Somnathpur

A visit to Somnathpur in Karnataka is a must for the people who have a passion for art and architecture. This is because in Somnathpur you can witness a style of architecture unique to the region.

Somnathpur is 38 kilometers from Mysore. Whenever you go to Somnathpur visit the Hoysala Temple. The temple is devoted to Prasanna Chennakeshava. The temple in Somnathpur was constructed in the 12th-13th centuries by Hoysala rulers and their officials.

The Hoysala temple in Somnathpur in Karnataka is unique in its style and presentation. It is comparatively stunted. The temple is small, compact and structural. It is lavishly adorned with sculpture. The sculptures probably cover each and every inch of the wall space. This particular style of intensely packed sculptural scheme is the characteristic exclusive to the Hoysala art. This was not copied by any other temple architecture in future.

One of the reasons for this intricate and decorative artwork in the temple at Somnathpur was the type of the stone used in this site. The temple is made of a stone called chlorite.

The chlorite is so nice a stone that a bangle can be made to rotate on a sculpted hand and stone bells can be made to ring on a statue. Some critics opine that the intricacy here is nothing but an over exaggeration and that the rich sculptural decoration is only too ornate and baroque. But it goes without saying that it requires a lot of hard work and expertize to arrive at such an excellence of each individual statue. The Hoysala artist at Somnathpur must be a perfectionist.