Lost Temples of Karnataka: Somanathpura

-

 

This Post is a part of the Hoysala Diary. Please Click here to read the main post
Overview: The Stamp of the Hoysalas, the sculptor Jakanachari began his artwork for the Hoysalas from Somanathpura. Based on his learning from here, he went on to create magic wherever he went, including Belur and Halebid. The temple is delicately carved and various deities are depicted in different scenes and some scenes from the great epics. Also are the carvings of various dances, animals, birds. A huge complex, full of exquisite carvings, reflects the age of perfect craftsmanship. The temple was destroyed following invasions but not as much as the temples in Belur and Halebid. It would be good if tourists visit Somanathpur before heading to Belur- Halebid. This temple is non-functional and is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. Somanathpura usually falls in the circuit of Shivanasamudra and Talakadu by the tourists. Many inscriptions have been found here written in old Kannada literature. To reach Somnathpura, travel along NH209 till Malavalli, from there take the road towards Bannur, before Bannur, turn left to reach Somanathpura.
 
                      

Comments

  1. Anonymous20 December 2011 at 13:27

    I am happy to nominate you for a blogger award. Please visit the link to know more http://travellenz.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/the-versatile-blogger-nomination/
    Regards
    Malini

    ReplyDelete
  2. R Niranjan Das20 December 2011 at 16:22

    Beautiful captures.

    www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Harish G.20 December 2011 at 18:22

    I see you have begun. There are a lot of temples ahead, great :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Padmapriya TS20 December 2011 at 19:04

    Awesome post and pictures Arun! Karnataka has always been my dream destination...hope to visit some time! Cheers Priya
    http://aalayamkanden.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Arti20 December 2011 at 19:22

    Exquisite carvings. Loved each and every pic, such detailed works... Ours is a land of such immense beauty.

    ReplyDelete
  6. http://mindlesslampoons.blogspot.com/21 December 2011 at 00:39

    The first time I heard of Somnathpur, was in 1990, when in school the place was chosen for our annual study tour. A visit to this place was captivating.having left my home zone on work, there has been this itch to return to Somnathpur someday. A chance glance at this blog has only made this resolve stronger.The write about the place was vivid and beautifully augmented by pictures.Will remember your post when I flag the place on my itinerary. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous21 December 2011 at 10:25

    nice info with photos

    thanks

    ReplyDelete
  8. Teamgsquare21 December 2011 at 12:03

    Wonderful coverage of this place . There is one more Hoysala temple in Somanathpura called Panchalingeshwara temple completely in ruins now, Which is a panchakuta just like the temple in Govindanahalli .

    ReplyDelete
  9. Arun21 December 2011 at 13:16

    Thanks all for the nice comments..
    @Malini: Thanks a ton for nominating me for the award.
    @ Team G Square: Thanks for the info on the Panchalingeshwara temple. Got the below link from an article in the Hindu
    http://hindu.com/2003/07/19/stories/2003071903290500.htm

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous21 December 2011 at 14:31

    Arun,

    Third photo floored me. Never knew Somanathpur temple has one of these slabs (known as 'Shikhara Phalaka' in Kannada) which are placed in front of the shikhara after the sala statue. In front of which of the 3 shikharas it is located? This is rarely seen in the surviving Hoysala Temples. In some temples the slab is there but the carvings have vanished. Hullekere temple has a beautiful one. Thanks for the photos.

    Rajesh.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Ramakrishnan22 December 2011 at 18:08

    Breathless & unmatched beauty. Superb sculptures, exquisite ornamentation & amazing architecture. The standing stone figures of Krishna & Vishnu are awesome. Glorious reign of Hoysalas. Thank you for sharing.
    Congratulations on the well deserved award. Your posts are outstanding & remarkably detailed and truly deserving of awards in so many more categories!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Ramakrishnan22 December 2011 at 18:09

    In my comment please read "Breathless" as 'Breathtaking':)

    ReplyDelete
  13. obat penyubur kandungan25 July 2012 at 07:04

    postingan yang bagus tentang"lost-temples-of-karnataka-somanathpura"

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hai Baji21 February 2013 at 10:48

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

North Indian Sojourn-1 (Agra & Delhi)

-
Image
  Overview: Killing time for 4 days on a long weekend was definitely not going well with me. So suddenly decided to make some quick travel plans. Being brought up in Chandigarh for over 20 years, I wanted to refresh my childhood memories with my wife and moreover she had not been to North India. With all resorts booked around Bangalore and no bus reservations available, we decided to take a plunge on the long distance route. My wife, being a tatkal reservation expert :), booked tickets from Bangalore to Delhi for 25th Dec, and the return trip by flight from Delhi to Bangalore for 4th Jan. My job was to fill the itinerary between these days. I wanted to cover as many places as possible, chalked out a plan for that. Below are the details of the trip: Day 0-2: We had to catch the 12649 Sampark Kranti express from Yesvantpur at 22:10 hrs on 25th Dec. Luckily we got the tatkal reservation done, thanks to my wife for that. The train took around 36 hours to reach H.Nizamuddin station pass
Read more

Specialties from Districts of Karnataka

-
Image
Overview: In a post-Covid world, people will not wish to travel far and wide pretty soon. However, they may wish to explore some good places in their neighborhood. While its very good to visit local attraction, its great if one can help buy local crafts and local food to help the artisans and boost the economy. Highlighting the specialties from each district of Karnataka: 1. Bagalkot: Aminagad in Hungund taluk is famous for a sweet savoury Karadantu, made out of edible gum, dry fruits and jaggery. Guledagudda Khana is a unique textile, and is a 4000 year old fabric, and is handloomed in the small town of Guledagudda. Ilkal sari is a traditional form of sari which is a common feminine wear in India. Ilkal saris are woven using cotton warp on the body and art silk warp for border and art silk warp for pallu portion of the sari. Amingad Kardant Shop Ilkal Saree Weaver 2. Bangalore Rural: Bangalore Rose Onion, having a GI indicator, is grown in 16 taluks of Bengaluru rural.
Read more

Chikkajala & Srinivasa Sagara: Forgotten places amidst developing infrastructure

-
Image
  Overview: I read about a place called Srinivasa Sagara which is a lake near Chikkaballapur and comes lively in monsoon as the water falls from the reservoir when it overflows. I couldn't get much details on this place on the web, so I decided to club it with Chikkajala fort and Akkayyamma hill. 1) Chikkajala Fort: Though nothing is clearly known about this fort, this fort is believed to have been since Hoysalas and then used by Tipu Sultan. But now its in a total mess and nothing much remains out of it. We saw that fort which lies on NH7, then we went inside Chikkajala to the hill of Akkayyamma. It looked beautiful with cloudy weather and was pleasant and there were not many steps leading to the top. We went into the temple, had darshan of the Goddess and rested next to it. There are a lot of pillars on the hill which are believed to be built more than 1000 years ago. Kodigehalli, which is not very far from here, has been a center of exploration by the archaeologists and they
Read more