Devarayanadurga
Encyclopedia
Devarayanadurga is a hill station near Tumkur
in the state of Karnataka
in India
. The rocky hills are surrounded by forest and the hilltops are dotted with several temples including the Yoganarasimha and the Bhoganarasimha temples and an altitude of 3940 feet. It is also famous for Namada Chilume
, a natural spring considered sacred and is also considered the origin of the Jayamangali river. Another famous temple in the area is the Mahalakshmi Temple at Goravanahalli.
, India, by road on Tumkur
road. The nearest railway station is 25 km away in Dabbaspet.
There are two routes to this place.
tower were repaired in 1858 by the Mysore king Krishnaraja Wodeyar III.
The TVS
Group, a south Indian automobile company, has helped a great deal in the improvement and maintenance of the temple environs.
BhogaNaraishma temple is at the base of the hill and Yoga Narasimha temple is on top of the hill.
On the third elevation stands, facing east, a temple of Narasimha
, known as the Kumbhi. This Narasimha
temple consists of a Garbhagriha
, a sukanasi, a navagraha and a mukhamantapa and is similar to the plan of the temple below. In addition to the temple there are three sacred ponds or Kalyani here known as Narasimha-teertha, Parasara-teertha and Pada-teertha.
There is also another temple, said to be older than Lakshmi Narasimha swamy, dedicated to Hanuman
, also known as Sanjivaraya, who stands with folded hands.
Higher up above is a small shrine of Garuda
.
, organized by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).
Narasimha Jayanthi: Devarayanadurga Sri Lakshminarasimhaswamy's Narasimha jayanthi, an annual celebration of Narasimha avathara day takes place during Chaitra Shudha chathurdashi (May month) at which thousands of people gather and many pendals are built to serve then with summer drinks like Panakam, buttermilk, phalamruth and free feeding is done to all devotees coming for the darshan of lord.
Little away from the current government guest house, just facing the spring is an old, dilapidated guest house constructed in 1931. Dr. Salim Ali was said to have stayed in this guest house during his Ornithological visits to this place, around 1938. Interestingly enough there is a moist deciduous patch behind the old guest house, adjoining the huge rock face and Dr. Salim Ali had collected moist-deciduous species in this area, which are no longer to be seen now.
Only particular species of plants are cultivated on specified plots for easy identification of the plant varieties. The nursery is located at a forest spot beside Tumkur-Devarayanadurga bus route.
The nursery, known as the mini forest of medicinal plants, has been developed with the objective of conserving endangered species of plants on Devarayanadurga hills. this is one of the mythological important place
Tumkur
Tumkur is one of the busiest industrial towns located in the state of Karnataka. Since 28 August 2010, Tumkur has been accorded the status of a Corporation city. It is situated at a distance of 70 kilometers north west of the city of Bangalore along National Highway 4...
in the state of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The rocky hills are surrounded by forest and the hilltops are dotted with several temples including the Yoganarasimha and the Bhoganarasimha temples and an altitude of 3940 feet. It is also famous for Namada Chilume
Namada Chilume
Namada Chilume is a natural spring situated by Devarayanadurga, near Tumkur in the state of Karnataka in India. The spring issues from the surface of the rock. It is believed that Lord Shri Rama, along with Sitha and Laxman, stayed here during their Vanavas. Lord Shri Rama searched for water to...
, a natural spring considered sacred and is also considered the origin of the Jayamangali river. Another famous temple in the area is the Mahalakshmi Temple at Goravanahalli.
Getting there
It is 65 km from BangaloreBangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, India, by road on Tumkur
Tumkur
Tumkur is one of the busiest industrial towns located in the state of Karnataka. Since 28 August 2010, Tumkur has been accorded the status of a Corporation city. It is situated at a distance of 70 kilometers north west of the city of Bangalore along National Highway 4...
road. The nearest railway station is 25 km away in Dabbaspet.
There are two routes to this place.
- From Banglore, go till Dobbespet. Go under the flyover and take a right (Note: The left here leads to Shivagange betta and right leads to Devarayandurga). On this route you get Devarayanadurga first, and then as you go towards Kyatsandra, you get another Hanuman and Shankara temple, a little further is Namada Chilume and then Siddaganga mata (different from Siddagange betta) and a kilometer from there is Kyatsandra where you hit Banglore Tumkur road.
- The other route from banglore is from Kyatsandra. About 1 km after crossing second toll gate on Tumkur road take right at Kyatsandra. After crossing railway level cross you reach Siddaganga Mata then Namada ChilumeNamada ChilumeNamada Chilume is a natural spring situated by Devarayanadurga, near Tumkur in the state of Karnataka in India. The spring issues from the surface of the rock. It is believed that Lord Shri Rama, along with Sitha and Laxman, stayed here during their Vanavas. Lord Shri Rama searched for water to...
then Hanuman Temple and finally Devarayanadurga. The roads on both side are good and this route is shorter.
History
The place was originally known as Anebiddasari then as Jadakana Durga after a chief named Jadaka and finally as Devarayana Durga subsequent to its capture by Mysore king Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar.Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple
The temple, built in the Dravidian style of architecture, faces east and is said to have been constructed by Kanthirava Narasaraja I. From the inscriptions numbered Tumkur 41 and 42, we learn that the enclosure andtower were repaired in 1858 by the Mysore king Krishnaraja Wodeyar III.
The TVS
TVS
-Television, Tele-Networking:* TVS Electronics, Computer peripherals manufacturing company from India* TVS Motors, motor manufacturing company from India* TVS, aka Television Sydney, free TV channel in Sydney, Australia...
Group, a south Indian automobile company, has helped a great deal in the improvement and maintenance of the temple environs.
BhogaNaraishma temple is at the base of the hill and Yoga Narasimha temple is on top of the hill.
On the third elevation stands, facing east, a temple of Narasimha
Narasimha
Narasimha or Nrusimha , also spelt as Narasingh and Narasingha, whose name literally translates from Sanskrit as "Man-lion", is an avatar of Vishnu described in the Puranas, Upanishads and other ancient religious texts of Hinduism...
, known as the Kumbhi. This Narasimha
Narasimha
Narasimha or Nrusimha , also spelt as Narasingh and Narasingha, whose name literally translates from Sanskrit as "Man-lion", is an avatar of Vishnu described in the Puranas, Upanishads and other ancient religious texts of Hinduism...
temple consists of a Garbhagriha
Garbhagriha
Garbhagriha or Garbha griha is the small unlit shrine of a Hindu temple.Garbhagriha or ' is a Sanskrit word meaning the interior of the sanctum sanctorum, the innermost sanctum of a Hindu temple where resides the murti of the primary deity of the temple...
, a sukanasi, a navagraha and a mukhamantapa and is similar to the plan of the temple below. In addition to the temple there are three sacred ponds or Kalyani here known as Narasimha-teertha, Parasara-teertha and Pada-teertha.
There is also another temple, said to be older than Lakshmi Narasimha swamy, dedicated to Hanuman
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...
, also known as Sanjivaraya, who stands with folded hands.
Higher up above is a small shrine of Garuda
Garuda
The Garuda is a large mythical bird or bird-like creature that appears in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology.From an Indian perspective, Garuda is the Hindu name for the constellation Aquila and...
.
Giri-Pradakshina
Legend has it that the devotees of Hindu temples used to perform the ritual of circling the hills on which the temples were situated. As an effort to revive the practice, a large number of Devotees perform the Giri-pradakshinaPradakshina
Pradakshina or Pradakshinam , meaning circumambulation, consists of walking around in a 'circle' as a form of worship in Hindu ceremonies in India. The devotees walk around the sanctum sanctorum, the innermost chamber of the shrine housing the temple deity. It is done around sacred fire , trees and...
, organized by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).
Festival
Car Festival: Devarayana Durga Sri Bhoga Narasimhaswamy jathra/Car festival, an annual Car festival is held during Phalguna Masa shuddha poornima day somewhere in the Month of March/April in Devarayanadurga. On this day the chariot/car/Ratha of Sri Bhoga Narasimhaswamy is drawn in the main Ratha beedhi of the hill town. The festival draws devotees from all over Bangalore-Tumkur and surrounding region.Narasimha Jayanthi: Devarayanadurga Sri Lakshminarasimhaswamy's Narasimha jayanthi, an annual celebration of Narasimha avathara day takes place during Chaitra Shudha chathurdashi (May month) at which thousands of people gather and many pendals are built to serve then with summer drinks like Panakam, buttermilk, phalamruth and free feeding is done to all devotees coming for the darshan of lord.
Namada Chilume
At the base of the hill on the road leading to Tumkur, is a place called Namada Chilume (chilume means spring). Myth has it that Sri Rama on his way to Lanka halted here. As he did not find water anywhere around to wet the "Nama" (a kind of paste Hindus apply on their forehead), he shot an arrow into the ground, and a spring sprang and thus the name (Rama)-Namada chilume. The spring can be still seen, and there is a foot impression of Lord Sri Rama near that.Little away from the current government guest house, just facing the spring is an old, dilapidated guest house constructed in 1931. Dr. Salim Ali was said to have stayed in this guest house during his Ornithological visits to this place, around 1938. Interestingly enough there is a moist deciduous patch behind the old guest house, adjoining the huge rock face and Dr. Salim Ali had collected moist-deciduous species in this area, which are no longer to be seen now.
Nursery
The forest department has developed a nursery of medicinal plants near Namada Chilume picnic spot on Devarayanadurga hills. There are about 300 varieties of rare ayurvedic plants in this nursery.Only particular species of plants are cultivated on specified plots for easy identification of the plant varieties. The nursery is located at a forest spot beside Tumkur-Devarayanadurga bus route.
The nursery, known as the mini forest of medicinal plants, has been developed with the objective of conserving endangered species of plants on Devarayanadurga hills. this is one of the mythological important place