A day trip to Melukote
Melukote – A town where time stands still
Melukote is an ideal day trip destination for Bangaloreans. Just under 3 hours (135 kms) from the city, it is a popular pilgrimage centre blessed with abundant natural beauty.
The beautiful temple town of Melukote is steeped in tradition and tales of its glorious past. Melu means above and kote means fort in Kannada. The town’s name is as apt as its meaning. Melukote was once a walled and fortified town sitting atop the Narayangiri hill, as it overlooked the verdant Cauvery valley. Melukote is also known as Thirunarayanpuram after the main deity of the Cheluvanarayana temple, Thirunarayanan.
How to Reach Melukote from Bangalore
Melukote is at a distance of 148 kms or about 3 hours from Bangalore by car. We took the Mangalore highway to avoid traffic and had a smooth ride all the way. Driving was fun on all the national and state highways. The roads are immaculately maintained even in the rainy season. For Mysoreans, it is even better as Melukote is just under 50 kms and takes under an hour to visit.
Bangalore –> NH75 –> NH 150A –> SH47 –> Melukote
History of Melukote
The Tamil Influence
Melukote is one of the seats of Sri Vaishnavism ( a sub-sect of Vaishnavism) where the great saint and social reformer, Sri Ramanujacharya, spent 12 years of his life after leaving Tamil Nadu to escape persecution. Soon after Ramanujacharya arrived in Melukote, it witnessed an inflow of his followers, the Tamil Mandyam Iyengar community, who made this town their home. As a result, in Melukote one can hear more Tamil being spoken in this Karnataka town than Kannada.
The influence of Tamil culture can be clearly seen in everyday life, right from the language, the rituals, to the delicious food served in the town. Gourmets out there will surely relish the Melukote puliyogare (tamarind rice) and sweet pongal served as a prasadam in the temple and in the eateries out there.
Melukote’s Dark Deepawali
Melukote has a very fascinating 1000-year old history of learned men, cultural migration, temples, invasions, royal patronage, and also of a dark Deepawali. Naraka Chaturdashi of Deepawali is a day of mourning for the Mandyam Iyengars of Melukote. The town goes dark on this day which is otherwise a festive occasion for the entire country. It is said that on this day, sometime around the year 1780, Tipu Sultan massacred 800 Iyengar families including women and children mercilessly. He exacted revenge when he learnt that the Iyengars are siding with the British to overthrow his kingdom after he usurped the throne of Mysore from the Wodeyars. The Iyengars were always loyal to the Wodeyars of Mysore and had to pay with their blood for their loyalty.
Till date, these Iyengar families do not celebrate Deepawali as a grim reminder of their cruel tryst with Tipu.
Things to visit in and around Melukote:
Popular Temples of Melukote
Melukote has numerous temples and kalyanis (temple tanks) to boast about but the town is famed for its two Vishnu temples which are within a kilometre or two of each other. The religious significance of these temples is such that it is also knowns as the Badrinath of the South. However, you need to plan your visit according to the temple timings to be able to take darshan in your day trip.
Cheluvanarayana Temple – This temple was reconstructed by Sri Ramanujacharya in the 11th century AD under the patronage of the Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana. It is popular for its carvings, pillared mantapa and its beautiful utsava murti. The main deity of the temple is a metallic utsava murti which is taken out during the annual Brahmotsavams every year. There are two huge twin kalyanis (temple ponds) known as the Akka-Thangi kalyanis near the temple which warrant a visit.
The temple is open between 7:30 am – 1pm, 4pm- 6 pm and 7pm – 8 pm
Yoga Narasimha Temple
This temple atop the Yadugiri hillock is one of the 7 holy temples of Lord Narasimha in India. Built during the Hoysala rule, this temple is about 1000 years old and has an idol of Lord Narasimha, an avatar of Lord Vishnu, seated in a meditative position. It is said that Lord Narasimha meditated after slaying the demon king Hiranyakashpu and it is this avatara which is worshipped in this temple. The temple’s kalyani is at the base of the hill and is a popular spot in Melukote.
The temple is open between 9:30 am – 1:30 am and 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm.
Raya Gopuram
This is an unfinished temple entrance (Raya means King and Gopuram means temple entrance) which is just on the outskirts of Melukote. It is said that this Raya Gopuram was built in just one night by the Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana in the late 11th century. It was never completed thereafter for reasons unknown. This unfinished structure is a beautiful historical monument today and a popular site for film shootings. Many movies like Guru, Rowdy Rathore, Thalapathy and others are shot at this location.
This movie connection reminds me that Jayalalitha, the late Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, too was born here in Melkote in a Tamil Iyengar family. 🙂
Dhanushkoti
This is a holy pond/spring atop a small hillock around a kilometer from Raya Gopuram. This holy pond is believed to be created by Lord Rama during their exile. Dhanushkoti is usually the sunset spot for the tourists of Melukote before they begin their journey back home. Being on a hillock, one gets a nice panoramic view of the town below from here. We did not visit this as we were short on time. However, I would love to visit this the next time I am there.
Thonnur lake
Around 20 kms from Melukote is Thonnur lake, a good place for bird watchers and temple hoppers. There are three other ancient Hoysala temples more than 1000 years old in its vicinity.
Melukote is much more beyond just temples
There is more to this beautiful little town than just temples and kalyanis. A visit to this town will take you back in time with its vintage houses retaining its old-world charm intact. Take a leisurely stroll around the town to take in the serenity of the place. The Mandyam Iyengar community still meticulously practise their age-old traditions and have kept the spirituality of town alive. The temple priest of the Yoga Narasimha temple still carries a big pot of water for the deity ablutions on his shoulder all the way up the 400 steps of the temple. This is a daily chore of the priest and he does it without spilling a drop of water on the way. Amazing isn’t it!
Melukote also has a Sanskrit Academy which has churned out Vedic scholars over the years and a Khaadi Trust that has and still nurtures the weaving community.
Subbanna Mess
Talk about culture and how can food be left behind! The Subbanna Mess is another gem of a place in Melukote which serves authentic Tamil Iyengar cuisine. Its a small, neat and clean place just on the main road of Melukote next to the bus-stand. The pure vegetarian meals are served on a banana leaf and the varieties served are just delicious and healthy. The highlight of the meal is the popular Melukote puliyogare or tamarind rice and shakkare pongal. These two rice-based dishes are just awesome. If you like the puliyogare, you can buy the puliyogare paste from their shop outside the mess.
With so many places of interest to its credit, Melukote is a good destination for a day trip from Bangalore. However, to be able to cover most of these, it is imperative that you leave early in the day and plan your trip to this temple town the right way.
If you enjoyed reading this blog then try checking out the other destinations on my blog as well:
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