File:12th-century Ramayana Reliefs At Shaivism Hindu Temple Hoysaleswara Arts Halebidu Karnataka India.jpg
The temple belongs to the Shaivism tradition of Hinduism, yet reverentially presents its Vaishnavism and Shaktism tradition legends and ideas.
The relief panels present legends from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Puranas. Vedic deities such as Agni, Indra and Surya, various avatars of Vishnu, the Hindu goddesses such as Saraswati, Lakshmi avatars, Durga, Kali among others are presented. The carving is three dimensional where reliefs often emerge as statues with depth. Panels are continuous, with one perspective showing one part of the legend, a perpendicular perspective of the same column or wall or corner showing another part of the same legend. The carving material was soapstone.