Mysore Temples, Karnataka

The innumerable temples in Mysore hold a special place in Mysore culture. Most of the renowned temples of Mysore were built by the royal family of the reigning Wadeyars. The Wadeyars were very much into religious practices and they built several temples in Mysore. Mostly, these temples were built in and around the Mysore palace and fort to provide easy accessibility for the members of the royal family. The famous temples of Mysore are usually ornate and adorned with elaborate sculptures of various Hindu mythological figures.

Chamundi Temple Mysore
One of the most popular Mysore Temples among the religiously inclined people of the state is the Chamundi Temple. The Chamundi Temple atop the Chamundi Hills is not only a mere religious shrine but its overall attraction has made it a great tourism spot. According to historians, the Chamundi Temple was built during the 12th century. Once a small temple dedicated to Goddess Kali, the Chamundi Temple of Mysore has grown in size and glory with the contributions of the Maharajahs of Mysore.

The temple stands as an excellent example of Dravidian architectural style. The rectangular temple has a magnificently sculptured tower. The doorway of the temple has a small but lovely Ganesha statue. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Chamundi - an incarnation of Kali.

Prasanna Krishnaswamy Temple Mysore
Krishnaraja Wodeyar III built the Prasanna Krishnaswamy temple. This temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna the founder of the Yadu dynasty. Construction of temple began 1825 and was completed in 1829. He presented the temple with about 40 bronze statues of Gods, Goddesses and saints. His name was inscribed next to the name of the statue. There is a statue of Krishnaraja Wodeyar III along with his wives with labels on their pedestals. The statue of the Maharaja is also worshipped.

In the prakara or the enclosure of the temple is a small cell enshrining the figure of the sage Atri. The figure of the sage was installed, as he was the gotra-rishi of the Maharaja. In the shrine of Ramanujacharya in the temple, there are three small stone figures of Paravasudeva, Anathasayana and Rajamannar (a form of Lord Krishna). The Navaranga (the central pillared hall) of Prasanna Krishnaswamy Temple has beautiful murals on its walls. The murals represent stories from Bhagavat the epic relating to Krishna.

Lakshmiramana Swamy Temple Mysore
One of the oldest Mysore Temples and one of the archaeologically important too, the Lakshmiramana Swamy Temple is visited by devotees coming from all over the state. The Lakshmiramana Swamy Temple has great historical importance attached to it. The inscriptions in the temple, ancient books and other sources have valuable mentions of the temple.

Like many other temples of the region, the Lakshmiramana Swamy Temple in Mysore was renovated by Krishnaraja Wodeyor III. The tower standing over the main entrance - Mahaswara was built by his predecessor. A statue of the respected king can be seen in the temple. The temple is dedicated to Nambinarayan, a form of Lord Vishnu. The idol of the worshiped deity is kept in the sanctum sanctorum. A beautiful Laxmi idol is also seen at the cell beside the sanctum sanctorum. There is also a magnificent four feet statue of Lord Venugopala. The beautifully built Mandapa behind the main temple was constructed by Kantiva Narasaraja Wodeyor during the seventeenth century.

Mahabaleshwara Temple Mysore
The Mahabaleshwara temple on top of the Chamundi hills is the oldest temple on top of the hill. The Mahabaleshwara temple was a very important before the Chamundeshwari temple gained prominence. The Mahabaleshwara temple lost its importance after the Mysore Kings started patronizing the Chamundi temple. In the earlier days the hill was called Mahabaladri or Mahabala Thirtha after the Lord of the temple. The name Chamundi Hills is of recent origin. This temple is situated to the south of the Chamundeswari Temple and attracts a small number of devotees. Records of the Ganga period show that the temple existed during their reign as well.

The oldest record of the temple dates back to 950 AD. The famous Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana is said to have expanded this temple. It is believed that the Hoysalas added the Ardha Mantapa and Nava Ranga. Both of them have lathe-turned pillars typical of the other Hoysala temples. Inside the temple there are attractive images of Sapta Matrikas, Nataraja, Parvathi and Bhairava, all built in the style used by the Hoysalas. The image of Vishnu is from the Ganga period.

Trinesvaraswamy Temple Mysore
The Trinesvaraswamy Temple is different from other Mysore Temples for its exceptional idol - Lord Shiva with three eyes. The magnanimous temple is a classic example of Dravidian architectural brilliance. One of the ancient Mysore Temples, the Trinesvaraswamy Temple was originally built on the shore of Doddakere but later reconstructed inside the Mysore Fort by the Wodeyor Kings. The Mysore kings have also contributed a lot in the expansion and beautification of the Trinesvaraswamy Temple. The balcony was designed by King Kanthirava Narasarja Wodeyor. He also contributed some magnificent statues like the idols of Kumara, Surya, Kshetrapala and Dakshinmurty.

The statues of the two Wodeyor kings have also added to the attractions of the temple. The main gate of the temple or the Mahadwara used to have a towering Gopura, which was destroyed during the eighteenth century. The statues of Bhairava and Ganapathy adorns the two corners of the Mahadwara.

Shweta Varahaswamy Temple Mysore
The Shweta Varahaswamy temple is also known as the Varahaswamy temple. This temple is located at the southern entrance of the Fort. The temple is built in the architectural style followed by the Hoysalas. The shrine of the Goddess has an elegantly carved doorway and intricately carved pillars and tower. The Navaranga has stucco niches at the sides of the entrance. The Navaranga has beautiful mural paintings on its walls. These paintings depict incidents from the Ramayana and the Bhagavata. These paintings especially pay attention to the exploits of Lord Krishna.

The temple has images with inscriptions on their pedestals. There is an inscription on a processional image that records that its donor was Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar (1672-1704). It is said that Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar obtained the stone image of Shweta Varahaswamy from Srimushnam, a city in what is the present day Tamil Nadu and consecrated it at the new temple built in Srirnagapatna, the then capital of Mysore State. After the defeat of Tippu Sultan the capital was shifted back to Mysore city and the idol too was shifted from there and installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the present temple in 1809.