Omkareshwara Temple

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Its weekend of November 2020 and we are the brink of the year end just a month left for the year to get over. Phew what a year to begin and end with! Today I decided to travel towards Hassan and so I found this beautiful place called Mudigere where there are two temple located. One is dedicated to Lord Shiva and another to Lord Narasimha Swamy. Omkareshwara temple is constructed in the midst of beautiful greenery surrounding the temple. There are many very nice murals and deities pictures depicted on the exterior walls of the temple which explains many stories from our Hindu mythology. They are really beautiful and mesmerizing pictures. I loved the whole structure of the temple premises. The main deity of  the temple is Lord Shiva but it is very different from other temples as Lord Shiva sits there in the Lingam form and also as Shiva in sitting position with lord Kartikeya on his lap chanting Omkara in the ears of the Lord Shiva. This temple deity is really very different from any other Shiva temples that I have seen. I am sure you too will fall in love with the place if you visit.

The temple premises also has other gods like, Lord Ganesha, Lord Narasimha, Saptamatrikas and Navagrahas too. Each of these deities have separate place for themselves and beautifully carved statues have been kept and maintained very neatly. The place has a good collection of hibiscus plants with different colour flowers and a small lotus pond too. I got to see 2 beautiful pink lotus flowers buds in the pond when I visited the temple.  There was so much peace and tranquility in and around the place. I was lucky enough to get to see the abhishekam of the main deity Lord Shiva and it was a feast to my eyes to see the beautiful god in different shades of colours of nature red, yellow, white, during the time of abhishekam. Its was wonderful to be here for sometime around and be part of the pooja and abhishekam of the Lord.  

If you are travelling towards Hassan or Chanraypatna I would suggest you guys spend some time here with the Lord Shiva and I am sure you would also fall in love with the place and the lord!.

Atma Lingeshwara Temple

                                                                        

Its Thursday today 12/11/2020 and I decided to take a break and travel to nearby places and explore more temple as usual which is my hobby. I explored this temple called Atma Lingeshwara temple and it is located at Hanumanthanagara KM Doddi Bharathi Nagara near to Mandya, which is around 16 kilometres from Mandya and 55 kilometres from Mysore. Travelling to this place is easy using google maps and the place is also very nice for kids as they have park and play ground and boating all kinds of fun activities near by to the temple.  The temple is run through the trust and they also have a naturopathy department behind the temple which treats for illnesses through the use of natural remedies. Naturopathy hospital is maintained by the Temple itself. 

There is good parking space near the temple and a small kalyani is also found near the entrance of the temple. You have to climb some stairs to reach the temple may be somewhere around 50- 60 steps. While climbing the steps we first get a huge Nandi statue to the right and a big Hanuman statue to the left hand side of the stairs. The temple premises is kept very clean and full of greenery around the place. Nandi faces directly to the temple entrance and faces the Lord Shiva. Once you reach the top there is a huge gopuram which has a big gate to the temple. Once you enter the premises you will see such a huge premises of the temple may be  an acre land is used to build the place. They have a small lotus ponds to the left and right hands side of the main deity Lord Shiva. There is also Lord Subramanya, Ganesha, Lord Bhrama, Durga in the premises. A small room is built and they have kept a White Statue of Lord Shiva in a meditative form and surrounded by mirrors so it looks like there are thousands of lord Shiva in the room. Very nicely made. Beautiful statue in the temple premises.

You have to visit the place to feel the vibes in and around it. In the park outside the temple premises there is boating facility also for kids and am sure they will enjoy the small ride in it. Very nicely planned place and done beautifully. As per me it is a must visit place with family and kids.

Sri Kala Bhairaveshvara Temple

                                                                        

 Today on 12/11/2020 I visited Sri Kalabhairaveshwara Temple at Chikkarasinakere which is close to Maddur. From Mysore it is around 70 kilometers drive. The road to this place is also good but when you reach near to the temple the road is not so well maintained. It is in the Mallavalli and Maddhur highway road. One can see the gopuram of the temple from the highway too which is painted in white colour. 

This temple is dedicated to Lord Kalabhairava which is not an ancient temple but it is built very beautifully. The temple has beautifully carved Nandi too. There are many other gods are also present in the premises of the temple. Lord Ganesha and Lord Hanuman and Lord Subramanyaswamy can also be found at the temple premises. There is also a Basava (Nandi) which is basava given to the Lord. People from surrounding villages come here to ask the Basava about any problems in their life. The Basava is very nice so pure white in colour and looked after very well by the temple authorities. Every Sunday there is abhishekam done to the main diety Lord Bhairava and the crowd is also very good. People from many places visit this place and pray to the lord. There is also a small ant hill in front of the temple and villagers say that there are snakes living in it and they pray to that anthill too. Another important part of the temple is that there is a lake near the temple which is called as Sooley Kere. Don't know why this name they have kept to the lake! They also serve food to the devotees on special occasions and on festival days and so there is also dasoha bhavana near the temple but it is outside the premises of the main temple which is close to the lake. There are a lot of dogs here which is the main vahana of Kalabhairava. 

It was a good visit overall for me. You can also visit here if you are travelling towards Maddhur or Mandya or Mysore and enjoy the peaceful place. It is good to spend some time here with the kids and they can also enjoy sitting on the bank of the Sooley Kere (lake) near the temple which is clean.

Sri Ramalingeshwara Temple, Kongahalli

 

Ramalingeshwara temple is also an ancient temple which has been renovated by now and maintained by mujurai department. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva and the lingam here is very big and nandi also is huge. This temple is located at Kongahalli which is close to Nanjangudu (may be around 15 kms from Nanjangudu) and from Mysore it is around 30 kms. The temple premises is very huge and they have maintained it very neatly. There have a garden in front of the temple which is maintained and managed by the locals who work in the temple. 

Inside the temple there are two Nandis in front of the Lingam. One huge nandi is completely covered by glass so that people do not touch it and make it dirty or destroy it so it is covered out completely. There are many small temples nearby to this temple which you can visit if you come here. The road to this place is also very good. Those who would like to travel to this place can contact the priest Ramesh's number 6360472770 or 9611962742 and you can enquire more about the temple. It is opened at 6 am in the morning. Evening they are opened until 7.00 pm everyday.

Chikkammadevi Temple at Chikkamma Betta

                                                                        

Chikkammadevi is located within 60kms from Mysore. It is one of the popular piligrimage place close to HD Kote and also prominent place to trek around. This temple is  located very close to Sargur and HD Kote and is situated in Puradakatte Taluk on the top of the Chikkammadevi Betta. This place is surrounded by complete greenery, mountains and lake. The road to the temple is also good from the foot hill to the top and well maintained temple. The drive to the top is also very exciting and mesmerising as the way is completely zig zag with lot of hairpin bends till the top of the hill. The view from the top of the hill is breathtaking and you can also see huge agricultural lands, village below the hill and Nugu reservoir. It is a feast to the eyes and you can get some fresh cool air too. Once you reach the top you need to climb few steps (may be around 60 steps) to reach the temple.

This goddess is considered to be one of the seven sisters of Chamundeshwari of Mysore and  it is said that the Mysore Wodeyars built this temple and they used to do pooja at this place too. Now this temple comes under Mujurai and under the control of the government. The temple is maintained very well and quite clean and you will also find water tank for all the devotees who come here to pray to the god, but there is lack of toilet facility here. You can also find petty shops close to the temple who sell eateries and make a living out of it. Special poojas are performed on Tuesdays and Fridays here and there will be crowd during Amavasya days too. You should be careful about your things as there are lot of monkeys who are always ready to steal your food :).  You can go biking here and enjoy the long curvy way to the top and best scenery around the hill. If you travel towards Mysore I would suggest you should visit this place too as it is not far from Mysore.

Laxminarasimhaswamy Temple, Dudda

                                                            

 This temple is an ancient temple dedicated to Laxminarasimha swamy which is located at a place called Dudda.  The road to this temple is very narrow not huge enough to drive easily and it is located around the residential houses and so quite difficult to find this place, but you can always use the google maps and travel. The temple is very old dating back to the Chola times and the statue of the lord is very very beautiful and carved in black stone and very nicely maintained premises. The temple premises is not so huge though. The temple is 16 kilometres from Mandya city. 

When i visited the place it was closed but the old priest who was sitting there in the temple steps opened the temple for me to have a glimpse of the lord. It was very kind of him as I had gone there around 4 pm and the temple opens at 6.00 pm evening but still he opened it for me. He also said that his family members are performing pooja here from many years and they have developed a lot of temple structures and made it look more nicer.

If you are travelling towards Mandya you should get blessings of the Lord Narasimhaswamy here and feel the presence of the divine here. 

Sri Gavisiddeshwara Temple, Maradevanahalli

 

                                                                        

This temple is located 40 kilometres from Mysore and very close to Mandya. If you travelling to Mandya this is a must visit place. The temple is very beautiful as it is made from white marble and so the whole temple premises and surrounding is so pure white in colour. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is located on a very small hill top which is surrounded by natures beauty and mountains and there is so much greenery around it. When you drive to this place, you can feel so much close to the nature as there are many paddy fields. The temple has a huge Shiva Linga on the top of the temple and a big Nandi sitting in front of Shivalingam. This is the uniqueness of this temple which makes it very different from other temples. The surrounding of the temple is also very clean and neatly maintained with a nice garden around it. 

There is another small temple behind this big Shiva temple. There are nice and clean steps which leads to this small temple on top from the garden. Its a breathtaking  view from the top of the hill near the temple. Very serene environment and so quite and peaceful place. I would personally recommend this place for those who travel to Mandya, should visit this place. Road near the temple is very nice and you would love the sights around the temple. A good place to spend some time alone here. You can also do very nice photo shoots as they have well maintained garden around the Temple.