Book excerpt: The social life of the queens of Hoysala period are presented in the beautiful Shilabalika sculptures of Belur temple. This highly illustrative book recreates the world of Hoysala queens by shedding light on how the queens got groomed in various fields of arts and sports. A comparative study of Manasollasa and the Shilabalika panels prove that a study of the literary source Manasollasa is essential to understand the activities depicted in the immortal beauties of Belur temple.