Halebidu was capital of the Hoysala Empire between the when Jainism maintained a strong presence in the region. The region was called Dorasamudra or Dwarasamundra during the rule of Hoysala. Bittiga, is considered the greatest king of Hoysala kingdom was a Jain till around 1115 after which he converted to Vaishnavismunder the influence of the Hindu saintRamanujacharya. However, he still recognized Jainism on par with Hinduism. During their regime, Hinduism and Jainism co-existed with utmost religious harmony. Vishnuvardhana's wife Shantala Devi remained a follower of Jainism. These temple were later maintained by Maharaja of Mysore. There are three basads in this complex: The Parshvanatha Basadi was built by Boppadeva in 1133 A.D. during the reign of King Vishnuvardhana. Boppadeva was the son of the notable Gangaraja, a minister under Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana. The construction of the temple coincided with the victory of Narasimha I as the royal heir to the throne. The deity therefore is called Vijaya Parsvanatha. The Shantinatha Basadi was built around 1192 A.D., during the reign of Veera Ballala II. The Adinatha Basadi is the smallest of the Jain basadis also built in. A monolith of Bahubali which was present inside this temple but now displayed outside Halebidu museum. In 1930, the temples along with the town were plundered by Malik Kafur, general of Alauddin Khalji and were destroyed in period of 16 years during the Siege of Dwarasamudra and the invasion by Muhammad bin Tughluq was followed shortly after the during the Siege of Dwarasamudra. The Wodeyar of Mysore & Ummathur, Nayakas of Keladi were hostile Jains. In 1683, they stamped linga symbol in the main basati of Jains in Halebid and Jains were forced to perform Shiva rites.
Architecture
While Hoysaleswara temple and Kedareshwara temple are famous workmanship, The Jain basadis are famous for architectural tradition. The temples are great example on dravidian architecture. ;Parshvanatha Basadi Parshvanatha Basadi is notable for its architecture. This temple is famous for the beautiful navaranga halls and exquisite carvings on the lathe turned pillars. these pillars are massive placed to each other, which according to Kurt Bruhn signifies "the many layers karma that ways us down with their black color representing timelessness, like it is for tirthankars". The ceiling of the mandapa and mahamandapa is ornate with the sculpture of yakshaDharanendra at center. The temple has a Ardhamandapa and a Mahamandapa with a monolithic idol of Parshvanatha in Kayotsarga posture. Sculptures of yaksha Dharanendra and yakshiPadmavati are present in the mahamantapa. There is a famous image of Padmavati with three hooded cobra over her head and with fruits in three hands and a weapon in forth. This temple is the largest among three Jain basadis in Halebidu. The temple also features niches for idols of the 24 tirthankaras. ;Shantinatha Basadi Shantinatha Basadi consist of a garbhagriha, ardhamandapa, mahamandapa, large granite pillars with the inner sanctum consisting of a block stone image of Shantinatha, the sixteenth tirthankar. The merloned structure is supported by a square pillared porch with granite pillars. The adhisthana mouldings are similar to Parsvanatha Basti. A series of lathe-turned pillars supports the ceiling. The previous Mahamastakabhisheka was organised in January 2010. ;Adinatha Basadi Adinatha Basadi is a small non-ornate temple consisting of garbhagriha, mandapa with the image of the Adinatha and beautifully carved the Hindu goddessSaraswati. The original idol of Adinatha was a staut figure in lotus position; However, kept in navaranga hall after it broke. There is a statue of Jina equal in the height to other two basadi. The sanctum is bereft of superstructure. The basadi complex also includes a monolithic 18 feet tall manasthamba and Hulikere kalyani.
Excavation
In 2019, remains of Jain temple were found near Parshvanatha Basadi. In excavated structure around 10 sculptures were found, these sculptures have been moved to Halebid museum. ASI started constructing a compound wall around Jain complex but during construction few Jain sculptures were found along with basement structure of another Jain temple. The sculptures were move to museum. However, the temple structure was damaged due to use of heavy earthmoving machinery. It is speculated that there are more Jain temples under earth, but ASI has not been able to excavate those.
Restoration
These Jain basadi complex is protected by Archaeological Survey of India and are now proposed as UNESCO World Heritage Site. A compound wall is being built around the temple structure found 2019, more than 1,000 sculptures have been found this area, ASI is planning to built open air museum for display. These idols include an idol of Goddess Ambika represented as salabhanjika with her child in one hand and amra-lumbi in other. Department of tourism has issued Rs. 30 crores to facelift Belur and Halebidu for improving religious tourism. The Jain temples other than Parshvanatha Basadi, Shantinatha Basadi and Adinatha Basadi in Haledbidu are in lesser state of preservation. Halebidu is also on route followed by luxury tourist train - Golden Chariot.
