Nanjundeshwara Temple

About Nanjundeshwara Temple

On the banks of the Kapila river, a tributary of the Kaveri, in Nanjangud taluk of Mysore district, stands one of the largest and most actively worshipped Shiva temples in the region: Nanjundeshwara, also known as Srikanteshwara. The town itself takes its name directly from the deity. 'Nanju' means poison, 'unda' means one who consumed it, and 'Eshwara' refers to Lord Shiva, together giving 'Nanjundeshwara,' from which the town name 'Nanjangud' eventually derives. Because of its scale and sanctity, the temple and its town are often referred to as 'Dakshina Kashi,' the Varanasi of the South, a title that a handful of major riverside Shiva temples across South India claim for similar reasons of devotional prestige.

The 'poison-consuming' part of the name refers directly to one of Shiva's most famous mythological acts. During the churning of the cosmic ocean of milk by gods and demons in search of amrita, the nectar of immortality, a deadly poison called halahala surfaced instead, threatening to destroy all of creation. Shiva stepped in and drank the poison to save the universe, and his consort Parvati held his throat to stop it from spreading further into his body. The poison stained his throat blue permanently, which is why Shiva is worshipped in this form, and in many others across India, as Neelakantha, the blue-throated one.

Nanjangud carries a second layer of mythological significance as well. Sitting at the confluence of the Kapila and Koundinya rivers, the town is also known as Parashurama Kshetra. According to legend, the sage-warrior Parashurama came here after beheading his own mother Renuka on his father's orders, an act that left him deeply troubled despite having carried it out under filial duty. He is said to have finally found peace after bathing in the river here and discovering and worshipping a Shiva linga at the site, an act of penance that gave the place its lasting spiritual reputation.

History & Architecture

One of the temple's most enduring stories dates to the reign of Tipu Sultan, whose royal elephant is said to have gone blind. When his own physicians could offer no cure, a priest at this temple reportedly suggested a specific remedy: bathing the elephant daily in the Kapila and wiping its eyes with water used in the temple's abhisheka rituals, continued for 48 days, a full mandala in Hindu ritual reckoning. By the end of that period, the elephant's sight had returned. Grateful, Tipu Sultan is said to have gifted the temple a Pachche Linga, an emerald-studded linga, along with a jade necklace known as the Pachche Makara Kanti Haara, which notably includes a pendant bearing an Islamic crescent-moon symbol. That necklace is still brought out and used to adorn the main idol once a year, during the Girija Kalyana festival in the month of Ashada, a small but striking detail of religious overlap that has survived intact for over two centuries.

The temple's architecture reflects a genuinely long construction history rather than a single building phase. It was originally built in the Dravidian style by the Western Ganga rulers in the 9th century, then progressively expanded by the Cholas in the 11th century, the Hoysalas in the 13th, and later by the Vijayanagara rulers and the Wadiyars of Mysore. The resulting complex spans a substantial 385 by 160 feet, with a seven-storey, 120-foot gopura at the main entrance topped by seven gold-plated kalasas, each roughly 10 feet tall, flanked by two oversized ceremonial horns. Inside the prakara, or outer courtyard, close to 122 individual deity images and sculptures are on display, including around 66 separate forms and manifestations of Shiva alone.

Different ruling periods left their own additions. Idols of Narayana, Sharadhamba, Ganesha, Subramanya and Anjaneya were added during the Vijayanagara period, while a distinctive dancing Ganesha dates to the earlier Hoysala era. In 1849, Krishnaraja Wadiyar III and his queen, Devajammani, funded the construction of a second, nine-storey gopura and installed further idols of Chandrashekara, Dakshinamurthy and Chandikeshwara. The complex also holds a bronze Thandaveshwara idol, a dedicated Navagraha shrine, an eight-foot stone bull, and a Tulabhara mantapa built in 1644 under Dalavayi Vikramaraya, used historically for weighing devotees against offerings of grain, gold or other valuables. A sculpture of Krishnaraja Wadiyar III alongside his four wives also stands in the complex, and the king is remembered for gifting two wooden temple chariots in 1819, along with silver figures of a horse, an elephant and Nandi.

Near By Places, Distance & How to Reach

Near By Places to Visit: K Gudi (63 km), B.R. Hills (66 km), Chamarajeshwara Temple (35 km), Sri Tripurasundari Temple, Matthithaleshwara Temple.

Distance:
Bangalore – 164 km
Mysore city bus stop – 24 km
Chamarajanagara – 36 km
Railway station – 3.4 km
Mysore Airport – 16 km

By Bus: A bus from Bangalore to Mysore costs around ₹125, and from there, buses to Chamarajanagar, which pass through Nanjangud, run roughly every ten minutes for about ₹50.

By Train: Trains from Bangalore to Mysore run for about ₹70, with a further Chamarajanagar-bound train covering the short hop to Nanjangud station for around ₹20, followed by a 1.1-kilometre walk or auto ride into town. Alternatively, train number 56282, the Chamarajanagar-Tirupati Express, runs directly from KSR Bangalore for about ₹85.

By Air: Mysore's Mandakalli airport is the closest, just 16 kilometres away, roughly a 30 to 45 minute drive.

By Road: Driving from Bangalore, the route runs through Majestic, Nayandahalli, Bidadi, Kengeri, Ramanagara, Channapattana, Maddur, Mandya and Srirangapatna before reaching Mysore and finally Nanjangud.