Ishvara Temple, Arasikere

The Ishvara Temple, on the north-eastern side of Arasikere in Hassan district, is a Shiva temple of the early 13th century, known from inscriptions to have existed by about 1220 under the Hoysala king Narasimha II. It once belonged to a much larger group of temples, most of which were destroyed in or after the 14th century. A plainer, more damaged double temple survives just to its north, and the ruined Sahasrakuta Jinalaya, a Jain monument, lies about 200 metres away. It is an ASI-protected monument of national importance.

Though modest in size, the soapstone temple is admired for its plan: a hall shaped as a 16-pointed star and a five-storey tower rising on a rotating, star-like plan. The open hall rests on 21 pillars, the outer ones with paired elephants at their base, under a ceiling carved to look like timber, with stone benches along its sides. 120 reliefs of Shiva, Vishnu's avatars, the seven mother goddesses and others wrap the walls.