Hoysala, dynasty of S India, c.1110–1326. It had its origins in the last half of the 11th cent., when Vinayaditya (1047–98) ruled an an area centered on Dorasamudra (modern Halebid, near Hassan), which became the dynasty's capital. His grandson Bittiga (later called Vishnuvardhana; reigned c.1110–42) made extensive conquests, including the Mysore (South Karnataka) plateau, and built magnificent temples at Dorasamudra that were noted for their intricate and elaborate sculpture. Bittiga's grandson, Vira Ballala II (reigned 1173–1220) extended Hoysala control into N Karnataka and made the dynasty the most powerful in S India. The Hoysalas later came into conflict with the empire of Vijayanagar and the Muslim sultans of Delhi, and the last Hoysala rule was overthrown in 1346. At its height the dynasty ruled over parts of the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
See J. M. Derrett, The Hoysalas (1957).
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