Jain Group of Temples, Halebidu – History

Jain Group of Temples, Halebidu – History

The Hoysala King Bittiga was a Jain till 1115 CE. He is considered to be the greatest ruler of Hoysala kingdom. He converted to Vaishnavism in 1116 CE under the influence of the Hindu saint Ramanujacharya and changed his name to Vishnuvardhana. However, he still respected Jainism on par with Hinduism. Shantala Devi, wife of Vishnuvardhana, remained a follower of Jainism even after his conversion.

The temple complex consists of three Jain temples namely Parshvanatha Basadi, Shantinatha Basadi and Adinatha Basadi. The Parshvanatha Basadi was built by Boppadeva in 1133 CE during the reign of King Vishnuvardhana. Boppadeva was the son of the Gangaraja, a notable minister under Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana. The construction of the temple was coincided with the victory of the ruler and the birth of Narasimha I as the royal heir to the throne. Thus, the deity was named as Vijaya Parsvanatha (victorious Parsvanatha).

The Shantinatha Basadi was built around 1192 CE during the reign of Veera Ballala II. The Adinatha Basadi was built in 12^th century CE by Devara Heggade Malli Mayya. The Wodeyar of Mysore & Ummathur (1399 – 1610 CE), Nayakas of Keladi (1550 – 1763 CE) were hostile to Jainism. They stamped Linga symbol in the main Basadi of Jains in Halebidu and Jains were forced to perform Shiva rites in 1683 CE.  These temple were later maintained by  Wadiyar dynasty of Mysore.

Halebidu has many Hoysala era Jain temples buried under the earth. The remains of a Jain temple were found near Parshvanatha Basadi in 2019. Around ten sculptures were found in the excavated structure and these sculptures have been moved to the Halebidu Museum. Few sculptures were also found along with the basement structure of another Jain temple when ASI started constructing wall around the Jain group of temples in 2019.

The sculptures were also moved to the museum. However, the temple structure was damaged due to the use of heavy earthmoving machinery. The remains of a 30 m × 20 m (98 ft × 66 ft) Jain temple built during the Hoysala period was discovered near the Shantinatha Basadi during an excavation in 2021. Many artefacts and sculptures were discovered in the temple site. A 2 feet (0.61 m) Jain Upasaka sculpture was also discovered along with the temple remains.

ASI is said to have unearthed more than 1000 sculptures in the area and is planning to build an open-air museum for displaying these sculptures. The Group of Jain Temples, Hoysaleswara Temple and the Kedareshwara temple, as well as the Kesava temple in Belur, have been proposed to be listed under UNESCO World Heritage Sites. ASI has listed all three Basadi in the complex in the list of "Must See" Indian Heritage.

Halebidu was called as Dvarasamudra / Dorasamudra during Hoysala rule. It is derived from two Sanskrit words Dvara (Door or Gateway) and Samudra (Ocean or large water body). Belur was the capital during the early period of Hoysalas. Later, Dvarasamudra became their regal capital under the rule of the Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana and served as the capital of the Hoysala Dynasty for nearly 300 years.

The Hoysala Empire and its capital Dvarasamudra was invaded, plundered and destroyed in early 14^th century by the Delhi Sultanate armies of Alauddin Khilji. Again, Belur and Dvarasamudra became the target of plunder and destruction in 1326 CE by another Delhi Sultanate army of Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq. Dvarasamudra and its temples became ruins, the capital abandoned, and the site came to be called as Halebidu (means old camp or capital).