Nanjundeshwara Temple - Dakshina Kashi.
I have visited Mysore many times, especially during Dusserha time. Mysore such a lovely place where the history has left behind some brilliant architectural structures and a rich cultural heritage and it’s not just history, the beautiful presence of nature also makes Mysore an awesome getaway destination.Last week I along with my friends went to a business meeting at Mysore.
We reached Mysore little early than expected. One of my friend requested to visit Nanjangud Temple before attending the business meeting and we all agreed to visit this old historical temple. In spite of visiting Mysore so many times, I did not go to Sri Nanjundeshwara temple; this was my first visit to Nanjangud.
The Srikanteshwara temple at Nanjangud is around 25 Kms from Mysore and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is situated on the banks of the Kapila and a dip in the waters is considered to be more meritorious than a dip in the Ganges. The waters and the soil around the banks possess curative properties, which have benefited lakhs of people. Hence the place is also called Dakshina Kashi.
The Srikanteshwara Temple is dedicated to the Hindu supreme deity Shiva, also called Sri Nanjundeshwara, ( "The Lord who drank poison") to save the earth. As per the Hindu mythology, the Gods and demons churned the ocean in search of the ambrosia during this churning, poison emanated first, followed by ambrosia. To prevent the poison from spreading across the universe, Shiva drank it. Parvati then held his throat tightly to prevent the poison from spreading to the rest of his body. The poison remained in his throat, making it blue in colour. For this reason, Shiva is also called Neelakantha, or "the blue-throated one".
In Kannada, Nanjanagud literally means "the place where Nanja ( Nanjundeshwara) resides" Srikanteshwara translates to Sri meaning auspicious, Kanta meaning throat and Eshwara meaning Shiva.The temple was originally built by the Ganga rulers in the 9th century. The temple is situated on a total area of 50, 000 square feet. The Chola kings in the 11th and 12th century are stated to have started constructing the temple with significant additions by the Hoysala and the Vijayanagara kings. The temple was developed on a full scale during the era of the Mysore rulers and reached its mammoth proportions because of Krishnaraja Wadiyar’s devotion towards the deity.
There are a number of temples on the premises.As far as the architecture is concerned, it is built in Dravidian style. The temple’s main entrance has a Gopura ( tower) on the entrance which is about 120 feet high and is one of the largest Gopuras in Karnataka. It has seven stories and has seven gold plated Kalasas on the top of the Gopura.
This temple has 3 main deities, Lord Nanjundeshwara, Goddess Parvathi ( wife of Lord Shiva) and Lord Vishnu with Sridevi and Bhudevi. The Shivalinga ( Idol of Lord Shiva) is about 1 mtr in height. The other deities in the temple are Ganesh, Subramanya ( Muruga or Karthikeyan) , Goddess Sharada ( Saraswathi) , Chandikeshwara, Navagraha, and Nandi ( Bull) . There are sixty six Idols of shaiva saints called as Nayamnars. There are more than 100 lingas in the temple which are of different kinds and sizes of which Sahasra Linga is not to be missed.
The Srikanteshwara ( Nanjundeshwara) Linga is the oldest one.I was very interested to visit this temple because this temple is said to have been termed as “Hakim ( Doctor in Urdu) Nanjunda” by Tipu Sultan. It is said that Tipu Sultan’s royal elephant which suffered from eye problems had lost its eye sight. Tipu was told about the glory of Srikanteshwara at Nanjangud temple that one’s wishes would be fulfilled if one offered prayers to the lord with all devotion. He was advised by the priests of the temple, to bathe the elephant in River Kapila and wipe its eyes with the river water used for the abhishekam of Lord Srikanteshwara for one mandala that is 48 days. To his surprise, the elephant regained its sight. Impressed by the fact, he is said to have called Lord Sri Nanjundeswara “Hakim Nanjunda,
Nearby Interesting Places to See:
The bridge in India across the Kabini River has been declared as the oldest bridge with both railway line and road on the same bridge. It is located at the entrance of the temple town here. The meter gauge railway line is across the Kabini river.The bridge, built in 1735, is now 281 years old and has been declared a Heritage Monument by the Government of India.
There are many other interesting and scenic places within a 50 to 100 km radius of Nanjangud include Bandipur National Park, Shivanasamudram, Kabini Reservoir etc. Nanjangud is also surrounded by scenic villages which are filled with little temples and lush green vegetation. These villages are within one hour distance and can be used for day trips and picnics.
Overall the temple looks beautiful at evening with all the lights lighting up. The sculptures inside are beautiful. The temples holistic environment is really divine.