Himavad Gopalaswamy Hill

Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta

Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta or Himavad Gopalaswamy Hill, is located in the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka,at a height of 1454 m India and is extensively wooded. It is also the highest peak in the Bandipur National Park. It lies in the core area of the Bandipur National Park and is frequented by wild life including elephants. Dense fog predominates and covers the hills round the year and thus gets the prefix Himavad and the temple of Venugopalaswamy (Lord Krishna) gives the full name of Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta.

Himavad Gopalaswamy Temple

Himavad Gopalaswamy Temple on top of the hill was built by the King Chola Ballala during AD 1315. Later the Wodeyars of Mysore who were ardent devotees of Lord Venugopala displayed keen interest in maintaining the hill temple. The temple is dedicated to Gopalaswamy, which is one of the names of the Hindu God Krishna. The gopuram of the temple is single-tiered and rests on the compound wall of the enclosure. A dhwajastambha (flag-pillar) and a bali-peetam (sacrificial altar) is present in the mukha mantapa (inner-porch). The parapet wall of the facade of the mukha mantapa contains the sculpture of dashavatara (the avatars of the Hindu God Vishnu) with the centre portion of the sculpture depicting Krishnavatara (the avatar of Vishnu in which he appeared as Krishna). There is a shikhara tower over the garbha griha (sanctum sanctorum).

The garbha griha contains an idol of Krishna holding a flute under a tree. Krishna is flanked by his friends and the posture is that of a dance with the left big toe resting on the right one. The panel also features several characters and icons from Krishna's avatar.

Lord Gopalaswamy's idol is flanked by his consorts, Rukmini and Satyabhama. Cows and cowherds are featured towards the right side of the panel.

Legend says that sage Agastya, performed intense penance and as a result lord Vishnu blessed this place and promised to reside here. As this was a place of worship and penance, it used to be called as 'Hamsatheertha', which means the lake of swans in Sanskrit. Swan acquires a mythological significance in Hinduism, symbolizing knowledge, tranquility and salvation.

Being a part of the Bandipur wildlife sanctuary, the hills are frequented by grazing wild elephants. The place is also known for its picturesque views of the surrounding hills, valleys and visitors may also see the spectacular sunrise and sunset from the top.

Distance from Bangalore : 219 Km (Approximately 4.2 Hrs Journey)

Timings to Visit : 8:30AM to 4:00PM

Route Map: https://maps.google.co.in/maps?ie=UTF-8&gl=in&daddr=Himavad+Gopalaswamy+Betta&saddr=Bangalore,+Karnataka&panel=1&f=d&fb=1&dirflg=d&geocode=KW1OtMlwFq47MeBPflHow9_4%3BKaFDqnXwrKg7MbmiO0ssUc-S&ei=Op1SUvfQIMSFrAeDp4H4Dg&ved=0CCwQ-A8wAA

Note: Only 1 hr 30 min is permitted for temple visit.

Nimishamba Temple

Shri Nimishamba Temple, Ganjam, Mysore District, Karnataka

Nimishamba is the name of a temple on the banks of the Cauvery river, located about 2 km from Srirangapattana on the road leading to Sangam in the south Indian state of Karnataka.

Sri Nimishamba is considered as the incarnation of Goddess Parvathi, the consort of Lord Shiva. This place Ganjam is considered as a holy place. Muktharaja of soma Vamsha performed penance at Nimishamba Temple. Definitely this Temple has great relevance to the Mutharasa!

Shrichakra is carved on a stone in front of Sri Nimishamba and Pooja is performed. There is a belief that Sri Nimishamba is going to remove all the problems and troubles of her devotees within a minute. That is why she is called Nimishamba. Nimisha means a minute. Somavamsha Mutharasa king Muktharaja was blessed with the boon that Sri Nimishamba will come to his aid in his fight against the demons in a minute. That is why there is a deity Lord Shiva by the name of Moukthikeshwara. This temple was installed at the time of Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar about 300 to 400 years ago.

The temple of Nimishamba lies at a distance of two kilometers from Srirangapatna bus stand in the eastern direction beyond the Tippu's summer palace on the road leading to Sangam.. The temple is at a higher elevation on the bank of the Cauvery, and faces east. The river flows by at a lower level, and steps have been neatly cut on stone slabs to reach it. It is a small shrine with a seven-tiered rajagopuram.

Distance from Bangalore : 127.6 Km (Approximately 2.5 Hrs Journey)

Timings to Visit : 6:00AM to 8:30PM

Route Map: https://maps.google.co.in/maps?ie=UTF-8&gl=in&daddr=Nimishamba,+Srirangapatna,+KA+571438&saddr=Bangalore,+Karnataka&panel=1&f=d&fb=1&dirflg=d&geocode=KW1OtMlwFq47MeBPflHow9_4%3BIadKqXCrdXYT