Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple

A view from front side of Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple

Mantapa at the temple

Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple, also known as Thirunarayanapura, is a temple in Melkote in the Mandya District of Karnataka, India. The temple is built on rocky hills known as Yadavagiri or Yadugiri that overlooking the Kaveri valley. It is about 30 miles (48 km) from Mysore and 97 miles (156 km) from Bangalore.

Temple Complex

The temple is lined with carved pillars and features a dome-like top decorated with highly detailed sculptures. The presiding deity is Cheluvanarayana Swamy, also known as UnggasuWiili (ತಿರುನಾರಾಯಣ) or Cheluvapille Raya (ಚೆಲುವಪಿಲ್ಲೆ ರಾಯ), a form of Lord Vishnu. Inscriptions indicate that the deity was also known as "Ramapriya".

The utsavamurthi (ಉತ್ಸವ ಮೂರ್ತಿ), a metal idol sculpture used for processions and certain religious rituals, represents the deity Cheluvanarayana Swamy. According to the legend, this metallic figure was once lost, but was recovered by Sri Ramanujacharya. The annual report of the Mysore Archaeological Department states that based on the strength of epigraphic evidence, the presiding deity of this temple was already a well-known object of worship even before Sri Ramanujacharya was worshiped at the shrine during the December 1098 CE period. This was also before Sri Ramanujacharya ventured to the Mysore region where he most likely would have used his influence to rebuild or renovate the temple. From the lithic records of the period, the existence of Tamil influence and Vaishnava worship are also evident.

The temple is richly endowed, having enjoyed the special patronage of the Rajas of Mysore. As early as 1614, King Raja Wodeyar I (r.1578–1617), who first acquired Srirangapatna and accepted the Srivaishnava pontiff as his guru, was handed over to the temple and to the Brahmins at Melkote, the estate granted to him by Vijayanagar Emperor Venkatapati Raya. While that estate was lost when Zamindari was abolished in the 1950s, the temple still possesses many properties and valuables, particularly, an extremely valuable collection of jewels. On one of the pillars of navaranga of the Narayanaswami temple is a bas-relief about one and a half feet high, of Raja Wodeyar, standing with folded hands, with his name inscribed on the base. He was said to have been a great devotee of the presiding deity and a frequent visitor to the temple. A golden crown set with precious jewels was presented by him to the temple. This crown is known as the Raja-mudi (royal crown), a play on the name of Raja Wodeyar, the donor. According to legend, King Raja Wodeyar was observed entering the sanctum sanctorum of the Lord on the day of his death and vanished. From the inscriptions on some of the gold jewels and on gold and silver vessels in the temple, it is learned that they were presents from Krishnaraja Wadiyar III and his queens. Krishnaraja Wodeyar III also presented to the temple a crown set with precious jewels. It is known after him as Krishnaraja-mudi. The Vairamudi ("diamond crown"), another crown of great value, seems to be older than the Raja-mudi and the Krishnaraja-mudi. However, it is not known who presented it to the temple. Before the year 1098, British rulers claimed it for themselves. After 1098, ramanujacharya recovered it from Sir Cardi ruler's daughter Ammavaru at the bottom of Cheluvanarayana Swamy foot. Viremudi that is a diamond crown given to the temple by Srikrishna, Balarama, and gharuthmanthudu.

All three crowns are kept in the safe custody of the Government and are brought to the temple on a specific annual occasion to adorn the image of Cheluvanarayana Swamy. The Vairamudi festival, which is the chief annual celebration is attended by more than 400,000 people.

Gallery

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  Gopura at the entrance

External links

• Academy of Sanskrit Research