KODANDARAMASWAMY TEMPLE ,HIREMAGALUR,CHIKAMAGALUR DISTRICT, KARNATAKASTATE- COMPILED
Introduction Kodanda Ramaswamy Temple is a highly revered Hindu shrine in Hiremagalurin the Chickamagalur district. Locatedon the banks of river Tungabhadra, this beautiful shrine is dedicated to LordRama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Housing life-size statues of Lord Rama,his brother Laxmana, and Devi Sita, the temple celebrates their life before exile. The magnificentidols have been sculpted from a single rock. Each feature including theirornaments has been chiselled in stone painstakingly. The temple is visited by devotees throughout the year andalso hosts an annualcelebration known as "Jatra” in February. Legend The temple celebrates the life of Lord Rama and his marriageto Devi Sita. According to the Skanda Purana, Lord Rama shattered Lord Parasuram's bow. Itwas a symbolic act of shattering his pride, and haughtiness. Lord Parasuramaccosted Lord Rama and realised his mistake. The awakened sage Parasuram in all humility stated that he had skipped his wedding thinkingas if it were a simple Ksahatriya wedding. He begged Sri Rama to grant himdarshan in Kalyana Kolam. Lord Rama granted him his wish, Kalyana Seve, by placing Sitato his right and Lakshmana to his left. In honour of this, and Parasurama'spenance, the location has given the name Bhargavapuri. Legends say that the place was the residence of nine siddhaswho performed penance near a pond in the village known as Siddha Pushkarni . History The temple is State protected and appears to have been created in threestages, with its garbhagrha and sukhanasi buildings in the Hoysala style. The remaining sections are Dravidian-style extensions. This14th-century navaranga is what it is today. However, the mukhamandapa can dateto the sixteenth century. The vestibule and garbhagruha’s outside walls areraised on a square basement with six cornices. Brick and mortar are used toconstruct the navaranga and mukhamandapa’s outside walls. The vestibuleprojection is visible. The Navagraha shrine as we see it today was constructed inthe 14th century AD, the Mukhamanatapa was built in the 16th century, and thesplendid entrance was set up in the 17th century. Architecture Kodanda Ramaswamy Temple is renowned to be the largest in the region. Thetemple is built in the Hoysala style, although the Garbhagriha and Sukanasisections are built in the Dravidian style. It has three Gopurams supported bycolumns with depictions of Rama, Laksmana, and Krishna. The central tower of the temple faces east while the other two towers face north andsouth. Being the entrance, the central tower is built in five tiers. Themandapa is supported over 32 pillars and features magnificent sculptures.Brackets or corbels have been used for the roof of the central part. Lord Rama’s beloved friend Lord Hanuman ismissing from most depictions however a separate templehas been dedicated to him.A statue of Lord Ganesha in a dancing pose adorns the Mandapam. Main Deities Idols of Lord Ram, Laxman, and Devi Sita preside in theGarbhagriha. Kodanda Ramaswamy Temple is the only temple where Devi Sita istowards the right of the lord. The temple deity is called Kodandarama, or Ramaholding his bow, named "kodanda." The main deity is also in marriagearrangement (vivaha) or Kalyana-rama, as Sita is to Rama's right, as opposed tothe more common arrangement where she appears to his left. The temple is likelythe oldest surviving, and continuously operating temple dedicated to Rama. In the garbhagrha on a common pedestal, 1.5 ft high, thereare idols of Kodandarama with Sita to his right and Lakshmana to his left. Ramaand Lakshmana carry the arrows in their right hands and strung bows in theirleft hands. Typically, an idol of Hanuman accompanies images of Rama, butaccording to legend, the scene depicted of the presiding deity is situated at atime before Rama and Hanuman have met. The image of Hanuman was likelyadded to the pedestal for ritual sanctification purposes as worship of Rama isinappropriate without Hanuman. Sub deities The temple's main attraction is Pakara, which is an enclosedarea with images of Madhava,Sugriva, Yoganarasimhaand Muddukrishna. Images of Vedanta Desika, Ramanujacharya, Deshika, are alsofound. The images belong to the pre-Hoysala and Chalukya period. Depictionsfrom Vishnu’s scriptures can be seen on the Sukanasi and Garbhagriha'sexteriors. But after Rama, Balarama and Krishna are engraved, with theBuddha missing in the prakara. This is common in many Sri Vaishnavarepresentations of dashavataras as they give prominence to Balarama, here measuring 4 ft. withfour hands and in a pre-Hoysala style, resembling Badami Chalukya workmanship. The outer-walls of the garbhagrha and sukansi have, besidespilasters and turrets, two rows of figures representing mostly Vishnu and hisAvatars such as Hayagriva, Narasimha, Lakshminarayana, Venugopala,Kalinga-Mardana and Govardhanadhari. There are also figures of Lakshmi,Hanuman, Garuda and Ganapati. There is a beautiful murti on the Gopuram near the entrance of Agnibhagavan with two heads, seven tongues and three legs. A yatra ofKodandarama temple is held for one day during February–March each year. Thetemple had a pond nearby which is now dry. Festival Rama Navami is a prominent Hindu event held in this city. Temple tank Devotees bathe in Siddha Pushkarini, which is believed tocontain anti-venomous properties and is highly efficient in curing snake bites. Temple Timings 7:30 am – 12:30 am 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm Interesting factsabout Kodanda Ramaswamy Temple The temple is dedicated to Lord Rama's life before his exileto the forest. It is believed the temple has been built in the precise placewhere Lord Rama anointed Sugriva as the new primate king. Sugriva bows in front of Lord Rama in place of Lord Hanuman,unlike in other Lord Rama temples. Opposite Shiva Temple is a 9-foot-tall stone pillar with atop that resembles a trident. It is the only templewhere Kannada stotras and mantras are chanted. Things to keep in mindwhile visiting Temple Before entering the temple, please leave all electronicdevices such as cell phones, calculators, cameras, and shoes. Place your offerings in the Hundi at the temple premises. Enter the temple premises in decent attire and maintainhygiene. Ancient traditions arepractised at the temple, hence be respectful of the beliefs of other pilgrims. Administration It is a private temple . Managed and maintained by SriHiremagalur Kannan and his family. Nearby attractions Shiva temple with a beautiful image of Saraswathi and aneight-legged bull is nearby. One canalso visit a temple dedicated to Parasurama in the vicinity. According to Puranic tradition and folklore, the spot whereJanamejaya performed the "Sarpa Yagna" (serpent sacrifice) is nearthe temple. How to reach the Temple Being only 5 km from Chikmagalur, Kodanda Ramaswamy Temple iseasily accessible by most means of transport. By Rail: The nearestrailway station is in Kadur. It is around 40 kilometres away and you can reach the temple bylocal bus or private cab. By Road: The major citiesand towns are well connected to Chikmagalur. State-owned and luxury premium buses ply from variouslocations. You can also book a taxi or cab from top car rental companies inChikmagalur to reach the temple. By Air: MangaloreInternational Airport is 146 km away from the town. Alternatively, Bangalore InternationalAirport is 248 km away. You can book a taxi or cab to reach the temple. Address of temple andoffice Shri Kodandaramachandra Swamy Temple Hiremagalur Chikmagalur –577102 Kodandarama DevasthanaBangalore Double Rd, Sampangi Rama Nagara, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560027.ContactNumber 040 2225 3555 Timings 7:30 am–8:30 pm Compiled and posted by R. Gopalakrishnan (former ITS 7024)on 21-09-2025 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1828419314.3825813.1758435861068%40mail.yahoo.com.
