Somnathpur Temple

This is one of the three Hoysala temples listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site.Somnathpur is a small village on the banks of the river Cauvery that was founded by the commander of the Hoyasala army, Somnath. The village is famous for its splendid and grand Keshava temple that has been built in the Hoyasala style.The Keshava temple at Somanathapura is another magnificent Hoysala monument, perhaps the last. This is a breathtakingly beautiful Trikuta Temple dedicated to Lord Krishna in three forms Janardhana, Keshava and Venugopala.The Keshava temple at Somanathapura is another magnificent Hoysala monument, perhaps the last. This is a breathtakingly beautiful Trikuta Temple dedicated to Lord Krishna in three forms Janardhana, Keshava and Venugopala.

History of Somnathpur Temple
The history of the Chennakeshava temple is inscribed on the stone slab at the main gateway of the temple. The construction of the Chennakeshava temple, is the one dedicated to lord Keshava was started by Somanatha, a high-ranking officer under Hoysala King Narasimha III (1254-1291 AD.). He founded a village on the banks of the Cauvery and then embarked on constructing temples in a bid to further his immortality. It is a splendid example of Hoysala style of architecture, is the last major temple of the Hoysala dynasty.

Statue of Lord Vishnu Keshava Temple, Somnathpur
The basement of the outer wall is highly ornamented with friezes of elephants, scrolls, epic and puranic scenes, small images with intervening turrets and columns with

figures in between, number of gods and goddess and their attendants adorn the walls. The lathe turned pillars and delicately carved sixteen different types of ceilings are the characteristic feature of the hoysala architecture. The names of a number of sculptors, i.e . Mallithamma, masanathamma, chameya, bhameya etc, are carved on the pedestals of the images. It is observed that mallithamma has not only carved the -maximum number of images but also carved the northern sikhara that of Janardhana cell. People visiting Somnathpur can also visit places called Mudukuthore (famous for Mallikarjuna temple), Talakad (famous for Vaidyanatheswara temple and other temples submerged in sand), Shivanasamudram (also called Bluff and Shimsa which is famous for Gaganachukku and Bharachukku water falls). Somnathpur is ideal and worth visiting place for one day picnic. Accommodations are not available at Somnathpur, therefore one can stay at Mysore.

Distance to Somnathpur: Bangalore: 140 km, Mysore: 30 km