Somnathpur ( Hoysala wonder ), Karnataka, India - Info by Sundar Palaniappan
13th century Hoysala monument at Somnathpur, Karnataka, India
Somnathpur ( a.k.a Somanathapura ) is located on the left bank of river Kaveri.
The Keshava temple of Somnathpur is said to be constructed in 1268 A.D. by Somanatha Dandanayaka who was an illustrious general of the Hoysal king Narasimha III ( 1254 – 1291 A.D. ) and Somnathpur was named after him.
One of the proud monuments of Hoysalas
This temple is a perfect example of the Hoysala style of architecture. It has three sanctums on the West, South and North, which are dedicated to Keshava, Venugopala and Janadhana respectively. All three sanctums are connected.
Keshava temple at Somnathpur is an ornately carved temple of craftsmanship depicting Vishnu, Saraswati, Ganesh, Rathi-Manmatha and Mahishasura.
The ceilings and doorjambs leading to the sanctum sanctorium are exquisitely carved.
Old inscripitions at Somnathpur
There are inscriptions in old Kannada engraved on a slab standing at the entrance, inside the temple, dated from 1269 to 1550 A.D. that detail the construction of the temple and grants made to it.
Practicalities in reaching Somnathpur
Somnathpur is located 30km from Mysore city. Somnathpur can be approached from Mysore in two different routes.
The better route
The first route is through Mysore - T.Narasinghapura – Bannur road. If you are a bus traveler, there are good number of private and government bus services from T.Narasinghapura to Somnathpur. The road on this route is better when compared to Bannur – Somnathpur road
The other way of reaching Somnathpur is through Mysore – Bannur – Somnathpur. The bus services through this route are more crowded when compared to the aforesaid route of T.Narasinghapura – Somnathpur.
Somnathpur is a tiny hamlet and one may find only few cookie shops.
The Keshava temple at Somnathpur is well maintained by ASI and is open to public between 9am and 5 pm on all days.