25 April 2015
I came to know about this place when I visited Mallikarjuna
Temple at Basaralu. The locals mentioned about a much bigger Temple at
Nagamangala.
Nagamangala is a small town. The most visited Temple is
SaumyaKeshava. It looks formidable from the front with dwajastamba stading at
the front of the Temple. Unfortunately
the religious people who maintain the Temple do not appreciate the
architectural beauty. Parts of the Temple have been whitewashed giving it an
ugly look.
This trikuta Temple was built in twelfth century A.D. during
Hoysala period. It does has features of Hoysala, Vijayanagar and post
Vijayanagar period. It is said that the entrance and tower were later
constructed by Vijayanagar Kings.
While there are very good carvings inside the Temple, exterior
of the Temple do not exhibit such carving. The six feet SaumyaKeshava statue is
very impressive. Photography was not allowed inside the Temple. One of the priests
explained about the Temple. The focus was not about architecture or historical
events but on the mythological aspect of it. Visitors come from far of places
to get rid of issues.
Behind SaumyaKeshava Temple is another less significant
Laskhmi Narasimhaswamy Temple. It was
locked and we did not get information on who can open the Temple. There was a
function in the town and many characters appeared in their costumes on the
street. It was nice to watch them.
On the outskirts of Nagamangala town is Kote betta, a small
hillock with a Temple on top. It is a nice place to visit in the evening.
Where is Nagamangala?
Nagamangala is about 120 km from Bengaluru. Take a deviation
from Bengaluru-Mangaluru highway at Bellur cross to reach Nagamangala. The town
is about 20 minutes from highway. The roads are good throughout the journey.
Labels: Hoysala, near Bengaluru, Temples, travel
