Temple Complex

Mahadvara – Entrance to the temple complex

The temple can be spotted inside walled premises after walking past a pleasant green lawn (as exhibited in the attached video). In front of the main entrance is a Deepasthamba The entrance to the temple complex is through the Mahadvara (great door) located on the east side. As you can see from the image, Mahadvara has a doorway with a pavilion on each side. Extending these pavilions is the eastern wall of the prakara (a protective wall enclosing the temple). Erected inside the left pavilion is a stele inscribed with the dates and details of the construction of the temple.

Gallery on the west side

The temple is surrounded by galleries on the south, west, and north sides. Attached to the galleries are 64 mini shrines, which are empty because the invading armies of Malik Kafur destroyed the sculptures and looted the treasures underneath them.

The Keshava Temple is on a star-shaped platform called Jagati, with only one entrance, which is on the east side. The approach to the doorway is through two flights of steps. The first flight of steps is from the floor to the platform, and flanking it are two mini shrines with missing idols. The second flight of steps is from the platform to the doorway. The facade of the temple is not as ornate as Belur – Helebidu temples because most of the original facade was destroyed during the Malik Kafur attack. As can be observed, the replaced elements of the facade are of a different colour from the rest. The architecture of the temple is a harmonious blend of the southern Dravida and northern Nagara styles and is known as the Vesara style. The conical-shaped tower, known as Shikhara or Vimana, which is above each Sanctum or garbhagriha follows the Nagara style design, and the front portion of the temple follows the classic Mantapa style design. The temple is symmetrical about the east-west axis. In other words, the south-side layout is a mirror image of the north side (and vice-versa).