Lakshminarasimha Temple, Javagal

The Lakshminarasimha Temple at Javagal in Arsikere taluk lies about 20 km north-east of Halebidu and 50 km from Hassan. It is dedicated to Narasimha, the man-lion form of Vishnu, and was finished between about 1250 and 1260 CE under the Hoysala king Vira Someshwara. Its foundation inscription is lost, but signatures of the 13th-century sculptor Mallitamma on some panels help date it.

The square temple has three shrines, for Lakshminarasimha, Sridhara and Venugopala, sharing a closed hall entered through an open porch. Only the central shrine carries a tower, so from outside the building looks like a single shrine with bulging walls. More than 100 panels are carved inside and out, many telling stories from the Ramayana. The temple is protected by the ASI.