Temple interiors and the sanctum
Typical of the Hoysala temple architecture, the mantapa (covered hall) in front of the garbhagrihas (sanctum) conforms to the Navaranga design. A Navaranga is a 3×3 grid of nine rectangular sections. The middle section of the Navaranga is known as the Sabhamantapa (community hall). An ante-chamber, known as Antarala, separates each garbhagriha from the navaranga. Please watch the video at the end for a better understanding of the concept.
The Somanatha temple has three sanctums or Garbhagrihas in three cardinal directions, i.e., south, west, and north. This feature makes it a Trikuta (three deities) temple. All three sanctums or Garbhagrihas are equal-sized, with an ornate doorway. Each shrine houses a statue of Krishna. The door lintels depict a miniature version of the deity inside the sanctum, the Garbhagriha.
The southern garbhagriha is dedicated to Venugopala, the western one to Keshava, and the northern one to Janardhana. All three are forms of Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Vishnu. The southern and northern garbhagrihas have the original idols, whereas the western garbhagriha has a replica of the original.
The idols in the southern (Venugopala) and northern (Janardhana) garbhagrihas are monolithic sculptures carved from Krishna Shilé (black stone), which is available in plenty in Karnataka.
Sanctum on the southern side - Deity Venugopala
Deity inside the south garbhagriha placed on a star-shaped platform is an exquisitely carved life-size statue of Venugopala, a form of Krishna portrayed as a divine flute player. Venu translates to flute in Kannada and Gopala to the protector of cows - another name for Krishna.
The statue of Venugopala is precisely carved where the deity is standing with his right foot crossing over his left. The God has his hands on the flute (which is partly broken) that is perfectly placed at the mouth. Venugopala is elegantly dressed in a beautiful skirt-like dress and is adorned with jewellery. Some jewellery he is adorned with are bracelets, armlets, anklets, necklaces, and an udiyana (waistband).
Carved at the centre is a relief depicting a kneeling Garuda, who is Lord Vishnu’s mount. Surrounding Venugopala are cows and gopikas (cow herding girls who are associates of Krishna) listening to his music.
An excellent account of Krishna's life is given in the scriptures Harivansha, Bhagavatha, and Vishnu Purana. A series of seven books written by Dr. K.M. Munshi called Krishnavatara offers accounts of Krishna compiled from some of the scriptures mentioned above.
Sanctum on the western side - Deity Keshava
According to local history, the idol here is not the original one. The currently installed idol is a replica built using the Keshava relief carved on the doorway's lintel as a reference. The quality of the craftsmanship of the idol is not on par with the images in the other two sanctums. It also appears to be smaller.
The deity in the western sanctum is that of Lord Vishnu with standard iconography. Keshava is also another name for Vishnu and Krishna. One of the meanings of the name Keshava is the one with long hair. It could also mean the slayer of the demon Keshi.
According to local history, the idol here is not the original one. The currently installed idol is a replica built by using the Keshava relief carved on the lintel of the doorway as a reference. The quality of the craftsmanship of the idol is not on par with the images in the other two sanctums. It also appears to be smaller.
The deity Keshava is a chaturbhuja (i.e., one who has four arms). He holds Shanka (conch) and Padma (lotus) with his two right hands and holds Chakra (discus) and Gada (mace) with his two left hands. These are the signature objects that are part of Vishnu’s iconography.
Sanctum on the Northern side: Deity Janardhana
The deity in the northern sanctum is that of Janardhana. Janardhana is another moniker for Vishnu and Krishna. Janardhana means the protector of the people. Several different meanings from scriptures for this name can be found in the Wisdom Library.
The deity Janardhana, as per the standard iconography of Lord Vishnu, is four-armed or a chaturbhuja. He holds the four emblems of Vishnu, Shanka, Chakra, Gada, and Padma.
The sculpture of Janardhana is adorned with bracelets, armlets, anklets, a waistband, and finely carved necklaces and garlands.
As in the case of most of the sculptures in this temple, there are two female figures at the bottom. Each is holding a lotus bud/ corn cob with one hand and a kalasa (a pot) with the other.