![Temple atop the hill](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Temple_atop_the_hill.jpg)
Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta, is a hill (betta in Kannada) located in the
Gundlupete Taluk,
Chamarajanagar district
Chamarajanagar or Chamarajanagara is the southernmost district in the state of Karnataka, India. It was carved out of the original larger Mysore District in 1998. Chamarajanagar town is the headquarters of this district.
It is the third leas ...
of the state of
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 ...
,
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 ...
at a height of 1450m and is extensively wooded. It is also the highest peak in the
Bandipur National Park. It lies in the core area of the Bandipur National Park and is frequented by wild life including
elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...
s. Dense fog predominates and covers the hills round the year and thus gets the prefix ''Himavad''(in the language of
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
) and the temple of Venugopalaswamy (Lord
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
) gives the full name of Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta.
Its geographic coordinates are: Latitude 12.97°Ne and longitude 77.56°E.
Access
It is approximately 220 km from
Bangalore
Bangalore (), List of renamed places in India, officially Bengaluru (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan area, metropolitan population of a ...
and 75 km from
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 ...
on the Mysore
Ooty
Ooty (), officially known as Udhagamandalam (also known as Ootacamund (); abbreviated as Udhagai), is a city and a municipality in the Nilgiris district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north west of Coimbatore and so ...
road -10 km away from
Gundlupete, which is 60 km away from Mysore. There is a motorable road all the way to the top of the hill. No entry for private vehicles, visitors have to take the Govt bus organised by the Karnataka state transport from the Foothills. Materials used for pooja (prayers) alone such as flowers, fruits, Incense sticks etc. are permitted. Other food items are not permitted to be carried in. All these materials should be carried in non-plastic bags. Visitors are allowed from around 8:30am till 4pm. Overnight stay on top is not allowed.
Private vehicles are not allowed beyond the forest check post. One has to make use of the mini bus arranged by forest department to visit the temple. Per person round trip ticket will cost Rs.60
First bus will operate at 8:30 am and last bus is at 4:00 pm.
There is a forest department guest house at the top of the hill, which is not available for public, only public servants on official duty are allowed to use it.
Best Season to Visit the temple is in winter and in Rainy.
History
The temple was built in hoysala Era in 1315. King Chola Ballala built this iconic temple. Later the Wodeyars
Wodeyar dynasty
The Wadiyar dynasty (formerly spelt Wodeyer or Odeyer, also referred to as the Wadiyars of Mysore), is a late-medieval/ early-modern South Indian Hindu royal family of former kings of Mysore from the Urs clan originally based in Mysore city.
...
of Mysore improved the hill temple.
Temple
The temple is dedicated to ''Gopalaswamy'', which is one of the names of the
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
God
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
. The ''
gopuram
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 Sout ...
'' of the temple is single-tiered and rests on the compound wall of the enclosure. A ''dhwajastambha'' (flag-pillar) and a ''bali-peetam'' (
sacrificial altar
Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly ex ...
) is present in the ''mukha mantapa'' (inner-porch). The parapet wall of the façade of the ''mukha mantapa'' contains the sculpture of ''
dashavatara'' (the
Avatar
Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appeara ...
s of the Hindu God
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
) with the centre portion of the sculpture depicting ''Krishnavatara'' (the
Avatar
Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appeara ...
of
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
in which he appeared as
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
). There is a ''shikhara'' tower over the ''garbha griha'' (
sanctum sanctorum
The Latin phrase ''sanctum sanctorum'' is a translation of the Hebrew term ''קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים'' (Qṓḏeš HaQŏḏāšîm), literally meaning Holy of Holies, which generally refers in Latin texts to the holiest place of th ...
).
The ''garbha griha'' contains an idol of
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
holding a flute under a tree.
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
is flanked by his friends and the
posture
Posture or posturing may refer to:
Medicine
* Human position
** Abnormal posturing, in neurotrauma
** Spinal posture
** List of human positions
* Posturography Posturography is the technique used to quantify postural control in upright stance in ...
is that of a dance with the left big toe resting on the right one. The panel also features several characters and icons from Krishna's avatar.
Lord Gopalaswamy's idol is flanked by his consorts,
Rukmini
Rukmini ( sa, रुक्मिणी, , ) is a Hindu goddess and the first queen and chief wife of Krishna. In Vaishnava tradition, she is described as Krishna's principal queen in Dvaraka, as well as the chief of his wives. She is an in ...
and
Satyabhama
Satyabhama, also known as Satrajiti, is a Hindu goddess and the third queen-consort of the Hindu god Krishna. Satyabhama is described as the incarnation of Bhudevi, the goddess and the personification of the earth. She aided Krishna in defeat ...
.
Legends
Legend says that sage
Agastya, performed intense penance and as a result lord
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
blessed this place and promised to reside here. As this was a place of worship and penance, it used to be called as 'Hamsatheertha', which means the lake of swans in
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
. Swan acquires a mythological significance in
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
, symbolizing knowledge, tranquility and salvation.
Wild life
Being a part of the
Bandipur National Park, the hills are frequented by grazing wild elephants. The place is also known for its views of the surrounding hills, valleys and visitors may also see sunrise and sunsets from the top.
Location
This temple is located in the heart of Bandipur National Park, Is a vital habitat of wildlife such as Tiger, leopard, Wild Dogs and other herbivores such as Indian Gaur, Chittal, Sambar etc. Venturing beyond the temple premises is an offense as per Wildlife Act 1972, The Forest department is concerned by the increase in number of tourist visiting the temple and causing disturbance.
Trekking, Picnicking, partying other activities are punishable offense. Hence visitors are instructed to refrain from venturing beyond the temple premises.
To minimize disturbance on wildlife entry timing has been changed to 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. And permitted time to return is 1 hour 30 minutes with effect from 01/Feb/2011.
Gallery
File:GOPALSWAMY HILLS 012.jpg, The Road to GS Hill
File:Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta.jpg, The hillroad
File:GOPALSWAMY HILLS 107.jpg,
File:2012-bandipur-gopalaswamy.jpg, Views from the hill
File:Bus to the hill top.jpg, Bus service to the hill top
File:Hindu Temple Entrance.jpg, The temple arch
File:HimavadGopalaswamyBetta01.JPG, The temple road
File:Gopala Swamy Temple in Bandipur National Park.jpg, View of the temple
File:2005-himavad-gopalaswamy.jpg, The temple courtyard
References
{{coord, 11, 43, N, 76, 35, E, source:cawiki_region:IN, display=title
Hills of Karnataka
Geography of Chamarajanagar district
Hill stations in Karnataka
Tourist attractions in Chamarajanagar district