Somnathpur, a small village around 40 km from Mysore is known for one of the finest examples of the Hoysala architecture “ The Kesava temple”. This was built in the 2nd half of the 13th century by Somanath, a commander in the army of the Hoysala king NarshimaIII. Somnatpur is probably 3rd in the pecking order in brilliance in Hoysala architecture after Belur and Halabedu. The artists fortunately have had a free run with a “No Holds Barred” theme . The temple is on a raised star shaped platform with a large circumbulatory path around the temple. The outer walls has intricate carvings which is characteristic of Hoysala architecture and the circumbulatory path doubling as a viewing platform for this spectacular rock concert. If Somnathpur needs a tag line it would probably go like this “Symmetry in Symphony” We were fortunate that we were the only ones in the temple and did not have to jostle for space. A word of caution though. Plan to visit early in the day to avoid blisters and burns in the foot as the platform gets extremely hot as the day progresses as no footwear is allowed inside the temple complex. It would be ideal to stay in Mysore for an early visit. Its approximately 40 km from Mysore and 130 km form Bangalore.
