All the sites were interesting and worth a visit, but bear with me because my perception of each was marred by the way I felt. The first site to visit was the Keshava Temple, in Somanathapura. The drive there was so insane (35km) and made worse by our crazy driver. I’m glad this was the first site of the day because it was over and done with nice and early. I was optimistic when we left but trembling and weak by the time we got there; it was so bad that I managed to get off the bus, walk away from the group to a sewer trench and throw up as subtly as I could. I’m sure it was very unglamorous and when the typical grouping of “Hello Madam” kids followed me over to the trench they scattered when they saw what I was doing.
The Keshava Temple is a Vishnu temple. Vishnu is an omnipotent god and master of the past, present and future. He is seen as one of the creators of the universe. One side of the Keshava Temple is dedicated to Krishna and the other side to one of the incarnations of Vishnu. The entire temple is a work of art and carved completely out of one huge stone. Inside each inch is hand carved with intricate and delicate detail.
In the middle of the tour, the guide showed us where the designs were drawn, etched in, and then carved. Parts of the temple are unfinished because the Raj who had started the work died and his son did not wish to complete it. The temple is mostly complete and the only area that looks unfinished is the entrance where the designs had only been etched into the stone. There were parts of the temple that had been damaged by other religious groups. It is, however, one of the last and best preserved temples from the Hoysala dynasty (1200s).
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