Nagamangala, a small town in Mandya District, used to be an agrahara in olden days. As a taluk headquarters, today it is a bustling township on the Mysore-Hassan Road, famous for its metals, vessels and processional images for temples. Among the many temples that Nagamangala is studded with, the huge temple of Sowmyakeshava stands out as a legacy of Hoysala period.

This magnificent temple, spread on 1 1/2 acres of land, was built during the reign of Hoysala kings in 11th century. Later on, the massive entrance tower was built in Vijayanagar times. Having withstood centuries, this tower is presently being renovated. As the wide road leads to the entrance of this east facing temple, one's attention is drawn to the imposing stone pillar (dhwajasthamba) standing on a solid square pedestal. It is customary to pay obeisance first to the small niche with a tiny Ganesha on the right of the main entrance and then proceed.

The passage leads to a sprawling courtyard with a very high ceiling, supported by as many as 64 tall stone pillars. The entrance to the inner courtyard is marked by a couple of steps flanked by 4 pillars with square bases, adorned with the carved images of celestial nymphs, dancing figures, birds and animals.

The mukhamantapa itself is quite spacious, leading to thrikoota, the 3-celled sanctum. In the centre is the main sanctum with the beautiful 5 1/2 feet image of Vishnu in the form of Sowmyakeshava, named after the smiling benign countenance of the Lord. Carved in black stone, this lovely image with four hands holding the shankha, chakra and gadha stands on a Garuda pedestal.

The entrance to the sanctum is guarded by the dwarapalakas, Jaya and Vijaya, holding metalled dandas with the images of Sun and Moon. The sanctum on the left has the images of Rukmini and Satyabhama with Venugopala. Adjacent to this are two images of serpents. The speciality of one of them is that it has two saligramas for its eyes. Turning to the right, we can see the images of Lakshminarasimha enclosed in a cell. Adjacent to this is the image of Vishwaksena.

Nagamangala, which also had the names of Ananthakshetra and Phanipura, seems to be a take off from Nagamandala, for which the temple is famous. The ceiling of mukhamantapa is divided into 9 squares with floral designs carved into them, each different from the other. The ceiling in the centre is decorated with the image of a serpent, said to be coiled around 108 shankhas and padmas. This Nagamandala is revered and worshiped fondly by devotees to get themselves cured of curses like Nagadosha, Sarpadosha, Rahu and Kethu doshas. Supporting these ceiling chambers are 12 typical Hoysala pillars, each with a square base and a top with a series of rings in between.

In the outer courtyard, taking a circumambulation from the left, a shrine of Paramapadanathan is seen. Walking around, the finely sculpted tiers of the temple exterior and the well defined main tower cannot be missed. In the southwest corner, on a platform, is the temple of Sudarshana with 12 hands, followed by a shrine of Anjaneya.
A temple of Goddess Sowmyanayaki is to the northwest and a few cells in the northeast corner house Ramanujacharya, Pillai Lokacharya and Kovil Kandade and Annan Swamy.

The archak here, Sri Narayan, says this place has gained the special privilege of being known as Dasasreshta, after Purandaradasa visited the place and sang songs. The annual rathothsava is held for 10 days in March from Phalguna Shuddha Poornima. In January, the 30-day Dhanurmasa pooja, an early morning ritual, is celebrated. The other important festival at this temple is the Dhwajasthambha Deeparadhane in Karthika Masa.