Melkote
Cheluva Narayana temple or Thirunarayana temple - Melkote
Melkote is located in the Pandavapura taluk of Mandya district, Karnataka, India. It is 51kms from Mysore.
Melkote houses an ancient temple Cheluva Narayana ( a.k.a. Thirunarayana ) which is dedicated to lord Vishnu.
Reaching from Mysore
One could catch a direct bus from KSRTC bus stand Mysore. Otherwise, one could catch the Mysore - Tumkur bus and could reach Jakkanahalli crossing and could catch either a bus or a shared auto-rickshaw. Melkote is 6kms from Jakanahalli crossing.
14 years of stay by SriVaishnava saint - Sri Ramanujacharya
Melkote or Melukote (high or superior fort) is one of the principal sacred places in the state. The place is also known as Tirunarayanpura. Early in the 12” century AD the great Srivaishnava saint SriRamanujaCharya stayed here for fourteen years.
It thus became a prominent center of the Srivaishnava sect.
Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana who had become a follower of Ramanuja charya granted the fertile land as ashta-gramas on the banks of river cauvery.
Thirunaryana Temple
The Narayana temple (also called as Tirunarayana temple), has a main unit consisting of a garbhagriha and an ardhamandapa amidst a narrow pillared corridor a mahamandapa and a small mukhamandapa all in east – west orientation.
There is a large courtyard surrounded by the prakara hall.
The main deity of the temple is the beautiful image of CheluvaNarayana ( Vishnu ) of Hoysala workmanship.
The utsava murthi which is a metallic image representing the main deity is called Cheluva-pilleraya whose original name was Ramapriya.
Vaira-mudi or Vajramukuta
A crown set with precious jewels known as Rajamudi was presented to this temple by Raja Wodeyar ( 1578 – 1617 ) of Mysore fame. Krishnaraja Wodeyar III ( 1799 – 1868 ) of same Mysore fame also presented a crown set with precious stones, known as Krishnaraja Mudi. Apart from these crowns, Vairamudi or Vajramukuta, another crown of great value, seems to be older than Raja mudi and Krishnaraja-mudi and it is not known who gave it to the temple.
Raya gopura
Raya gopura, which is also known as Gopalaraya entrance, is an incomplete structure leading to the hill. It has four tall pillars and has no tower above it.
Akka - Thangiyara Kola
These beautiful twin tanks are described as sisters’ ponds.