Veera Ballala II (Kannada: ವೀರ ಬಲ್ಲಾಳ) (1173–1220 CE) was perhaps the greatest monarch of the Hoysala Empire. This is proven by his successes against the Seuna, Southern Kalachuri, Pandya and the waning Kalyani Chalukya and Chola dynasties. His period also saw prolific literary activity in Kannada. He patronised Ranna and Rudrabhatta. During his forty seven years of rule, the Hoysala kingdom consolidated to the extent of being called an independent empire. The Kedareshwara temple at Halebidu and Amritheswara temple in Chikmagalur were some important temples built by him.

Ballala II was unhappy with the shrinking size of the Hoysala kingdom during the rule of his not too popular father Narasimha I. With the help of some malnad chiefs, Ballala II overthrew his father and assumed control of the kingdom. He later ensured the same Malnad chiefs could not rise against him.

During his early rule in 1178 Ballala II captured Hanagal and tried to reach Belvola where he faced defeat against the Kalachuri. But in the subsequent years with the weakening of the Kalachuri after the assassination of Bijjala II and the waning of the Kalyani Chalukya power, Veera Ballala II once again pressed his claims over these northern territories. He captured Balligavi from the Kalachuri and defeated Chalukya Somesvara IV in 1187. He won a comprehensive victory against the Seuna Bhillama V at Soraturu in 1190 and gained much material and land gains from the victory. An inscription dated 1196 claims he had reached as far north as Kaliburgi (Gulbarga). He certainly had full control over lands up to the Krishna River. However by 1212 it seems some of his gains were lost due to southern incursions of Senua Singhana II.

Veera Ballala is the name of multiple South Indian kings of the Hoysala Empire: