Amruteshwara Temple, Amruthapura

The Amruteshwara temple stands in the village of Amruthapura, 67 kilometres north of Chikkamagaluru and about 50 kilometres from Shivamogga on NH 206. It was built in 1196 by Amrutheshwara Dandanayaka, a commander under the Hoysala king Veera Ballala II, and the village is known chiefly for it.

It is a medium-sized Hoysala temple with a single shrine, a closed hall of nine bays and a wide open hall of 29 bays, with a side porch leading to a separate shrine on the south. The square shrine keeps its original tower, decorated with kirtimukha faces and miniature towers, and the vestibule carries the Hoysala emblem of Sala fighting a lion. Inside, rows of polished lathe-turned pillars hold up deeply domed ceilings carved with flowers, and the outer wall has evenly spaced circular carvings.