Yoga Madhava Temple, Settikere

The Yoga Madhava temple at Shettikere in Tumkur district, Karnataka, is dedicated to Vishnu. It was built in 1261 by an officer of the Hoysala empire in the reign of Narasimha III and is made of soapstone.

The temple has three shrines around a closed hall, though only the central one, semi-star-shaped in plan, has a tower; the two side shrines have none. A platform about a metre high lifts the whole building. Visitors enter through an open porch with lathe-turned half pillars into a windowless hall, whose four lathe-turned pillars divide the ceiling into nine decorated bays. The outer walls of the shrine are cut into many projections and recesses carrying miniature towers and pilasters, a pattern carried up the tiers of the tower to give it a fluted look, crowned by a large dome and kalasha. The eastern side shows some later additions.