Karnataka · South
Chennakeshava Temple, Belur
Chennakesava Temple · Vijayanarayana Temple
Commissioned by the Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana in 1117 CE to commemorate his victory over the Cholas, the Chennakeshava Temple is the best-preserved and most ornate example of Hoysala architecture still in active worship. Its star-shaped plan, soft chloritic schist masonry and encyclopaedic sculptural programme -- friezes of over 600 elephants, mythic battle scenes, and the celebrated bracket figures of dancing women -- represent the style at its most refined, executed by named master sculptors whose signatures survive on the stone. Sixty years in construction, it anchors a temple town that grew around it. Still consecrated and garlanded daily, it draws art historians and pilgrims alike, and forms one corner of the Hoysala trinity with Halebidu and Somanathapura on the tentative UNESCO list.
Art & Architecture
- Soapstone bracket figures (madanikas) carved in the round on the outer wall
- Star-shaped platform with continuous friezes of elephants, horsemen and mythological narratives
- Intricately lathe-turned pillars, including the famed Narasimha pillar
- Perforated stone screens depicting Puranic scenes in miniature
Best Season
Festivals
Vairamudi Festival · Makara Sankranti · Navaratri
Journeys Featuring This Temple
Planning your visit
Nearby
Guesthouses and dharamshalas near the temple often take walk-ins. Confirm a single-occupancy rate when you call.
- Hoysala Village Resort26.8 km
Seven-acre cottage resort on Belur Road at Handinkere, between Hassan town and Belur, with a pool, Ayurvedic spa and an organic farm - the only full-service base within reach of both Belur and Halebidu.
Checked by us
- Keshava Heritage 168 m
From Overture Maps — not verified by us (2026-08-02)
- Sunshine International Boarding and Lodging269 m
From Overture Maps — not verified by us (2026-08-02)
- Sri Mallikarjuna Coffee Works Belur294 m
From Overture Maps — not verified by us (2026-08-02)
- Vishnu Regency373 m
From Overture Maps — not verified by us (2026-08-02)
- Hotel Mayura Velapuri605 m
From Overture Maps — not verified by us (2026-08-02)
Listings drawn from third-party maps are not verified by us and may be out of date. Please confirm directly before you travel.
Sources