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...