Chennakesava Temple, Somanathapura

The Chennakesava Temple at Somanathapura is a 13th-century Hoysala temple about 38 km from Mysuru. This guide covers the architecture, timings and ticket notes.

The Chennakesava Temple, also called Keshava Temple, is a Vaishnava Hindu temple on the banks of the Kaveri river at Somanathapura, 38 kilometres east of Mysuru. It was consecrated in 1258 CE by Somanatha Dandanayaka, a general of the Hoysala king Narasimha III, and is regarded as a model example of Hoysala architecture.

The temple stands inside a courtyard with a pillared corridor of small shrines, some damaged. The main shrine is built on a star-shaped platform and is covered with carved panels showing deities, Puranic scenes, friezes and ornate ceilings. The sculpture is fine enough that visitors often spend most of their time walking the platform and looking at the detail.

The temple is under the care of the Archaeological Survey of India. A travel site reports opening hours of 9 am to 5:30 pm and a nominal ticket at the counter, but no amount was confirmed from a loaded page. Somanathapura is usually a half-day trip from Mysuru by road and can be combined with other Hoysala sites. Wear comfortable footwear for the stone platform and keep to ASI rules inside the enclosure.