Hassan

Hassan, in south Karnataka, has a history closely tied to the rise and glory of the Hoysala Empire and the older temple traditions of the region. The area around present-day Hassan was part of ancient Gangavadi and later came under the Western Ganga and Chola dynasties, with small agrarian settlements, tank irrigation and village temples scattered across a fertile landscape.

From the 11th–14th centuries, Hassan district became the heartland of the Hoysalas, whose early capitals at Belur and later Halebid (Dwarasamudra) lie here. Under kings like Vishnuvardhana and Veera Ballala, the Hoysalas expanded their kingdom and commissioned some of India’s finest stone temples, including Chennakeshava at Belur and Hoysaleswara at Halebid, turning the region into a major centre of art, architecture and Vaishnava–Shaiva devotion.

After the decline of the Hoysalas, the area passed to the Vijayanagara Empire, then to local Nayakas and later the Wodeyars of Mysore, remaining an important agrarian and temple zone. Under British rule, Hassan town grew as a district headquarters and market centre, connected by roads and later rail to Mysuru and Mangaluru. In modern Karnataka, Hassan’s identity blends its role as an administrative and coffee–sugarcane-producing district with its outstanding Hoysala temple heritage that draws pilgrims and tourists from around the world.