At 730 am, we leave Bangalore and drive towards Talakadu, located 130 KMs away.
Talakadu used to be a flourishing town with more than 30 temples during ancient times. The legendary Queen’s curse buried the entire town with sand dunes. We will visit Vaidyanatheswara temple, one of the 5 temples excavated from the sands of Talakadu. We will explore this granite structure built in the 14th century by Chola Kings and dedicated to Lord Shiva. We will also visit Pataleshwara Shiva temple where the Lingam is supposed to change colours through the day from red, black and white!
Next we will visit Keertinarayana temple, built using black granite and bricks, and a splendid example of Hoysala style of architecture. This was built to commemorate the victory of King Vishnuvardhan over the Cholas. The highlight of this Talakadu temple is the 2 metre tall main deity of the Lord.
Our next destination is Somnathpur which has the magnificent Chennakesava temple. This temple was built in 1268 by Somanatha, a general of King Narasimha III. We will explore the three shrines and three wonderfully carved peaks with a common Mandapa.
Time is well spent at Somnathpur temple appreciating the 16 different ceilings, each depicting a different stage of a blooming banana flower, the central wall space adorned with images of deities with jewellery, bangles, crowns and anklets.