During a recent trip to Mysuru, seeing our penchant for visiting slightly off-beat places, our friendly and kind homestay host suggested we should visit the Somanathapura temple complex. A simple Googling revealed that it was an astonishing sight, almost hiding in plain sight - just about 35 kms from the Mysuru railway station. Built more than 750 years ago by Somanatha Dandanayaka, a powerful Hoysala general, the Chennakesava temple (also known as the Kesava temple) is a beautifully architected temple complex which, along with the Hoysala temples at Halebidu and Belur, was declared as part of the World Heritage Site by UNESCO in September 2023.
So, we thanked our host and headed off to Somanathapura the next day.
As we set out for Somanathapura, it became clear that the place has still largely stayed off the radar of the regular tourists. The road was pretty empty, and as it zoomed out of Mysuru, the surroundings started to become increasingly quieter and blissfully greener.
We reached Somanathapura after about an hour and a half. Apart from some local travelers and a few foreigners, the temple complex was pretty tourist-free, even during the long weekend of 26th January.
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A quadrangular stone corridor with an eastern entrance encircled the courtyard. The temple stood above a slightly elevated and star-shaped base at the centre of the stone courtyard. And right from the base to the top, it was covered with exquisite carvings and sculptures depicting everything from the animal world to the mythical one.
Like many ancient Indian temples, one of the significant themes on the temple was a series of animal carvings. The dominant theme among these seemed to be elephants, followed by horses, snakes, and a few mythical animals.
Beyond that, there were carvings that depicted part of daily life back then.
Above that, there are larger and more intricate sculptures of Yakhsas, Vishnu’s avatars and a number of other mythical figures.
The sanctum of the temple generally has a more divine and spiritual theme. There are grand sculptures of various deities and an intriguing ceiling designed to evoke the sense of spirituality.
The above is just a glimpse to this extraordinary temple complex. If you are into history and/or archelogy nerd, you will be engrossed for hours within this place. If you are someone who is into exploring off-beat places, it will still take you a good 3-4 hours to explore this temple complex thoroughly.
So next time you are in Mysuru, probably take out some time to visit Somanathapura and carry a rich tapestry of memories back with you.
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Some tips.
1. By road is the best option. Take the Kanakpura highway. You can either drive or book a cab/auto from Mysuru. The road, like most Southern Indian roads, is great to drive along.
2. Avoid the summers. You have to enter the temple complex bare-footed, and the stone-laden courtyard can get extremely hot under the sun. Even during winter, aim for the early hours, as the stone courtyard will still get very hot under the sun.
3. If you are looking for great photos, go on a clear, sunny, day. The temple creates exquisite contrasts against the azure skier and rows of coconut trees behind the complex.
4. And last but not the least, go there now before it becomes too crowded!