Chennakeshava Temple, Aralaguppe

The Chennakeshava Temple at Aralaguppe, a small town about 60 km from Hassan, is a Vishnu temple built around 1250 under the Hoysala king Vira Someshwara. Simple yet elegant, it is regarded as a highly refined example of Hoysala design and is protected by the state division of the ASI.

The single shrine sits on a raised platform and has a 16-pointed star plan, carried up into the tower, which rises in four further tiers; the crowning kalasha is missing. Two eaves run around the building, with miniature towers on pilasters between them and panels of deities below. At the base, six friezes show, from the top, birds, makaras, stories from the Ramayana and of Krishna, leafy scrolls, horses and elephants. The sanctum holds an image of Keshava on a large pedestal.