The great city of Dwarasamudra flourished as a Capital of the Hoysala Empire during the 12th & 13th centuries. During the reign of Veeraballala II, the grandson of Vishnuvardhana, it reached the greatness of its zenith. Veeraballala II extended his empire from sea to sea between the Cauvery & Krishna rivers. 

On account of certain reasons this came to decadence stage. The renovation work was undertaken by the State Government about 30 years ago & the town as well as its area gradually improved. The climate is pleasant. There are buses running from Hassan, Arasikere & Belur. There is a big tank which feeds thousands of acres of land wherein sugarcane & paddy are grown. 
The sculptural work of the temples is based on Shastras & importance. One can collect the information to his maximum desire. 

Belur, which houses some famous temples is 17 Kms from Halebid, the other nearby famous place is 

Sharavanabelagola (approx. 85 Kms), which has the biggest Gomateshwara Statue. 

Halebid is 27 Kms north west of Hassan and 17Kms from Belur. This place is also called as Dwara Samudra, the wealthy capital of the Hoysala Kingdom. Halebid has several striking beautiful Hoysala temples and Jain Shrines. 

Another famous temple is the Keddareshwara Temple where the sculptor's virtuosity seems to have surpassed even the goldsmith's skill in its sheer intricacy. One Kilometer from the Halebid temples is the Basti hills where there are Jain Bastis with gleaming black stone pillars.

The Hoysaleshwara temple, standing on platform like a casket, is a sculptural extravaganza, richly endowed with most finely detailed scroll work in stone. Outside there is a Nandi( the sacred bull, a vehicle of the Lord Shiva) and a hillock where a palace stood, connected to the temple by a passage. Inside its dark depts., the queen Shantala Devi beckons from an alcove. 

The figure of mortals and immortals are larger compared to Belur and are beautifully chiseled in shinning black stone. The walls of the temples are covered with variety of gods and goddesses, animals, birds and dancing girls. There is a museum on the lawns with 12-13th century sculptures and the gold coins in use at the time. 

The nearest Airports are Bangalore,219 Kms & Mangalore which is 191Kms. The nearest Railhead is Hassan which is connected to other major junctions like Bangalore, Mysore & Mangalore. 

Hassan is the closest town to Halebid and travel between the two towns can be either through local cabs that can be arranged by the Hotel where you are residing or through local travel agents.