Temples in and around Mysore

Sri Chamundeshwari Temple, Mysore

The Chamundeeswari temple is located on a hill in the vicinity of Mysore and is accessed through a motorable road. Chamundeeswari the tutelary deity of the Mysore Maharajas has been held in reverence for centuries, and the Wodeyars of Mysore have made extensive contributions to this shrine.

Chamundeeswari, or Durga is the fierce form of Shakti who vanquished the demon Mahishasuran. A colorful image of the demon greets visitors as they reach the summit of the hill.

The Nandi(the bull mount of Shiva) on the 800th step on the hill, is over 15 feet high, and 24 feet long.

Sri Nimishambika Shrine

This ancient shrine is dedicated to Moutikeshwara and his consort Nimishambika. The deity is another form of Shiva.Lord Lakshmi Narasimha is also enshrined.The temple, very popular among the pilgrims, is situated on the banks of Cauvery. It is 20 kilometers away from Mysore.

Gopalaswamy Betta:

Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta, is a hill (betta in Kannada) located in the Chamarajanagar district of the state of Karnataka,at a height of 1454 m India and is extensively wooded. Dense fog predominates and covers the hills round the year and thus gets the prefix Himavad in the native language of Kannada and the temple of Venugopalaswamy gives the full name of Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta.

Lord Gopalaswamy’s idol is flanked by his consorts, Rukmini and Satyabhama. Cows and cowherds are featured towards the right side of the panel.

Malai Mahadeshwara Betta or MM Hills

Malai Mahadeshwara Betta or MM Hills is famous for the temple of Lord Sri Mahadeshwara, incarnate of Lord Shiva. This temple is situated at an altitude of 3000 feet in the Kollegala taluk, Chamarajanagar district, Karnataka State. There are about 77 hills around the Eastern Ghats near MM Hills.

Sankashta Chathurti Poojas are performed on New Moon and Full Moon day of every month. Deepavali and Maha Shivaratri are very famous here.

For devotees and pilgrims there is Dasoha Bhavana, where Anna Dana (free food) offered through out the year. One can find accommodation and lodging at guest houses at MM Hills. There are many temples and shrines near by MM Hills.

Melkote Cheluva-Rayaswami Temple

Situated 50 Kms.north of Mysore, Melkote is a sacred pilgrim centre, known for its Vairamundi festival in March-April. More than one lakh devotees congregate here for the festival.Melkote is also famous for its hand looms. Ramanujacharya,the Shrivaishnava saint-philosopher, took shelter here from his persecutors

Melkote is one of those towns where we can find every nook and corner showcases our heritage and erudition. It is at an altitude of about 900 metres above the sea level.This town was once considered the knowledge storehouse by scholars and musicians. One can find that whole town life revolves around two main temples Cheluvarayaswamy and Tiruanrayana.

There is Yoganarasimhaswamy temple on a hill overlooking the main temple.There are numerous legends and myths attached to this place. It is believed that Rama, Krishna and Balarama worshipped here at different timezones.

Nanjangud

Nanjangud, a holy place, described as Garalapuri, is famous because of the huge Nanjundeswara or Srikanteswara temple. Nanjangud is also known as ‘Dakshina Kashi’ or Varanasi of the South.

Nanjangud is situated on the right bank of the river Kapila or Kabini, one of the tributaries of the Cauvery River, and nearby the town is the Sangam. The spot is called “Parashurama Kshetra”.There is a Parashurama temple of the Mysore style, now renovated fully and in the sanctum Lord Parashurama is worshipped. This quiet place has shrines of Maruthi and a newly built Basaveshvara temple.

The notable temple and place of pilgrimage at Nanjangud is the Nanjundeswara temple, one of the huge temples of Karnataka. It has grown in the course of 1,000 years, beginning from the Ganga times till the 19th century. The spacious temple has minor shrines of Narayana with consorts, Chandikeswara, Parvathi, Natya Ganapathi and others. There are many cells with Lingas enshrined in them. There are 122 images in the vast prakara or enclosure. There is a vast pillared mantapa inside. The temple has many bronzes Uthsava (procession) idols and a good number of vahanas (carriages) used on different festivals.

A major event in the pilgrim town is the Rathotsava or the car festival of Nanjundeswara. Besides the ‘big Jathra’ (big car festival), a ‘chikka Jathra’ (small car festival) is also organised every year during two auspicious days. Hundreds of pilgrims are attracted for the two Jathras (festivals). Besides cultural programmes and illumination of the temple, a colorful floating festival (Theppotsava) is also conducted during the celebrations.

Another important centre in Nanjangud is the Raghavendra Math, situated on the road to the right of the Nanjundeswara temple. It was founded by the close of 15th century and great gurus or heads like Sudheendra Thirtha and RaghavendraThirtha headed this institution. It has a fine collection of Sanskrit manuscripts and copper plates

Shravanabelagola

This is one of the most popular Jain pilgrimage center in South India, and is known for its colossal monolithic statue of Gomateswara, on top of a hill. Sravanbelagola is at a distance of 93km from Mysore. The nearest railhead is Hassan (49km). Belur is at a distance of 86 km from here.

The temple to Gomateswara is built on top of a hill, in between two hills - at a height of 3000 feet above sea level. A flight of 500 steps provides access to this temple. Views of the neighborhood from the top of the hill are spectacular.The image of Gomateswara is an awe inspiring one. Carved out of a single block of granite, this 50 feet high statue, stands majestically on top of the hill. This image was created during the period of Chamundaraya, a minister of the Ganga King Rajamalla.

Festivals: The Mahamastakabhishekam festival is held once in 12 years, when the image of Gomateswara is bathed in milk, curds, ghee, saffron and gold coins.

Somnathpura

The Hoysalas were great patrons of the arts, especially sculpture, music and dance. The largest of the Hoysala temple is in Somnathpura, 35 km from Mysore. The sculpture is not on high gopuras; it is on a level that can be viewed without craning one’s neck. The carved panels embrace the temple dedicated to Lord Chennakesava. Like all Hoysala temples, the temple is also built on a star-shaped base. Incidents from the Hindu epics, with a closed door marking the end of every chapter, are carved with an astounding eye for detail.

Srirangapattana

Srirangapattana is located at a distance of 20 kms from Mysore City. It is an island town surrounded by River Cauvery. The town makes its name from Sri Ranganathaswamy, the presiding deity who is enshrined in one of the oldest Dravidian temples in the state. Lord Sriranganatha temple is one of the largest and beautiful temples in the state and is of great local importance. The beautiful idol of Sri Ranganatha is worth to be seen. It consists of a Mahadwara with huge tower and pillared wall in three or four different stages.