Turuvekere, which is about 128 km from Bangalore, was the cradle of Vedic scholars. In the 13th century, Turuvekere was an agrahara (rent-free village for Brahmins) which housed scholars of all the four Vedas and it was called Sri Sarvagnya Vijaya Narasimhapuri.
The first thing that strikes the eye at the Gangadhareswara Temple is the exquisite statue of Nandi which is carved from saligrama stone.
The delicate carvings on it and the perfect proportions make it a masterpiece. The Temple itself is unpretentious and is in Dravida style.
It was built by a palegara (chieftain) called Annaya Nayaka.
The deity housed in the garbhagriha is called Gangadhareswara as the Shivalinga is crowned with the matted locks of Shiva and there is a sculpture of Ganga seated.
The sun, moon and twenty seven nakshatras also crown the linga. The Temple faces north and has a separate shrine, facing the east, dedicated to goddess Bhavani who is depicted in the standing posture.
The priest drew our attention to the utsavamurti of the main deity.
There is an eye on the feet of Shiva which is a peculiarity. There is a lateral porched entrance to the Temple which houses a huge bell made from soap stone and has a sound quality similar to that of metal bell.
This temple also has a sculpture of Bedara Kannapa which is a rare one.
The priest then told us about two Hoysala temples in the vicinity of the Gangadhareswara Temple. First, we went to the Chennakeshava Temple which is a small yet typical Hoysala ekakuta temple.
It was built in 1258 by Somanna Dandanayaka under the reign of Narasimha III. The ruined structure was restored in 1991 but it wears an abandoned look today.
The garbhagriha houses an intricately carved idol of Chennakeshava, a form of Vishnu depicted with a mace in one hand and a lotus in the other.
The Temple is built on a star-shaped platform and has a small shikhara (tower).
The Moole Shankareshwara Temple is built in a hollow on the shores of a huge lake.
This Temple has a unique architecture rarely found in south India. Only one other Hoysala temple, the Sadashiva Temple at Nuggehalli has this type of architecture.
Built on a star-shaped platform, this temple faces the east and has an entrance in the south through a porch.
The tower is said to be of the bhumija type usually found in western India, northern Deccan and the Malwa regions.
Sir M Visvesvaraya visited the temple in 1939 and proposed measures to support the ruined structure. This Temple was the first one to be built by the Hoysalas in Turuvekere and was hence called Moola Shankareshwara, but later, the name got distorted to Moole Shankareshwara.
The name is probably justified now because this temple has been relegated to a corner of the growing town.