Gaurishvara Temple, Yelandur, Karnataka

Gaurishvara Temple, Yelandur, Karnataka

Gaurishvara Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Yelandur Town in Chamarajanagar District of Karnataka state, India. The temple is a protected monument under the Karnataka state division of the Archaeological Survey of India.

History

The temple was built by Singedeva Devabhupala, the ruler of Handinadu, a feudatory of Vijayanagara Dynasty. The temple is still in worship and maintained by the Karnataka state Archeological Department.

The Temple

This temple is facing towards east with a Vijayanagara era Mahadwara (Grand Entrance). The Mahadwara is an unusual entrance without any superstructure over it. The walls of the Mahadwara are heavily decorated with reliefs depicting Bikshadana, Bhairava, Mahishasura Mardini, Narasimha, Andhakasura Mardana, Kaliyamardhana, Dakshinamurti, Krishna Leela, various forms of Lord Shiva & Lord Vishnu and scenes from the puranic stories & the epics.

The entrance is decorated with chains of stone rings (bale) at the corners. This type of an entrance is called Bale Mandapa (bangled hall) in a contemporary style. The Sanctum Sanctorum consists of Sanctum, Artha Mandapa  and an open Mukha Mandapa. The Mukha Mandapa is having entrances on the north, south and east side. Idols of Lord Vishnu, Shanmuka, Parvati, Mahishasura Mardini, Bhairava, Durga, Virabhadra, Ganapati and Hero stones can be seen in the Ardha Mandapa.

The sanctum enshrines the presiding deity, Gaurishvara, in the form of Linga. The Linga is situated at about 6 feet below the outside ground level. Shrines of Mother Parvathy and Pancha Lingas can be seen in the temple premises. There is a small Mandapa to the right side of the sanctum. This Mandapa is facing towards north. A stucco Nandi is sitting on top of this Mandapa. It has an inscription slab in it.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 500 metres from Yelandur Bus Stand, 18 Kms from Kollegal, 20 Kms from Chamarajanagar Railway Station, 21 Kms from Chamarajanagar, 34 Kms from Thalavadi, 46 Kms from Nanjangud, 60 Kms from Mysuru Airport, 61 Kms from Mysuru, 158 Kms from Bengaluru and 199 Kms from Bengaluru Airport. The temple is situated on Chamarajanagar to Kollegal route. Regular buses are available from Kollegal, Thalavadi and Chamarajanagar.

Location | Photos