The Hoysala kingdom rose to power in the 11th century in the Malnad region of present-day Karnataka. King Vishnuvardhana, the most prominent Hoysala ruler, expanded the kingdom through military campaigns against the Cholas and Chalukyas. His minister Ketamalla commissioned the Hoysaleswara Temple as the largest Shiva temple of the dynasty. The temple was built at the height of Hoysala architectural achievement.
Halebidu (Dwarasamudra) served as the Hoysala capital. The temple's construction took approximately four decades. After the Hoysala decline in the early 14th century, Halebidu was sacked by Malik Kafur's forces (1310-1311 CE) and later by the Delhi Sultanate under Muhammad bin Tughluq. The temple's shikhara (tower) has not survived — it was either destroyed during invasions or was never completed.
The surrounding city was destroyed, but the temple, built entirely of stone, survived substantially intact. In the 19th century, the temple attracted the attention of British archaeologists and art historians. A. Nilakanta Sastri wrote that the temple 'was perhaps the highest achievement of the Hoysala school, though its present ruined condition renders it difficult to realise this.'
The temple was under the care of the Mysore Archaeological Department from the late 19th century and has been maintained by the ASI since Indian independence.
