World heritage Somnathpur sculptures and Talakadu temple mystery

Badge of ExcellenceBangalore, India

Private Day Trip to Somnathpur and Talakadu from Bangalore

From $120.00

Price varies by group size

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

9 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Visit some of South India's most impressive Hindu temples with this private excursion from Bangalore. Get picked up bright and early from your hotel and take the ferry out to Talakadu, home to the 14th-century Vaidyanatheswara Temple. Your next stop will be the black-granite Keertinarayana Temple, followed by lunch. In the afternoon, you are whisked away to Somnathpur, home to the 13th-century Chennakesava Temple, celebrated for its beautiful carvings.

Visit beautiful old 13th- and 14th- century temples with a guide
A private guide will be with you to explain the significance of the temples
Choice of Royal Enfield motorcycle rental or car transfer
Lunch and round-trip hotel transfers are included

What's Included

Private guide
Lunch
Pickup and drop-off

Beverages
Gratuities
Any food ordered other than south indian lunch

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

07:30 AM

What To Expect

Somnathpur Temple

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Keerthi Narayana Temple

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Talakad Panchalinga Temples

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Minimum age is 18 years
Not wheelchair accessible
Footwear needs to be removed before entering temples and we have multiple temples on this itinerary. So slippers or slip-ons which can be easily removed, are preferable
A dress code is required to enter places of worship. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women.

Near public transportation
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Most travelers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

66 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-9 of 66 reviews

Temple tour in Karnataka

Bjarni_B, Apr 2024

Great day trip with Shekar. We visited two temples and got a private tour of both. We followed that up with a great lunch stop. Definitely recommended.

Somnathpur is awe inspiring

Scott_M, Nov 2023

Excellent tour would definitely recommend. Trip description was a bit different that what we actually did though. We didn’t go to the one of the temples, but the two stops were definitely enough, and I doubt the other temple could top somnathpur anyway. And there wasn’t an option for motorcycle rides or a little water ferry like in the photos of the tour. But will still be the highlight of the trip I’m sure. All the guides were friendly and super helpful

Highly recommend

Celine_L, Nov 2023

Very convenient day trip from Bangalore to discover ancient temples with exquisite carvings. As a bonus, you get a good view of Karnataka countryside with the rice and cane sugar fields, palm trees, and the Cauvery river. Mohan was early to pick up, drived safely and was very helpful from beginning to end.

Mr. Purushottam drove me...

Aaditi_A, Jul 2023

Mr. Purushottam drove me throughout the trip to all the locations and made sure I was safe and well taken care of. Ms. Shobha did an amazing job explaining the history and story behind the beautiful Keshav temple at Somnathpur. Mr. Manu Nayak shared all interesting theories about the mysterious Panchalinga and Keerthi Narayan temples at Talakadu. Everyone was happy to answer any curious doubts and queries by sharing their knowledge. Overall, an excellent experience. I am very thankful.

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Thanks so much for your kind feedback. It was our pleasure hosting you to mysterious temples of Somnathpur and Talakad.

Fantastic trip

Haritha_R, Jul 2023

My sister & I took this tour! We had our guide meet us a the lobby and take us to talakad as Somnathpur. Our guide was very knowledgeable and we learnt a lot on the history, culture, art & architecture. All in all it was a spectacular time! Recommend this tour!

a unique cultural experience

Victoria_D, Nov 2022

good tour, you will see 2 temples and have lunch. The first temple is in a very rural location, I would recommend bringing bug spray and some bottles of water. We brought our own bag with bottles of water and an extra battery pack for our phones. We did do bug spray in the morning but wish i had brought it with us in our bag. The second temple was our favorite and had a rich history that we were able to learn about. the lunch spot also had some of the best dosa we have every had.

The temple at Somnathpur...

Bianca_C, Oct 2022

The temple at Somnathpur is just spectacular! This was by far the highlight of our day! Our tour guide Divakar was very knowledgeable, kind, patient and fun! Thank you Div for being so thoughtful and delivered a Greta experience for us !

My driver and guides were as...

Harry L, May 2018

My driver and guides were as wonderful as the sights. In addition to the amazing temples--works of astonishing architectural beauty--there was generous clean food, an amazing countryside drive, and friendly, colorful people everywhere. I liked that the temples on this excursion were mostly live--still open for worship--regardless of their antiquity. It's very immersive and left me feeling more local than any other excursion I had in India. Remember that shoes are not allowed in temples in India, so be sure to wear sandals or slip-ons for convenience. Also, keep a batch of small denomination rupee coins for shoe minders and small bills for making polite donations at the temples.

This trip was phenomenal. Before...

Vincent_P, Jan 2017

This trip was phenomenal. Before this tour, I hadn't really considered the age of the Indian culture. This tour takes you to a pair of temples that are 1,500 and 1,000 years old. In fact, Somnathpur, the older of the two, is part of an archeological site that has been covered by sand for centuries. This site is outside a small village, roughly a 2 1/2 hour drive from Bangalore. You do have a sense of having gone backwards in time. Also, please be aware that this is an active place of worship and the final destination of a pilgrimage for many. One of the charms though not for locals of this small village is that you will see monkeys running about. It's also located fairly close to the Chauvery River, a place we also stopped and visited. You have the option there of going on the river in a small, circular shaped boat. Talakdau is not quite as remote. It's a youngster at a mere 1,000 years old. The architecture will remind you of Angkor Wat. As my guide pointed out, it was not unusual for the architects to move between palace/temple projects. You'll find the detail in the temple's friezes incredible. Regrettably, some of these were damaged hundreds of years ago during Moslem invasions. As a result, the site is no longer a place of worship. This tour makes use of local guides. This means that you will be driven to the site and there meet a local person who will guide you through the site. This is part of the strategy of the tour company to encourage sustainable tourism. The company utilizes local people who are familiar with the site in their village and able to speak about the cultural and local significance of the site. This also helps to create jobs in that locale. This is a terrific strategy that we travelers should encourage. I've also posted three photos. One of each of the sites and one of the river. Please note that some parts of the Somnathpur have been restored, due to damaged sustained while they were embedded in sand. These restored sections are the lighter colored roofs of the building. I encourage people interested in learning more about Southern India's history and culture to take this tour.