Somanathapura Keshava Temple is a protected monument under the aegis of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The monument is ticketed and ASI issues both advance online tickets and at-site contactless tickets for visitors.
The ticket prices vary for Indians, SAARC nationals, BIMSTEC nationals and all other foreign nationals. The usual price for Indian, SAARC and BIMSTEC nationals at the time of our visit in Sep 2020 was INR 25 with a special discount of INR 5 to encourage newly launched Online ticketing experience. For all other foreign nationals, entrance fee is INR 250 per adult.
The tickets can be purchased online in advance by visiting https://asi.nic.in or https://asimustsee.nic.in. In case any of these sites are found to be dysfunctional for any reason, tickets can also be availed at the site in the ticketing counter. The security guards deployed at the main gate of the monument are polite, friendly and guide the visitors through a relatively easy online buying process.
If your itinerary is uncertain, it is recommended to purchase the entry ticket at the gate when you reach Somanathapura. It can be validated on the spot and you enter the monument right away.
Kids under the age of 15 years have free entry to the monument.