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| Main Entrance Tower |
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| Sculptures on the tower |
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| large pillared mandapa |
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| Shiva Statue outside the temple |
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| Nandi Statue |
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| Girija Kalyanam |
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| Veerabhadra Murty |
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| Sankara Narayana Murty |
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| Chandeeswara Prasanna Murty |
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| Kiratarjuna Murty |
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| Lord Ganapati |
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| Tandaveswara Murty |
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| River Kapila (Kabini) |
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| River Gundal at Nanjangud |
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| Nanjangud Old Bridge |
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| Parasurama temple near Kabini River |
Most of the pilgrims visit Mysore to see the
famous Chamundi temple on the hill. Another worthseeing temple is the
thousand-year old Nanjundeshwara or Sri Kanteswara temple located in Nanjangud
at a distance of 27kms from Mysore and is 162 kms from Bangalore.This temple
has one of the tallest gopurams (192 feet) in Karnataka and is famous for its more than
120 beautiful sculptures and idols depicting the various manifestations of Lord
Shiva. Nearly 65 Shiva Lingas of various sizes seen in the corridor will create an impression of Kailasha
and hence this temple is meaningfully called “Dakshina Kailasha”.
On the left
side of the Prakara, stone idols of Ganapati, several forms of Subramanya,
Sapta Matrikas and Nayanmars are also seen along with the Idols of
Tandaveshwara, Chandrasekhara Murti, Kiratarjuna Murti, Kalasamhara Murti,
Andhakasura samhara Murti . These sculptures and idols are done during the
reign of Sri Krishna Raja Wodeyar who was a staunch devotee of Lord Nanjundeshwara.
In the temple premises the stone sculptures of Sri Krishna Raja Wodeyar along
with his four wives is seen. The king also gifted two wooden chariots in 1819
along with vahanas (mounts) like a silver horse, an elephant and a Nandi.
In
the Inner sanctum Sri Kanteshwara is seen in the form of one-meter long greenish
grey-colored Stone Shiva Linga. To the left of the main shrine the shrine of
Lord Vishnu with Sri Devi and Bhudevi is seen. Behind this shrine Lord
Chandikeshwara’s shrine is present. Parvathi’s shrine is seen in the northwestern
side. The huge eight feet tall stone Nandi seen in the courtyard of the
temple was installed by Dalavoy (Chief Commander) Vikramaraya in 1644.This
east-facing temple is located on the right bank of the River Kapila (Kabini), a
tributary of the river Cauvery. The bridge over the Kabini River is one of the
oldest bridges in India. It has a railway line as well as a road over the
bridge. It is 281 years old and is located at the entrance of the town. It was
built in 1735 and is a heritage monument.
This is
one of the biggest temples in Karnataka with dimensions of 385”x165” feet with
an area of 50,000 sq.ft. The tower at the main entrance with a seven-storeys
and seven gold=-plated kalashas was erected in 1845 by the Queen Devajammami,
wife of Sri Krishna Raja Wodeyar. The yellow stone structure with stone idols
on various tiers looks very attractive and impressive.
This temple
was constructed first by western Ganga kings in 9th century and was
later developed and extended by various kings of Chola, Hoyasala, Vijayanagara
and Wodeyar dynasties. The small square Garbha Griha (Inner sanctum) with
cylindrical pillars was built during Ganga period. The Mantapa in front of the
original sanctum was done during Hoyasala period in 13th century.
The four stucco Sikharas (small towers on shrines) on Sri Kanteshwara, Vishnu,
Parvathi and Chandikeshwara were built by Vijayanagara Kings.
According to
legend Lord Shiva drank Poison that emerged when gods and demons churned the
milky ocean to get Amrita using the Mandhara Mount as the churning rod. To save
the universe Shiva drank the deadly poison and retained it in his neck which
turned blue due to the effect of poison. So the lord became Neelakanta(blue-throated).
In Kannada the word nanju means “poison’ and so the lord was named as
“Nanjundeshwara’ or “Sree Kanteshwara”. Sage Gautama stayed here for some time
and installed a Shiva Lingam. Later Parashurama came here and bathed in Kapila river to free himself from the sin of
behading his mother, Renuka. The confluence of rivers Kapila and Gundlu
(Kaundinya) is called Parasurama Kshetra .
There is a shrine for Parasurama
here built in Mysore style. There is a newly built Maruti temple also at this
place. Guru dattatreya temple is seen very close to the Chamundeshwari temple near
the banks of Kapila River. One can see
the idols of Pratyangira devi and Sri Maha Sarabheswara also in
Chamundeshwari’s temple. The waters and soil near the Kapila are river are said
to have curative properties. Tipu Sultan’s royal elephant regained eyesight
when its eyes were washed with holy water from the temple. The king developed
strong faith in the Lord and called him “Hakim Nanjundeshwara’ and gifted a
Shiva Linga made of jade and an emerald necklace as a token of gratitude.
In this temple special poojas are
held on Mondays, New Moon day and Full Moon day every month. Abhishekams are
done every day six times at 6.30 a.m., 9.00 a.m., 11.00 a.m.,12.00 p.m., 6.30
p.m., and 8.00 p.m. respectively. In November, during Chikka Jatre the idols of
various gods are taken in a procession in three chariots. In April during Dodda Jatre, (car festival or Rathostava) a grand celebration takes place for ten
days and the idols are taken in a procession in five chariots. Special poojas
are performed during Maha Shiva rathri and Nava Rathri days also. The
opening
hours of the temple are from 6.00 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. and from 4.00 p.m. to 9.00
p.m. Annadanam is performed every day from 1.00 p.m. to 2.00 p.m.
Nanjangud is
a town with a big industrial complex covering a huge area of 532 acres with
thirty-six major industries, twelve medium industries and thirty-five small
scale units. Most of these industries comprise textile, pharmaceutical, food
processing and alcohol manufacturing units.The
Ayurvedic Toothpowder and Ayurvedic products started by late B.V. Pandit are
also very famous and are marketed all over the world. The Ayurvedic clinic
“Sadvaidyasala” founded by him serves many people. Nanjangud is also very popular for a special
variety of Bananas called “Nanjnagud Rasabale”.
The temple with beautiful sculptures
will cast a lasting impression on the minds of pilgrims. The lighting in the
corridors may be improved so that pilgrims will have an opportunity to see the
idols and sculptures clearly. The outside premises may be beautified with a
garden view. More shops and stalls giving information about this temple may be
set up.
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21st March, 2018 Somaseshu Gutala
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