Chennakeshava Temple at Somnathpur

The Chennakeshava Temple is situated in somanathapura village, T.narasipura taluk in the Mysuru district of Karnataka. it is located on the left bank of the kaveri river approximately 35-38 km east of Mysuru city. this is Vaishnava hindu temple dedicated to three forms of lord Vishnu. Keshava in western is the main idol, the original idol is missing and was replaced by a replica by the archaeological survey of india (ASI). janardhana(northern shrine) is a 4.5 foot idol. Venugopala (Southern shrine) is 4.5 foot idol of krishna playing the flute. this temple is built between 1258 to 1268 CE by somanatha dandanayaka a high ranking genereal under the hoysala king Narasimha 3. the temple was significantly damaged during 14th century invasions by delhi sultanate. it was restored in the 16th century by the vijayanagara empire and later in the 20th century by the wodeyars of Mysuru. it was designated a UNESCO world heritage site as part of the sacred ensembles of the hoysalas in 2023. because the main idol were broken and desecrated during historical invasions, the temple is considered as khandit means broken so no longer a functioning place of worship.