Somnathpur
the exterior of the Keshava temple along with one of the three gopuras; Somnathpur, Karnataka.
The rain in Tadiyendamol had us back in Mysore for the night and on our way to Somnathpur the next morning. We took the deviation just outside Mysore towards Bannur, the road being well layed, but it only lasted for a while as the road got worse and we were reduced to going at low speeds all the way to Somnathpur. What greeted us was a large lawn with the temple hidden inside another walled compound.
Not being as famous as Belur and Halebidu, this Hoysala period temple sees a lot less tourists, making it a lot more calmer even on weekends. The Keshava temple stands in the middle of the pillared enclosure which consists of 64 smaller temples. The three gopuras in a single structure give the temple its a unique shape and hold the idols of Venugopala, Keshava and Janardhana. One thing not to be missed are the intricate carvings on the ceilings inside the temple. While the idols still exist inside the temple, they remain now merely as statues as pooja is not performed here due to the desecration done a long time by muslim invaders.
The best way to enjoy the intricacies of the temple is to hire a guide after you have finished one round of the temple by yourself. Our guide Devaraju (whom I would recommend if you ever land up there) showed us around and we got to know of the seated Vishnu, dancing Ganesha, statues of Rama, Indra and Brahma and a lot more while going around and inside the temple.
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deepsan) wrote,
