The best of the Hoysala Architecture - The Somnathapura temple! @tripototravelcommunity

Well, with all these things; we still have a choice to escape into some of the serene places within a couple of hours drive and this is when I decided to get lost in the architectural spectacle of Somnathapura.

At a distance of 140km, this place has vivid tales to narrate about the brilliance of Hoysala architecture. The temple is peaceful and without any crowd on weekdays but over the weekends, this place is entirely crammed by the locals and tourists.

I started from Bengaluru at 8 AM after a lot of dilly-dallying and after binging on yummilicious idly vada from my favorite Kadambam restaurant on the Mysore highway just after Channapatna Police-station, my mind was finally fixed on going to Somnathapura.

Upon reaching Somnathapura at approximately 11 AM, I recalled the memories of visiting this place for a brief time with my college friends. The place had not changed but my perspective had completely shifted. I was a tourist then and now I was not.

I smiled at the sprawling beauty as I walked towards the massive and classic Chennakeshava temple. I had decided to spend the entire day until evening in the temple and that was my only agenda for the day.

I went around the temple observing the intricate carvings done on every single piece of stone. The patience and perseverance of craftsmen is certainly laudable. I stood wondering about the skills of artisans from those times comparing to the modern day art and architecture.

Our ancestors have given us so many marvelous and fine pieces of art. Forget their creation; we are even disastrously a failure in restoring these master-pieces. Thinking does not change anything so, I kept moving around praising every detail of the art.

I walked inside the temple and certain idols are missing from the sanctums but that does not make the temple incomplete. The gorgeously lathe turned pillars reflects the pride of the times they have stood through.

There are a lot of damages done to the sculptures during invasion and it is kind of disturbing to see such attractive pieces being shattered. There are some efforts taken by the government and the ASI to restore the temple and the premises is well-maintained.

The temple is built in the typical Hoysala architecture style. The verses of the Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata can be found carved on the walls of the temple.

There are also statuettes of the characters from Ramayana and Mahabharata depicting the different scenes. The beautiful carvings showing the scenes of traders, cavalry, soldiers and women dancing can be seen on the walls around the temple.

The sculptures of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu are also carved on the walls of the temple. The flower relief on the ceiling represents the social life during those times and this is one of the signature styles of Hoysala style of construction.

I went around the temple and clicking a lot of photographs of this splendid temple complex. Guides are available at a nominal price and the entry ticket is INR 5/-.

Parking charges of INR 10/- is applicable for and for foreign tourists the entrance fee is 100 INR/-. Click to know more details on the charges.

After spending time amidst the grand temple building of Hoysala, Namma Bengaluru called me back. I did not want to leave this place but I had to as it was 6:30 PM and the guards whistled away until the place was deserted.

I was back in Bengaluru at 9 PM after beating the traffic with thoughts about another place on mind running. As I slid inside my blanket, I craved for the temple scenes get through me in my dreams and transport me back to the bygone era of Hoysala dynasty.

FreeFeet signing away from Somnathapura, stay tuned for more travel updates on other places.

Mode of travel : Two wheeler