Chamundeshwari Temple
About Chamundeshwari Temple
Far From City: 4 kms from city center
Cost:
About Chamundeshwari Temple
Weather:
Time Required:1-2 hrs
Open Time:7:30 AM - 2:00 PM, 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM, 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Cost:No entry fee
History of Chamundeshwari temple
This temple, of great antiquity, has a background of over 1,000 years. It was built as a simple shrine but later gained immense popularity due to the divinity of goddess Durga. It gained a lot of significance after the Maharajas of Mysore, the Wodeyars, came to power in 1399 AD. The credit for major contributions for this temple goes to three dynasties- Hoysala, Vijayanagar and Mysore rulers. Placed on the top of the Chamundi hills, the Chamundeshwari temple is one of the most popular and ancient temples of Mysore. According to history logs, the original shrine was built in the 12th century by the Hoysala rulers, with the towers being built by the Vijayanagar rulers of the 17th century. Further, a flight of one thousand steps was built in 1659 that leads up to the 3000-foot summit of the Chamundi Hill.
Architecture of Chamundeshwari Temple
The Chamundeshwari temple exhibits a quadrangular structure. It is built in Dravidian style, consisting of the main doorway, entrance, Navaranga Hall, Antharala Mantapa, Sanctum Sanctorum and Prakara. There is a beautiful seven-stage pyramidal tower at the entrance and a small tower on top of the sanctum sanctorum. On the top of the tower placed at the entrance, there are seven golden Kalashas. The tower at the entrance also has a small image of Lord Ganesha on the doorway. The doorway is silver-plated and has the images of the Goddess in different forms.
As one enters inside, on the right-hand side is a small statue of Lord Ganesha. After a few steps; there is a flagstaff, the footprints of the Goddess and a small statue of Nandi, facing the sanctum sanctorum. This temple is of great antiquity and symbolises the crown of Mysore. The Nandi statue is considered to be built by granite and is placed on the 800th step on the hill. It is adorned with metallic bells around its neck and measures about 15 feet high.
Attractions Near Chamundeshwari Temple
Besides the Chamundeswari temple, there are many alluring sites nearby. One can see Mahabaladri, Narayanaswamy temples and Mahishasura and Nandi statues. There are few other interesting spots on the Chamundi Hills. Among them, the Lalitha Palace is one. It belongs to the Mysore royal family. The Maharajas used to make a short stay in this Palace whenever they visited the hills. Built on the hill-top, it offers an attractive bird eye view of Mysore city and far off places. Lalithadri Palace was built during the reign of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV.
Chamundeshwari Temple Timings
The opening hours of the temple are as follows- 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM, 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM, 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM. These are the Darshana and Pooja timings at the temple.
While the timing for Abhisheka is 6:00 AM to 7:30 AM and 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM. Although on Fridays there is a change in the timings, i.e., 5:00 AM to 6:30 AM.
The temple also offers free meals known as Dasoha for the devotees daily from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM.
Best time to visit Chamundeshwari Temple
Chamundi Hills offer the best panoramic view of the Mysore city during the months of September to October. Although, the weather is quite pleasant throughout the year; the temple is highly flocked during the months of September and October due to festivals of Dussehra and Diwali. The temple can be visited in the dawn as well as at dusk.
How to Reach Chamundeshwari Temple
The Chamundeshwari temple is located at a distance of 13 kilometres from the Mysore junction train station. The auto rickshaws have nominal charges. It takes about 30 minutes to drive from the station to the Chamundi Hills. Also to provide ease and comfort to the travellers, KSRTC bus facilities are available every 20 minutes from Mysore city bus stand to Sri Chamundeshwari Temple.
Top Tourist Places in Mysore
Somanathapura Temple
Mysore Zoo
Brindavan Gardens
Chamundeshwari Temple
Karanji lake
St. Philomena's Church
All Tourist Places in Mysore
Tips
Sri Chamundeshwari Temple is declared as No-Plastic Zone. Hence, devotees are requested not to bring the plastic carry bags. Dumping of plastic wastes is strictly prohibited in the surrounding hilly area.
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