Somanathapura Temple

The Chennakeshava temple at Somanathapura was completed in 1268 and is the most complete surviving Hoysala building, built on a star-shaped platform with three shrines around a common hall, the whole set within a pillared cloister. Hoysala builders used chloritic schist, a soapstone soft enough when quarried to be carved almost like wood and hardening on exposure, which allowed the density of detail: horizontal friezes of elephants, horsemen, foliage and epic scenes run round the base, and larger figures stand above, with ceilings inside worked into deep coiled patterns. It was inscribed by UNESCO in 2023 with Belur and Halebidu.

What you actually see

• The star platform - the stepped stellate base the temple stands on.
• The frieze bands - elephants, horsemen and epic scenes around the base.
• The three shrines - a triple sanctum around a shared hall.
• The ceilings - deep coiled soapstone patterns inside the hall.

When to go

October to March; Karnataka's plains are hot from March. Morning light rakes the friezes best. The site is quiet compared with Belur and Halebidu.

Honest expectations

The main images in the shrines were damaged and the temple is no longer in worship. Some outer figures were defaced historically. The site is compact and a visit takes under two hours.

Nearby

Mysore lies west; Talakadu is south on the Kaveri.