A 13th century Hoysala architectural marvel - Somnathpur Keshava Temple

Somnathpur is a small village located at a distance of around 35 km from Mysore. It is famous due to its ancient and architecturally beautiful Keshava temple. It belonged to the 13th century CE and was built by the Hoysalas.

After the collapse of the Ganga dynasty, the Hoysala dynasty was founded in 1006 CE, and the Hoysalas ruled Karnataka for about 350 years. The earlier Hoysala kings were Jains. Vishnuvardhana, a later Hoysala King, embraced Vaishnavism due to the effort of Ramanuja, the great Vaishnavite reformer. The temples that were built by the Hoysalas are unique in style. We can find the best examples of Hoysala architecture in Belur and Halebid. Somnathpur Keshava temple is another finest example of Hoysala architecture, even though it is not as popular as the other two sites.

The army general of the Hoysala king Narasimha III (1254 - 1291 CE), Somnath, founded this village on the banks of the river Cauvery. Hence, the village was named after him as Somnathpur. After getting permission and resources from the king, Somnath built the temple of Keshava in 1268 CE. It is interesting to know that the temple was built not by a king but by a general. Another intriguing factor of this temple is that all the sculptors have put their signatures on their work. 

The temple is unique in design and perfect in symmetry. It is enclosed in a walled courtyard that has a gate and a porch. It is built on an elevated star-shaped platform. The sides of the raised platform are decorated with rich carvings, portraying rows of cavalry, elephants, and scenes from the epics and Puranas. The rows above have sculptures of various Gods, mainly Vishnu, in different forms. 

There are three shrines inside the temple. The temple has three intricately carved pinnacles and a common Navranga. The northern shrine has the idol of Lord Janardhana, and the southern shrine has the icon of Lord Venugopala. The main hall has beautifully carved pillars and ceiling panels. The central shrine is dedicated to Lord Keshava. Keshava, Janardhana, and Venugopala are all different forms and names of Lord Krishna.

The temple was attacked by Muslim rulers in the past. And hence a lot of images in the temple are in broken form. Even the three main icons were broken. As the icon of Keshava went missing,  a replica was installed. As the murtis were broken, the temple is not under worship.

 
The intricacy found in architecture is something, which is difficult to describe in words. The temple has a lot of images mostly related to Vaishnavism or different forms of Vishnu. The dancing Saraswati and the dancing Lakshmi are rare figurines. Matsya - the fish incarnation of Vishnu - is found with a fish face, which is a rare form. Some carvings are representing Kama Sutra. Even though we can find innumerable carvings of cavalry and elephants, each and every carving/idol is unique. Nowhere can we find two similar figures. The figures of a mythological animal, the Hans bird feeding its baby, Narasimha killing Asura, and Indra on the elephant are some of the marvelous examples of sculptures found in the temple surroundings.

The windows look star-shaped from the outside and square-shaped from inside. The roofs have delicate carvings, and the top of each shrine is different from that of others. The pillars inside the temple represent the unique style of Hoysala architecture. 

Happy travelling.

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