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Karighatta Srinivasa Temple

District: Mysore
Town: Srirangapatna
Temple: Karighatta temple

Karighatta Srinivasa Temple

Karighatta Srinivasa temple is in Karighatta a hill near Srirangapatna in Mysore, Karnataka.

Karighatta Srinivasa Temple – Overview

Karighatta means ‘black hill’ in Kannada. The Srinivasa temple is located on a hill, and the deity is also referred to as Karigirivasa (resident of the Black Hill) or Bhairagi Venkataramana. When the deity is decorated with flowers, he is said to look like a mendicant or Bhairagi. The Karighatta hill lies 2697 feet above sea level.

Karighatta Srinivasa Temple – Architecture

The entrance to the temple through huge wooden doors leads to the main shrine which is quadrangular in shape. The beautiful 6 ft tall idol is made of black stone. Towards the left of this idol is Yoga Srinivasa and to the right is Bhoga Srinivasa. There is a separate shrine for Goddess Padmavathi. In front of the main shrine is a statue of Garuda and a Garudasthambha. The temple also has a Kalyana Mandapa. There is a road winding up the hill if you want to drive over here. You can also climb up 450 steps to reach the temple. From the temple, you can get a nice view of Mysore and Srirangapatna.

Karighatta Srinivasa Temple – Mythology

Karighatta is referred to in Varaha Purana as Nilachala which means Blue Mountain. It is said that when Sri Mahavishnu took the form of a boar during Varaha Avathara, he shook off some of his hair here. The hair grew into Dharbha grass around the temple.

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There are two legends associated with the temple. One says that an elephant called Kari killed four maidens who were bathing in a lake here and Sage Kutsamuni undertook a penance to bring the girls back to life. Lord Srinivasa granted his wish.

Another legend says that Sugriva brought a hill called Nilachala from Thirumala to help build the bridge to Lanka. On the way, people of his region prayed to him to leave the hill here. He accepted their request, and this is the Karighatta hill.

How to get to Karighatta Srinivasa Temple

Karighatta is located in Srirangapatna. You can get a bus or auto-rickshaw to this place from Srirangapatna. The best time to visit will be during the annual Rathotsava and temple fair in February-March.

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