It was a one hour drive to Somnathpur. This temple been had some restoration work and is now in excellent condition. This is a Hoysala temple, different from the Chola temples. It was built slightly later than the main Chola temples in C13. It has a star shape which is specific to Hoysala temples. It is also soapstone, again specific to Hoysala. The first thing you notice at Somnathpur is the Hoysala motif. This is a man killing a tiger. The man concerned is the legendary head of the dynasty. The carving around the outside of the temple has a number of levels. elephants are at the bottom, then horses, then scenes from the Hindu stories (e.g. Ramayana), then mythical creatures, then forms of the gods, then the temple towers. Inside the temple there are attractive
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