HOYSALA KARNATAKA
Family - Origin

Hoy Sala, literally means Kill Sala, Sala being the name of a lad who was asked by his teacher 'Guru' to kill an intruding lion, when the class was in progress. The valiant boy fought the animal and apparently won the battle!. Such was the courage and tenacity of the people living in south western part of Kannada land that gave birth to the Hoysala Dynasty. The stylized sculpture  depicting Sala fighting the lion became the mascot of a generation of warriors who called themselves Hoysalas.

Hoysala dynasty of South India, c.1110–1326. It had its origins in the last half of the 11th century, when Vinayaditya (1047–98) ruled an  area centered on Dorasamudra (modern Halebid), which became the dynasty's capital. His grandson Bittiga (later called Vishnuvardhana; reigned c.1110–42) made extensive conquests, including the Mysore 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 North of Mysore and made the dynasty the most powerful in South 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 Mysore, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.

The Gadasalli ancestors lived in the Hoysala land and probably held important positions in the Kingdoms of that period. 

Sala Killing the Lion. Sculpture in front of  Chennakeshava temple at Belur