms. The ornate and profuse sculptures at the temple include the Ganesha statue, the image of Surya, Indian sun god and others. The outer walls also include stone sculptures.

There are four porches for entering the shrine. All the entry porches have miniature shrines. The temple complex is also adorned with a huge image of Nandi bull. Originally the windows of this temple were perforated and these windows were without any art work. The lathe-turned pillars add beauty to the otherwise plain temple interior. There are four ornate pillars in front of each shrine. These also have madanika carved on them in the pillar brackets.

As far as the sculpture of Hoysaleswara Temple is concerned it is mostly popular for its wall sculptures. These wall sculptures start with an image of Lord Ganesha on the on the left hand side of the south entrance and ends with another image of Ganesha on the right hand side of the same entrance. To sum up there are 240 images on the outer wall of the Hoysala temple. The most intricate sculpture ate the lintels that are found on the two doorways.

Breaking away from the traditional form of using five friezes as the base of the temple the Hoysala artists have used two eaves that surround the temple. The top eave is to be found at the roof and the other one has been carved a meter below it. In between the two there are carved miniature towers. Below the second eave one will come across eight friezes and wall sculptures. This type of relief work is called horizontal treatment. it is here that one come across the several kinds of animals: from charging elephants to swift horses. Floral sculptures are also part of the outer walls. These are plain and simple.

Another striking feature of the Hoysaleswara Temple is its Garuda pillar. These were actually erected in memory of the loyalists of the crown. These differ widely from the `viragals` or the hero stones. These are named Garuda as these subordinates served the king as Garuda serves Lord Vishnu. The Garuda pillar was erected in the memory of Kuvara Lakshma, an officer of Vira Ballala II. He sacrificed his life as well that of his wife`s for the safety of the king. The entire event has been carved on the shafts.

The architecture of the sculpture of Hoysaleswara Temple is ranked as one of the finest in South India.