Boy · Kannada and Sanskrit (Kannada and Telugu usage) · Hindu
Chennakeshava
चेन्नकेशवSay it chen-nuh-KAY-shuh-vuh
- Meaning today
- Handsome Keshava
- Original meaning
- "handsome Keśava, a form of Vishnu" Monier-Williams, p. 310
- Say it
- chen-nuh-KAY-shuh-vuh
- Written
- चेन्नकेशव
- Other spellings
- Chennakesava, Channakeshava
- First sound
- चे · Mesh rashi
Chennakeshava
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Chennakeshava meaning
Chennakeshava (चेन्नकेशव) is a Hindu boy's name of Kannada and Sanskrit origin (Kannada and Telugu usage). By its first sound, चे, it is a Mesh rashi name (Ashwini nakshatra) in the North Indian table.
Handsome Keśava, a form of Vishnu
Also used to mean: handsome Keshava
Chennakeshava (चेन्नकेशव) pairs Kannada cenna, "a man of beauty", with Keśava, a name of Vishnu and Krishna that Monier-Williams explains as "having long or handsome hair". The best-known Chennakeshava is the form of Vishnu worshipped at Belur, in the temple King Vishnuvardhana commissioned in 1117, now part of the UNESCO-listed Hoysala ensembles. Telugu families write the name Chennakesava. Name lists give "handsome Keshava", which matches the two words exactly.
In Hindu tradition this is a name of Vishnu.
Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 310 · entry keśava · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Kittel, cenna, p. 658 · Monier-Williams, keśava, p. 310 · Wikipedia, Chennakeshava Temple, Belur
Fits your syllable
First sound चे
Ashwini nakshatra, pada 2 · Mesh rashi
North Indian table. Tables vary by region and family tradition, so confirm with your priest.
Spellings
Chennakeshava · Chennakesava · Channakeshava