It is a town located at the heart of Hassan district in Karnataka, India. The historic name of Halebidu is Dorasamudra (also called Dwarasamudra). Halebidu was considered to be the regal capital of the Hoysala Empire in the 11th century CE. It received the name Halebidu or Halebeedu after it was attacked, damaged, and looted twice by the Delhi Sultanate in the 14th century.

This place is known to house some of the ancient and mesmerizing Hindu and Jain Temples with Hoysala architecture. These show the range of Hindu artwork traditions and the importance of Gods such as Shiva, Vishnu, and Devi that have been fused into the same temple complex and presented with a diversity of regional heritages, accompanied by inscriptions in scripts from South and North India. Similarly, there are variations in Jain artwork also that include the different forms of Tirthankara as well as a Saraswati within its mandapa.

Some of the most notable temples among the Halebidu monuments that the visitors cannot afford to miss are the ornate Hoysalesvara temple, Kedareshwara temple, Jaina Basadi temple, the Hulikere step well temple, and many more. These sites are within a kilometer of each other. It is to be noted that the Hoysaleswara temple is considered to be the only surviving monument in Halebidu.

Locals also call it the Halebidu temple which is a 12th-century temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is considered to be the largest monument in Halebidu. This temple was constructed in the 12th century on the banks of a large, man-made lake that took place under the supervision and sponsorship of King Vishnuvardhana of the Hoysala Empire. During the beginning of the 14th century, this town was twice sacked and looted by the Muslim army of Delhi Sultanate from northern India. Hence, as a consequence, the temple suffered the utmost damage and turned into a state of ruin as well as neglect.

Though this temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, it also comprises many themes from Vaishnavism and the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism, along with some images from Jainism. Moreover, it is a twin-temple dedicated to Hoysaleswara and Santaleswara Shiva lingas and was named after the masculine and feminine aspects that were considered to be equal. It also contains two Nandi shrines outside, each Nandi facing the respective Shiva Linga inside. Besides, this temple is also known to have a smaller sanctum for the Hindu God Surya. Though once this temple used to have superpower towers, now it looks flat due to the damage it was subjected to in the 14th century due to the attack of the Delhi Sultanate.

This temple gained popularity for its sculptures, intricate reliefs, and detailed friezes as well as its history, iconography, and inscriptions in North Indian and South Indian scripts. Though the artwork in this temple has suffered a lot of damage and destruction, it still remains largely intact.