Having seen Melukote Rayagopura and Kalyani in several Indian movies one weekend we thought of visiting this temple town for a day trip as it is located at a distance of 147 kilometers from Bangalore.
The Route: Bengaluru-Kunigal-Yadiyuru-Nagamangala-Melukote
Even though we left at 6:30 it was a foggy morning in the wintry month of January. We could see some of the vehicles moving in snail's pace while others completely bringing them to a halt. We stopped in Yadiyuru for breakfast to have delicious Mallige Idli (Soft and spongy Idli) and Yellikayi Chitranna (Citron Rice). With the aid of Google map we reached the sleepy town of Melukote around 10:00.
Perched upon the rocky hills of Yagugiri or Yadavagiri this place also goes by the name Thirunarayanapura. Mythologically Melukote was called Vedadri in Satya Yuga, Narayanadri in Thretha Yuga (Lord Rama), and Yadavadri in Dwapara Yuga (Lord Krishna). Yuga in Hinduism is an era consisting of many human years. During Kali Yuga, early in 11th century Srivaishnava saint Ramanuja was forced to leave Tamilnadu due to religious conflicts with Chola Kings. From then onwards he became the patronage of Hoysala kingdom for many years. He influenced the Jain king Bitti Deva to convert to Hinduism, that king is none other than Vishnuvardhana, the creator of magnificent Belur Chennakeshava Temple. King Vishnuvardhana lend a hand to Ramanjujacharya in building the Cheluvanarayana Swami Temple (Handsome God) in Melukote. Legend has it this temple was visited by Lord Rama along with his sons Lava and Kusha in Thretha Yuga and Sri Krishna and Balarama in Dwapara Yuga.
The main temple is a simple square building with extensive dimensions. Entrance of the temple adorns a triangular tower. Built in Dravidian style architecture the craftsmanship on the pillared corridor is awe-inspiring. As usual we skipped visiting sanctum sanctorum because of the huge crowd.
It is said the temple has a vast collection of precious jewels donated by erstwhile kings of Mysore, which are brought to the temple on festive occasions. And three gold crowns, two were gifted again by Wodeyars of Mysore and one by an unknown person.
We spent a considerable amount of time appreciating the artisan work on the pillars much to the chagrin of the priests. It was written all over their face how annoyed they were to see group of four loitering around the corridor, appreciating the artistic work with bulk cameras around their neck. We feel they expect some level of devotion and submissiveness from visitors, which clearly we lack.
Just around the corner is the oldest Sanskrit college of Karnataka, which was sadly closed on that day. This “Veda Vedantha Bhodini Sanskrit Mahapathashala” was founded in 1854.
We met few school kids from coastal Karnataka who were on their yearly academical trip. Exuberant and full of life they reminded us of our childhood. Almost everyone in that group wants to become an engineer. We wished them all the best fulfilling their dreams. In 10 to 15 years down the line one of them may visit the same spot, bitten by the travel bug, having conversation with next generation.
