Keshava temple that was constructed in the 12^th century is known for its architectural creativity of the Hoysala Kings. Samantha a General officer during the rule of King Narasimha III took up the initiative of Keshava Temple. Hoysala had many splendid rock cut temples but only Keshava Temple is surviving at present.

Somanthapura

Somanthapura situated on the banks of river Cauvery is a village known for its serene beauty. The major attraction of this place is the Keshava temple. Somanatha who was a commander during the rule of Hoysala dynasty got this temple constructed. Both religious and cultural activities are given equal importance.

The Temple 

It’s a wonderful temple engraved of rocks. It has got a beautiful borderline with interesting adorned campus and a large gate that welcomes all the visitors. You get see the temple which is placed upon an elevated platform in the shape of a star. The temple holds a beautiful art of sculptors. Inscriptions on the rocks portray some scenes of the Hindu mythology. Complete upper row of the temple walls is carved with the images of Lord Vishnu. At the entrance you can find 3 different holy places and 3 sanctums for 3 Lords that is adorned with interesting inscriptions and sculptors. The chamber located in the South is for Lord Venugopala that holds a hugs statue of the Lord Venugopala on a platform. Sanctum in the north is of Lord Janardhana with which has a huge idol of Janardhana and the central hall is for Lord Keshva. Initially it had a statue but later due to some disaster it got demolished. In order to attract the tourists some pillars of exclusive artwork is placed here. The upper part of the sanctums has obscure rock carvings that can be viewed from far distant.

From the above description of the temple it shows the hard work of the architects of the olden days who held both in combination the holy spirits as well as culture and tradition of the people. It showcases beautiful stonework and architecture of ancient Hindu mythology embraced elephants that are considered to be a bearer of the universe. One can say that this temple represents the entire universe.

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South India is known for its ancient artistic temples that represent its culture and tradition. One of the famous temples of Mysore is the Chamundi Temple that is situated on Chamundi Hills. Deity in this temple is Goddess Chamundi or Chamundeshwari.

The description of the temple

The main attraction is the Dravidian style of architecture through out the temple. Quadrangular structural pattern of the temple, the carvings on the pillars of the entrance all this comes under typical Dravidian art that gives a beautiful look for the temple. A huge pyramid style structure welcomes you at the entrance. You will find complicated designs done on the gateway. The temple has also got silver plated doors that hold many mythological figures done with great patience.

At first you get to see Lord Ganesha, the devotees stand in long queues in order to touch the footprints of Goddess Chamundi that is placed at the entrance of the temple. As you enter the temple you can find a beautiful sanctum on upon which you can find the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari. Goddess Chamundeshwari is worshiped with immense devotion and is believed to protect the entire city from any disaster. An additional attraction to all these is the statue of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar III facing the idol representing immense devotion he had for the Goddess.

The festivals celebrated in the Temple

Dasara is the main festival celebrated at this place. Takes place for almost 10 days with many ceremonies and spectacular traditional shows done here. At this point of time you get see devotees coming from different parts of the state, senior priests chant Vedic mantras all through the day in front of the deity. Rathothsawa is another attraction of this festival where a huge number of devotees indulge themselves to pull the wooden chariot that was presented by Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar. Here even culture and tradition is given importance as you can find many artists performing during the festival that represents Indian ethnicity. Religion, devotion, culture and tradition all these catch the attention of devotees and make them desperate to visit this place.

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Hill range of Karnataka called Biligiriranga hills or known as BR Hills is famous for its serene beauty and Biligiriranga Swami Temple. A place that holds blue sky, green mountains and blue lakes that creates a perfect picturesque for nature lovers. Located in the midst of Western and Eastern Ghats you can find a unique variety of flora and fauna.

You can find many unusual species of plants and animals in the thick forest of BR Hills. Apart from the sanctuary point of BR Hills it is also known for the Biligiri Ranganna Temple.

The Biligiri Ranganna Temple:

Location: Situated in Chamarajanagar District of Karnataka on the ‘White Cliff’ the highest peak of the BR mountain range.

 History: It was constructed at the ages of Lord Ram and Lord Parashurama found in the epic of Ramayana. It is said that the temple was built at the place where Lord Ram and Lord Parashurama was praying Lord Ranganatha and Sage Vasista installed the deity of this temple.

Description: Temple is beautifully placed on the top of a rock face and the stone pillars have beautiful messages carved that are associated with ancient facts. You also get see the artistic carved figures of Goddess Saraswati, Lord Krishna, Lord Shiva, Lord Hanuman and others mentioned in the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Lord Ranganatha and Goddess Lakshmi are worshipped here where people stand till the Pooja is completed. The deity of this place is worshipped under three names Srinivasa, Venkataswara and Ranganatha. Thousands of people stand in a long queue for to reach the temple and see the idol.

Festival associated with the temple: Ideal time to visit the temple is during car festival that takes place once in 2 years. People of that place get together and celebrate this festival with great devotion and enthusiasm.

How to reach the temple?

Accessing Mysore is an easy task and BR Hills is about 82kms from Mysore main town. You can find private and government buses to this place from different parts of the state. So please don’t miss this place if you turn up to Mysore.

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Culture, tradition, religion and spiritualism are the things that India is known for. Coming to the pilgrimages you can find a huge number of them in South India especially in the states of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. You can find thousands of devotees from all over the world coming here to visit the artistry of the ancient temples.

The History of the Temples:

Kings of different dynasties who ruled this part before the British invasion constructed the temples of Mysore. But even today these temples have not lost their significance and always been remembered and visited.

Significance of the Temples:

Religious Importance: South Indian temples have always been an ideal destination of pilgrimage. Thousands of devotees from different parts of the country come here to witness devotion and pay their homage.

Architectural Importance: Temples of Mysore are known for its typical South Indian beautiful architecture that shows love for artistic creations. The art includes painting; stone cut work and much more.

Cultural Importance: With the best art forms found on these temples one can be sure of telling how much preference people give for their culture and tradition.

Some of the popular temples of Mysore are:

Narayana Temple

Gayathri Temple

Jagamohana Ranganatha Swamy Temple

Bhuvaneshwari Temple

Sri Lakshmi Venkataramanaswamy Temple

Agasteeshawara Temple

Kodi Bhairava Temple

Shwetha Varahaswami Temple

The Nimishamaba Temple

One should Visit Mysore to explore South Indian devotion, culture, tradition and art.

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Mysore was the capital city, and the Region of Mysore was ruled by Wodeyar dynasty, apart from it in the 18th century after Haidar Ali and Tipau Sultan were the actual rulers of the region. The Wodeyars were supporters of painting and traditions and they contribute a lot to the cultural expansion of the city, whereas the city has been entitled as the traditional capital of Karnataka.

The region where Mysore city is situated now was recognized as Puragere till the 15th century. In the year 1524 Chamaraja Wodeyar III who later on passed away and he built the Mahishūru Fort and after his death the power of Puragere region was taken by his son Chamaraja Wodeyar IV.

In the 16th century, the name of Mahishūru was commonly used to refer to Mysore city. During the ruling period of Vijayanagara Empire, the Mysore Kingdom was under the control of Wodeyars and they served feudatory.

Until 1610 Mysore was the center for the Wodeyar government and later on Raja Wodeyar got rid of the Vijayanagara governor close by the region Srirangapatna and made his capital. The downfall of Vijayanagara Empire in the year 1565, Mysore Kingdom step by step got independence and then became the self-governing state by the time of King Narasaraja Wodeyar in the year 1637, later then Tipu Sultan’s death in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War in the 1799, the territory was spread by the British to their associates of the Fourth Mysore war, the Marhata, Nizam, and State of Travancore, whereas the rule of Mysore region was maintained by British who constructed the Government House. At present the Government of Karnataka utilizes as State Guest House.

The existing town of Nazarabad was destroyed to remove a few hints of Tipu Sultans rule and later on the capital of the kingdom was shifted back to Mysore. Diwan Purnaiah locally supported the British government, in return to the defeat of Mysore Army. Purnaiah was accredited with major improvements on witnessing the public works of Mysore. In the year 1831, the city lost its position as the administrative center of the kingdom when Mark Cubbon, the British commissioner, shifted the capital to the present metropolitan city Bangalore. Later on Mysore started to recover it status in the year 1881, when the British government gave back the power to the Wodeyars and the city continue to be the capital of Wodeyars till the year 1947 with enchanting Mysore Palace as the center of administration.

Mysore is well known for the major festivals during the Dasara whereas many tourists come from different cities. Several lakes also surround the city amongst them Kukkarahalli, Karanji and Lingambudhi lakes water is supplied to the residents living in Mysore. By tradition, Mysore has been a abode to various industries such as weaving, sandalwood carving, bronze works, and manufacture of lime and salt. Mysore is also described as the City of Palaces because number of palaces to be found in the region which includes Amba Vilas commonly known as Mysore Palace, Jaganmohana Palace which has now been renewed into an art gallery, Rajendra Vilas also identified as the summer palace, sited on the Chamundi Hills, Lalitha Mahal which is presently transformed into a hotel and Jayalakshmi Vilas, which is now on the University of Mysore building.

Chamundeshwari, Mysore

Mahishasura, Mysore, Chamundeshwari Hill

Mysore History

Old Mysore Palace

Mysore Palace – Mysore, Karnataka, India

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