The Gunja Narasima Swamy Temple is a Hindu temple in Tirumakudal Narasipura, a town in the

Mysore district Mysore district, officially Mysuru district is an administrative district located in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Mysore division.Chamarajanagar district, Chamarajanagar District wa ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

state,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The town is located 20 miles south east of the historically important city of

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

. The temple dates back to about the 16th rule of the

Vijayanagara empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hinduism, Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana an ...

and is built in typical '' dravidian'' style with an imposing ''

gopura A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Malayalam: ഗോപുരം, Kannada: ಗೋಪುರ, Telugu: గోపురం) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the South I ...

'' (tower) over the entrance gate (''mahadwara'') and a four pillared ''

mantapa A mandapa or mantapa () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture, especially featured in Hindu temple architecture. Mandapas are described as "open" or "closed" depending on whether they have walls. In temples, ...

'' ("hall") in front of the sanctum.. The temple is located at the confluence of the Kaveri river and the

Kabini river The Kabini River is one of the major tributaries of the river Cauvery in southern India. It originates near Kavilumpara in Kozhikode district of Kerala state by the confluence of the Panamaram River and the Mananthavady River. It flows eastw ...

and is considered sacred by Hindus. The temple gets its name from the ''Gunja(Gulaganji in Kannada)'' tree (''

Abrus precatorius ''Abrus precatorius'', commonly known as jequirity bean or rosary pea, is a herbaceous flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae. It is a slender, perennial climber with long, pinnate-leafleted leaves that twines around trees, shrubs, and hedge ...

'') that grows in the front of the main entrance; a boastful local claim is that the temple is more sacred than

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

(Kashi) by the weight of a gunja plant. Sculptures in the temple include those of the Hindu god

Narasimha Narasimha ( sa, नरसिंह, lit=man-lion, ), sometimes rendered Narasingha, is the fourth avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is regarded to have incarnated in the form of a part-lion, part-man being to slay Hiranyakashipu, to end rel ...

(holding a gunja berry and stalk) and the demon King

Hiranyakashipu Hiranyakashipu (; also known as Hiranyakashyap) was an Asura king of the ''daityas'' from the Puranic scriptures of Hinduism. His name literally translates to "clothed in gold" (''hiranya'' "gold" ''kashipu'' "soft cushion"), and is often inte ...

. According to the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

era historian and

epigraphist Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

B. Lewis Rice Benjamin Lewis Rice (17 July 1837 – 10 July 1927), popularly known as B. L. Rice, was a British historian, archaeologist and educationist. He is known for his pioneering work in deciphering inscriptions, especially in Kannada, and in Sansk ...

, the temple was in the patronage of the ''Dalavoy'' of Mysore ("feudal lord") with an annual maintenance. Records indicate the temple underwent repairs and embellishments during this time.Rice B.L. (1887), p312, ''Mysore: A Gazetteer Compiled for Government - vol 2'', Asian Educational Services, The temple is a protected monument under the Karnataka state division of the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexande ...

. There is another temple close by, called the "Agastyeshwara" temple, and both temples are the venue of a religious fair ('' Jatra'') that is held annually attracting large number of devotees.

Gallery

File:Renovated temple complex of Gunjanarasimha Swamy Temple at T. Narasipur.jpg, Gunja Narasimha Swamy temple complex, from outside the ''

prakara A prakaram (प्राकारः in Sanskrit), also spelled pragaram or pragaaram) in Indian architecture is an outer part around the Hindu temple sanctum. They may be enclosed or open and are typically enclosed for the innermost prakaram. A ...

'' at Tirumakudal Narasipura File:View from the rear in the Gunjanarasimhaswamy temple at Tirumakudal Narasipura.JPG, View from the rear in the Gunjanarasimhaswamy temple at Tirumakudal Narasipura File:Decorative door jamb and lintel over a minor shrine entrance in the Gunjanarasimhaswamy temple complex at Tirumakudal Narasipura.jpg, Decorative door jamb and lintel over a minor shrine in the rear ''

'' of the Gunja Narasimha Swamy temple at Tirumakudal Narasipura File:Pillared entrance to mantapa of Gunjanarasimhaswamy temple at Tirumakudal Narasipura.JPG, Pillared entrance to ''

'' of the Gunja Narasimhaswamy temple at Tirumakudal Narasipura

References

External links

16th-century Hindu temples Hindu temples in Mysore district Narasimha temples {{India-Hindu-temple-stub