Town · The Hoysala kingdom of Veera Ballala II · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Belur

The older Hoysala capital, on the Yagachi.

The Chennakeshava temple was built by Vishnuvardhana, in 1117 on the usual account, after the victory over the Cholas at Talakad (Wikipedia, Hoysala Empire). By 1200 it has stood eighty-three years, with the Veeranarayana temple and later shrines in its enclosure, and is a Srivaishnava centre. The kings have moved to Dorasamudra, sixteen kilometres away, but Belur remains a royal town with temple lands and a market.

Who holds it

Name
Veera Ballala II (through his officers; the temple trustees are not named)
Title
lord or governor
Confidence
low

Lord in 1200

Veera Ballala II (through his officers; the temple trustees are not named)

What the town holds

Royal town since Vishnuvardhana.

Allies and rivals

Under the king; the temple's Srivaishnava heads are the strongest local voices.

How things stand that morning

A temple city of the demesne. Peaceful; rights and endowments are the business.

Wealth

Temple endowments and trade; no figure.

Communities

Srivaishnava Brahmins and priests; Jain households from the older Hoysala court; the royal servants

Fairs and markets

The temple car festival is annual; its month is not pinned in our sources

Walls and castle

Temple enclosure with gates; no wall for the town is recorded

Trade and crafts

Temple services, stone carving and bronze work, weavers, the pilgrim market

Places of note

  • Chennakeshava temple: Vishnuvardhana's temple of 1117, the oldest of the great Hoysala shrines

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Temple and date are firm; the town's organisation is not in our sources.

Primary sources for Hoysala kingdom

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

  • Epigraphia Carnatica: inscriptions of the Mysore country, Various (Hoysala chancery and temple scribes), edited by B. Lewis Rice and R. Narasimhachar (inscriptions of the 4th to 19th centuries; the series ran from 1886 to 1905, revised from 1972). The Hoysala kingdom of Veera Ballala II (reigning 1173 to 1220) is documented almost wholly by the inscriptions in this series, arranged by district and taluk with full English translations. Read online
  • Inscriptions of the Silaharas, Various (Silahara chanceries), edited by V. V. Mirashi (inscriptions of the 9th to 13th centuries; edited 1977). Collects the records of the three Silahara houses: North Konkan (Thana), South Konkan, and Kolhapur.
  • Sanskrit and Old Canarese Inscriptions relating to the Yadava Kings of Devagiri, Various (Yadava chancery), edited by J. F. Fleet (inscriptions of the 12th and 13th centuries; edited 1876). The first collected edition of the Yadava (Seuna) records, with texts and translations, from the Indian Antiquary. Read online
  • South Indian Inscriptions (Archaeological Survey of India), Various (Chola, Pandya and other chanceries and temple scribes), edited by E. Hultzsch, V. Venkayya, H. Krishna Sastri and successors (inscriptions of the 7th to 17th centuries; the series ran from 1890). The temple inscriptions printed here are the primary record of the Tamil country in 1200. Read online

Sources and studies

  1. Hoysala Empire, Wikipedia (read for this sheet)
  2. Hoysala architecture, Wikipedia (read for this sheet)
  3. OMNIA board notes for the place (a lead, checked against the other sources)

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.