By Vanishree Mahesh

Located in the Tumkur district of Karnakata, Aralaguppe houses one of the smaller temples built by the Hoysalas. The temple dates back to the mid 13th century and is attributed to the Hoysala king, Someshwara. With the Hoysala rulers being devotees of Vishnu, this temple, like most others from the dynasty, is dedicated to Vishnu. The main deity here is called Keshava or Chenna Keshava, similar to Beluru. Though the temple has a simple plan of a single shrine, Shukhanasi (vestibule), and an open hall called Navaranga, the sculptures found on the temple's outer wall are highly intricate and ornate. All the wall reliefs and sculptures in the temple depict Vishnu and his different Avataras or forms, except for Ganesha.

The Aralaguppe temple stands out because of its unusual iconographic details of God Vishnu. Commonly, Vishnu is shown holding the objects Shankha (conch), Chakra (discus), Gada (mace), and Padma (lotus). However, in many sculptures, Vishnu is holding sugarcane, mortar, a plough, etc. In many sculptures, Vishnu has six hands instead of the usual four. There is scope for further research on the iconography of the temple at Aralaguppe.