As one arrives at Somnathpur, a tiny village on the banks of the Kaveri, 140 kms, south-west of Bangalore, one feels an everlasting stillness and freshness in the air as if the place is if saying eternity grows here. Here, amidst the everlasting rural stillness stands Kesava temple- one of the grandest of Hoysala monuments.

The Kesava temple at Somnathpur, a somnolent village 45 kilometers from Mysore, is one of the most famous Hoysala temples in Karnataka, the two others at Belur an Halebid being equally famous. The Somnathpur temple built in AD 1268 is considered an example of the fully evolved style of Hoysala architecture. The Hoysalas were a mighty martial race who ruled large parts of presentday Karnataka between 1100 and 1320 AD.

In the dust and turmoil of history, India was witnessing the Golden Age of the mighty Cholas, Pandyas and the Hoysalas. The last named dynasty which ruled Karnataka for nearly 350 years, was founded in 1006 A.D., soon after the collapse of the Ganga Dynasty.