Sri Soumyakeshava Swami Gudi

Spacious and clean.

The Saumyakeshava temple (also spelt Sauymakesava or Soumyakeshava) at Nagamangala was constructed in the 12th century by the rulers of the Hoysala empire. Nagamangala is a town in the Mandya district of Karnataka state, India. It is located 62 km from the historically important town Mysore, on the Srirangapatna-Sira highway.Historically, Nagamangala came into prominence during the rule of Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana when it became an important center of Vaishnava faith and received patronage from one of his queens, Bommaladevi. During the rule of Veera Ballala II, Nagamangala prospered as an agrahara (place of Hindu religious studies) and had the honorific Vira Ballala Chaturvedi Bhattaratnakara. The temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Temple built in Hoysala Architecture, a marvellous visual treat, is a must visit if you are anywhere close. The main Deity Shri Soumyakeshava Swami in His attractive best, intricate carvings and stonework, Adishesha encircling the Shankha on the roof, Rukmini, Satyabhama Sameta Shri Venugopala and the list of what you should not miss goes on. The guide does his best in explaining the significance of the temple and the pariharas.

Soumyakeshava Temple of Nagamangala , an important Vaishnavite pilgrimage site, was built in 12th Century during the reign of the Hoysalas and hence the main part of the temple has typical Hoysala features like the stellate plan , the jagati platform , typical Hoysala pillars in the navaranga , and the trikuta plan( three celled sanctum) . The front /entrance mantapa and a huge multi tiered Gopura are post Vijayanagara features . The tall stone compound gives the temple a fortress like appearance and the monolithic Garuda Kambha is impressive. The lovely temple is maintained well , all festivities being conducted in great pomp . The metal vahanas are very beautiful . It is very easy to locate the temple because the vast campus is right in the heart of the city . It is also a Protected Monument under The State Archeological Department .

Government should take an initiative to maintain cleanliness and monument protection. So it can attract more no. of tourist across the world. It is one of the ancient cultural place of India. People must visit this place.

This is a huge Hoysala era temple that needs more maintenance. The timings were little different, the priest came only around 10am to open the doors to the courtyard and the sanctum. It’s an active temple where people come for blessings of a special kind that the priest and caretakers would gladly explain to you. The deities are beautifully decorated and the sanctum walls are intricately carved but the outsides are rather plain. The pillars in the courtyard are worth noting for their depictions of the stories

It's almost 1200 years old temple. Very good architecture. Time priest explains the history of the temple very well. But needs to be maintained better.

Yet another pearl from Hoysala Architecture. Good news is that unlike many Hoysala temples where Pooja due to "binna" deity, here everyday Pooja is there.

Sowmya keshava and Sowmya Lakshmi amma.

Nagadosha and many other dosha parihara - special poja also there. The guide is very good who explains rahu/kethu under roof architecture..

Very old temple built during Hoysala period. Dedicated to lord Vishnu. Take guide for understanding the temple inside architecture