Nuggehalli is a small village in the district of Hassan. It houses two small yet beautiful temples built by the Hoysala's.
In the good olden days , the town was called Vijaya Somnathpura , but after being affected by several attacks and wars the name slowly got changed to Nuggehalli.
SadaSiva Temple
A small yet beautiful temple hidden in the village of Nuggehalli. Unlike the other Hoysala temples which have intricately carved shrines , this temple has a relatively
simple with North Indian (Nagara) style shrine. In this case the interior of the temple involves intricate work. As you enter the hallway , you are welcomed by the trade mark lathe cut pillars of Hoysala time frame.
Intricately carved lintel on the door way can not go unnoticed. The ceiling at the doorway contains layered carving with "Banana Flower" in the middle.
On entering you find the main deity "Sada Siva" in the form of a Linga to your left and opposite to the Linga you can find a Huge Nandi enclosed in a closed hall.
There are other deities in the main complex like Parvathi , Ganesha , Subramanya , Kala Bairava and Surya Narayana.
The deity of "Surya Narayana" - The Sun God , is so perfectly carved that during abisheka the water falls on the head of the God directly again falls on the feet without touching any other part of the statue.
The ceilings inside the main hall has intricate carvings of Lord Siva's dance forms. The temple is Ekakuta , which is one shrine temple.
Dating back to 1200's it is a beautiful temple which is sadly falling apart with not much support or maintenance.
Lakshmi Narasimha Temple
Built during the same time frame and located at just a short walk's distance from Sada Siva Temple is the relatively bigger temple dedicated to "Lakshmi Narasimha".
This temple like many other Hoysala temples has intricately carved shrines built on an elevated platform which is in the shape of a star from an aerial view.
The external sanctum has houses carvings of Elephant , horsemen , swan frieze and 4 tier Mythological frieze !!
Like all Hoysala Temples there is a dance platform built inside the temple , it is said Santala Devi , the queen of Hoysala's used to offer her prayers in the form of dance.
The temple is a Trikuta with three shrines one for each deity Lakshmi Narasimha , Chenna Kesava , Venu Gopala.
Not just the exterior of the shrine but the ceiling inside the temple also contains intricate designs with a total of nine designs carved each unique and intricate called the Navaranga !
The temple dates back to about 1000 years and most part is built by the Hoysala's , the front mandapa is added by the Cholas.
Its always a surprise how these small villages have kept these hidden treasures for years !!!
Quite an experience , the priests and care takers of the temples did not seem to get payed well , but the amount of pride and love they have towards preserving the temple and its stories is just astonishing.
How to get here :
Its about 2 and a half hour drive from Bangalore via NH75
Road Condition : Good
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