The ancient Hoysala capital houses the ornate Hoysaleswara and Kedareswara temples, and is one of the well visited tourist attractions of Karnataka. It is located at a distance of 149 km from Mysore and 31 km from Hassan. The Hoysaleswara temple is a masterpiece, studded with a profusion of carvings. Thousands of figures appear on its walls. The basement of the temple has the most richly sculptured friezes. Horsemen charge, war elephants charge, all in stone. Scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata add to the grandeur. The Kedareswara temple built by King Ballala II, at Halebidu, now in ruins is considered to be a gem of architecture. As with the Hoysaleswara temple, this temple has classic friezes, and scenes from the epics. There are a 180 images set under floral toranas in the upper parts of the walls.