Somanathapura Temple

Tourists are advised to visit the Chennakeshava Swamy Temple during their visit to Belur. This temple was constructed from soft soapstone and is a temple dedicated to Chennakeshava, who is believed to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The temple dates back to the Hoysala period and has a total of 48 carved pillars with different designs. During the Battle of Palakkad in 1117 AD, this temple used to be the temple of Hoysala descendants.After this, the Chola dynasty became the authority of this temple. Tourists can come to this temple and see many characters of Puranas in the form of paintings. Many things about Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, elephants, Ramayana, and Mahabharata, etc. are engraved in the temple. Several other temples are also located around this temple.Many inscriptions, ornaments, sculptures, birds, doors, and other figures are embossed here. Tourists can also see Pushkarini here. The gate of this temple displays Rayagopura, which was erected during the Vijayanagara reign. The Keppay Chennigaraya Temple and a small Shrine in the premises of this temple, dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi.