In the dust and turmoil of history, India was witnessing the Golden Age of the mighty Cholas, Pandyas and the Hoysalas. The last named dynasty which ruled Karnataka for nearly 350 years, was founded in 1006 A.D., soon after the collapse of the Ganga Dynasty.

Coming to the temple at Somnathpur, one need not search far for its history. An inscribed stone slab, in old Kannada, at the entrance says it all. The reigning monarch was Narasimha III (1254-91 A.D.) whose full regal title runs into a sizeable paragraph: "Sri Vishnuvaradhana, Pratapa Chakravarti, Hoysala Bhujabala, Sri Vira Narasimha, Maharajadhiraja, Raja Paramesvara, Sanivarasiddhi, Giridurgamalla etc.

The Hoysala temple at Soswmnathpur, is truly unique in design, perfect in proportion and the stone carvings are striking marvels in stone. The shrine stands in the centre of a walled compound, around which runs an open verandah with 64 cells. The temple itself, stellar in shape, has three elaborately carved pinnacles with a common Navranga and stands on a raised platform. The three sanctums once housed beautifully carved idols of Kesava, Janardhana and Venugopala. Today the idol of Lord Kesava is missing, but the other two still adorn the sanctums in their original form.

Reaching Somnathpur
Air : Bangalore is the nearest major airport connected to most of the major Indian cities with regular flights.
Rail : Somnathpur is situated around 40 km off Mysore and well connected by rail to Mysore and Bangalore, which is 180 km away.
Road : Somnathpur is situated around 40 km off Mysore and well connected by road to Mysore and Bangalore, which is 180 km away.