Kesava temple at Somanathapura, which is around 130 Kms from Bangalore ,is one the well preserved and a good example of Hoysala Architecture and was the most prominent empires in Karnataka. The origin of Hoysalas: Kannada folk story goes like this, The Jain Guru Sudatta instructed his student Sala to strike the tiger when they encountered it near a temple at the now Angadi,near chikmagalur.When the student heard Hoy-sala( Which in translation means "strike Sala") he killed the tiger with his strike. The folklore became so popular that every temple of the Hoysalas has this story carved in stone and it became the emblem of the dynasty. An artist's impression of the Chennakesava Temple at Somanathapura. Depictions of the royal family riding richly decorated chariots, soldiers and commoners riding horses, camel drawn vehicles, dancers, musicians, hunters armed with bows and arrows and accompanied by their dogs, all heading f...