The twin temples of Nageshwar-Chennakeshwar temple are located in Hassan district of Karnataka state. Nageshwar-Chennakeshwar Temple, the twin temples here are famous for their 11th century Hoysala architecture. This temple was built during the rule of the Hoysalas in the village of Mosale in the district of Hassan. The village of Mosale has many archaeological and ancient features.
It is about 184 km from Bangalore. It is about 13 km from Hassan city and 14 km from Hassan railway station.
Timings of this temple are open from 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 4:30 PM to 8:30 PM.
This temple was built in AD. History tells us that during the reign of the Hoysalas around 1200 CE, the second Hoysala king, Vira Ballala, built and constructed the temple magnificently.
The Chennakesava temple has idols of Garuda, Kesava, Janardhana, Venugopala, Madhava and Bhudevi. An idol of Vishnu associated with Vishnu can be found here. At the base of the wall of this temple, stones are arranged in a row and decorated with clay.
Nageshwar temple is the main attraction among 07 idols of Goddess Chamundeshwari, Saptamarthike, Shiva, Durga, Ganapati, Sharada and other deity idols. The inner and outer walls are filled with intricate carvings such as Kalash and Hoysala symbol on these temples. Built in the Hoysala style of architecture, the twin temples dedicated to Lord Nageswara and Chennakeshava Kesava are built side by side a few feet apart respectively.
With all the features of Hoysala architecture, simple single tower structures. A square porch at the entrance. The ‘shikhara’ of the brahta-sized tower adds to the charm of the temple. The sanctum is next to a theater. The top of the temple is spherical and the carved features of the dome are very beautiful. This spherical dome design is one of the major attractions of the temple sculpture. At the top of the tower is an urn, which looks like a decorative water pot.
The main entrance of the temple faces east. This temple belongs to the Ekakuta group of temples. The decorative features found on the outer wall of the temple are of ancient type and this type of decoration starts below the tower and extends around the temple. There are also decorative carvings on the pillars below the roof. Large images and idols of deities are placed along the ornate wall below the tower like temples of ancient type. Some of the most prominent idols found there include images of Sridevi, Gauri, Maheshwari and Bhudevi, as well as images of Brahma, Lakshminarayan and Shiva.
The Chennakeshava Keshava Sanctum is graced by a beautifully carved six-feet Chennakeshava Keshava idol. Sridevi and Bhudevi placed on either side of the Chennakesava Kesava idol are attractive. The womb has a Gajalakshmi. Indra, Agni, Varuna, and Vayu are artistically carved in the stool-shaped arena.
Built of limestone, this holy temple consists of a sukanasi, a navaranga and a jagati porch on either side. On the reverse side of the Chennakesava idol are Pravali Vishnu’s avatars Matsya, Kurma, and Varaha. On the designed wall are pictures of Ashtadikpalas sitting on their vehicles.
History
According to old stories, in ancient times Jamadagni Maharshi, built a cottage and lived in this place. The name of this village was earlier known as “Musala” meaning Kuttani. Mosale Gram or Mosalehosahalli is a small village nestled between the natural scenery of two attractive temples in Hassan Taluk. The two temples attract tourists with their rich architectural style. The two temples here are known for their ancient Hoysala style of architecture.