I have been itching to write this blog for almost a month, about my recent visit to Somnathpur temple near Mysore. Sheer lethargy has kept me away from doing so. We decided to make a trip to Mysore which is around 3 hours from Bangalore. I was browsing for places close to Mysore which are also worth visiting, and came across this wonderful temple built by the Hoysala rulers in 1268 AD just 30 Km off Mysore.
On the day of the journey, even till the last moment, there was no concrete plan of going to the temple. In fact we went past the diversion to Somnathpur and went to Srirangapatnam and then finally decided to make a u-turn and go to Somnathpur. First few kilometers were fine but after that it was a bumpy ride, and for the last 7 Km there was literally no road at all. I was cursing myself for deciding to take that detour. It took us hour and a half to reach there. But when we reached, it was a revelation.
The entry fee was negligible at Rs.5. It has been well maintained by the archaeological society of India. The architecture is just awesome. It is even hard to imagine how people in those days managed to build these structures without any of the technological support or advancement of todays times. Carvings are so intricate that it is a feast to the eyes. It was an eye opener for me, as it reminded me of the beautiful and rich Indian history. I remember visiting Madurai Meenakshi temple once, which also has historical significance, but I was too young to appreciate the beauty or the intricacies. I was thinking to myself that I should plan to visit such marvelous gems whenever I can, in my future trips to India.
People (mainly outside India) know only about the Taj Mahal when someone talks about India. We have so much to showcase to the world, but we still keep them tucked away in some remote place. Indian government should make an effort to popularize such great historic places and should also make those places easily accessible. We have the potential to be the tourism capital of the world.
