Mandya In Pictures: A Treasure Trove Of Antiquity Of Bygone Epochs
The Main Gopura of the Yoga Narasimhaswamy Devasthana, Melukote. Snapshot
It’s poll season in Mandya and political discourse is all over the place, in both its negative and positive forms. But politics is not the only flavour of this district, situated 93 kilometres from Bengaluru by rail. Here, Swarajya brings you some of Mandya’s spiritual treasures, away from the humdrum of the town and its intensity:
The Akka Thangi Kalyani in Melukote is one place where silence can be relished in all its beauty.
The climbdown from the Yoga Narasimha temple in Melukote is steep indeed.
To reach the abode of Mahavishnu is no mean task. He will make sure you sweat it out.
The sacred precincts of Melukote is an ideal place for the study of Sanskrit and the practice of Sadhana.
Karighatta is more than a mere weekend getaway spot. The top of the knoll affords some excellent views of the paddy and sugarcane fields, dotted by coconut groves. It’s nothing short of a visual delight to see the Cauvery and Lokapavani rivers snaking across, before the confluence.
With such rocky formations, Kuntibetta is an ideal spot for those seeking thrills in rock climbing.
Kuntibetta... where every stone and boulder takes you back to the bygone epoch of the Mahabharata.
Places such as Kuntibetta add exponential antiquity to Mandya’s treasure troves. It is said that the Pandavas spent their Ajnatavaasa in this very place, hiding behind boulders and rocks here. The place also finds mention in the tales of Bhima and Bakasura.
Kuntibetta is also an abode of Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy.
The Kalabhairaveshwara temple in Chikkarasinakere is an abode of Lord Shiva in one of his ‘Ugraavataras’. Easily, one of the most visited shrines in Mandya and surrounding districts, the deity is worshipped as the prime God in many households of the region.
Majesty personified: Any agrarian community in India will worship its cattle resource. Mandya is no different. The Kalabhairaveshwara temple in Chikkarasinakere has a rich legacy of worshipping the sacred Nandis for over centuries. Standing here is one among those revered Basavas, carrying forward the rich legacy of his ancestry.
Apart from the usual, state-prescribed syllabus being taught in the institution, the Bharathi Education Trust is taking spiritual education and Dharmic values to the masses. In the tranquil and sacred precincts of the Atmalingeshwara Temple, the trust has opened Yoga and Ayurveda centres, putting the tiny industrial village of K M Doddi on the Indic map.
Located atop a tiny knoll near the isle of Srirangapattna, Karighatta is abode to an ancient temple of Lord Venkateshwara whose antiquity dates back to the Treta Yuga. Bhrigu Maharshi used to meditate here, it is said. He is also believed to have assumed the form of a small ‘Sanjeevini’ plant just outside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, which is associated with the Ramayana as well.
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