Chennakeshava Temple Somanathapura

Somanathapura is in Mysore district, Karnataka, India. It is about 35 km from Mysore and 10 km from T Narasipura. Somanathapura is situated to the left bank of the river Kaveri. Chennakeshava temple in Somanathapura is the perfect example of Hoysala architecture. The temple was built by Soma, the higher commander of Hoysala army in 1268 A.D. under Hoysala king Narasimha III, when the Hoysala Empire was the major power in South India. This is strictly a Vaishnava temple and there are no depictions of any forms of the Hindu God. Inside the temple there are three Sanctums in the west, south and north where the deities are Keshava, Venugopala and Janardhana. There are inscriptions 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. It is an ornately carved temple of magnificent craftsmanship depicting Vishnu, Lakshmi, Saraswathi, Ganesha, Rati Manmatha and Mahishasura. The ceilings and door jambs leading to the sanctum sanctorium are exquisitely carved. The material used for the temple is soapstone. According to the Mysore archaeological reports, it was built by the famous architect and sculptor Ruvari Malithamma who was well known for his expertise in ornamentation. The outer walls of all three shrines, their towers and Sukanasi are equally well decorated, making it overall a very well balanced design. The Ramayana is depicted on the friezes on the south wall, stories of the Hindu God Krishna on the rear and depictions from the epic Mahabharata on the north wall. The overall effect of the decorated towers, wall images and friezes is well balanced.