World heritage Somnathpur sculptures and Talakadu temple mystery
This full-day excursion allows you to visit world heritage site of Somnathpur and Talakadu, a town with an ancient mystery. Key highlights include a guided tour of the 13th-century temple of Chennakesava at Somnathpur, the 14th century Vaidyanatheswara temple at Talakadu, with its famous Queen’s curse and mystery of sand dunes. This experiential and guided tour is organized in a private car. We guarantee an experience that will stimulate all your 5 senses.
Options
Car pickup airport & Whitefied
Pick up from Airport and Whitefield areas and travel by car
Pickup included
What's included in World heritage Somnathpur sculptures and Talakadu temple mystery
(Subject to Option Inclusions)Itinerary
Mysore Sree Muthappa Kshetram
Somnathpur is famous for the magnificent Chennakesava temple. It has been declared as a world heritage site by UNESCO. 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. The next couple of hours will be spent 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.
Keerthi Narayana Temple
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 temple is the 2-meter tall main deity of the Lord.
Talakad Panchalinga Temples
Hotel pick up will be at 730 am and we will head towards Talakadu, located 130km from Bangalore. The journey will take 3 hours. 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. Over the next 2 hours, 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 colors through the day from red, black and white.
Inclusions
- Pickup and drop-off
- Private guide
- Vegetarian south indian lunch. Excludes beverages
- Beverages
- Gratuities
- Any food ordered other than south indian lunch
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Minimum age is 18 years
- Footwear needs to be removed before entering temples and we have multiple temples on this itinerary. So slippers or slip-ons which can be easily removed, are preferable
- A dress code is required to enter places of worship. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women.
Meet
Pickup and Dropoff
Choose to be picked up from a list of locations