Somanathapura

Somanathapura ; ಸೋಮನಾಥಪುರ
State :	India
State :	Karnataka
District :	Mysore
Sub-district :	Tirumakudal-Narsipur
Location :	12 ° 17 ' N , 76 ° 53' E Coordinates: 12 ° 17 ' N , 76 ° 53' E
Height :	655 m
Residents :	4,692 (2011)
	Somanathapura - Keshava Temple (around 1268)

Somanathapura or Somnathpur ( Kannada : ಸೋಮನಾಥಪುರ) is a village with almost 5,000 inhabitants in the south of the Indian state of Karnataka . The place is known for one of the best preserved Hoysala temples .

location

Somanathapura lies at an altitude of approx. 655 m above sea level. d. M. on a former river bed of the Kaveri south of the state of Karnataka. The district capital Mysore is about 35 km (driving distance) to the west; the temple city of Tirumakudal-Narsipur is only about 11 km south. The climate is subtropical ; Rain falls mostly in the months May to October.

population

The population of the place consists almost exclusively of Hindus . The male and female proportions of the population are roughly the same.

economy

Agriculture traditionally plays the largest role in economic life; Grains, lentils and vegetables of all kinds are grown. In the last decades of the 20th century income from tourism was added.

history

Around the middle of the 13th century, Somanatha or Soma , a general of the Hoysala ruler Narasimha III, decided. to build a temple here dedicated to the god Krishna (or Keshava ). It is unclear whether the place existed earlier or only developed afterwards.

Attractions

Vestibule ( mandapa )

The only attraction of the place is the Chennakeshava Temple (often just called Keshava Temple ), which, along with the temples of Belur and Halebid, is one of the artistic masterpieces of Hoysala architecture . The temple, standing on a walk-around platform ( jagati ) within a walled square, has a clover-leaf-shaped floor plan ( trikuta ) with three cellae ( garbhagrihas ) raised by stepped towers ( vimanas ). In between there is a vestibule ( mandapa ) illuminated by numerous lattice windows ( jalis ) , the ceiling of which, made up of cantilevered domes with hanging keystones , is supported by numerous turned and carved soapstone columns. The outer walls of the temple are richly structured and furnished with numerous gods and accompanying figures (mostly musicians and dancers), which must be counted among the most beautiful sculptures in Indian art. The walls inside the temple, on the other hand, are rather unadorned; the portals to the three cellae with their guardian figures ( dvarapalas ) are to be emphasized .