Melukote Yoga Narasimha Temple – An Introduction
The temple of Yoga Narasimha situated in the town of Melukote, is one of the important temples dedicated to Lord Narasimha in this region. It is a hill-temple, located majestically on top of a hillock and is located in the Pandavpura Taluk of the Mandya district in the state of Karnataka. Perched at a height of 1777 meters above sea level, this temple is well known for its scenic location, religious significance and architectural appeal.
Narasimha, the presiding deity of the temple is in a yogic posture, seated with a yogapatta around his legs. Constructed at an elevated place, the temple is visible from far and is visited for worship by people in large numbers right through the year.
Narasimha, the unique Lord
Narasimha is an amazing incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the supreme God of protection and sustenance. ‘Nara’ is a human being and ‘Simha’ is a lion, and ‘Nara-Simha’ is thus a Man-Lion. Lord Vishnu had to take this unbelievably strange form, for overcoming the mighty demon Hiranyakashipu, who was very well protected by a series of boons, and for slaying him, to save the universe and its inhabitants from the Asura’s tyranny.
As per legends, Narasimha appeared at dusk on the Vaishak Shukla Paksha Chaturdashi, that is, the 14th day of the bright fortnight, in the month of Vishaka (April–May). This day of his advent is hence, celebrated with fervor as Narasimha Jayanthi.
Story of Narasimha
The cruel demon Hiranyakashipu, emboldened by the phenomenal boons that he had obtained, let loose a reign of terror on the entire universe, inflicting untold atrocities on the living beings. However, he was blessed with a noble son Prahalada, who grew into a great devotee of none other than his father’s archenemy, Lord Vishnu. As the demon started harassing his own son along with all others, Vishnu had to appear in this human-animal form and destroy the heinous demon with his own claws.
Temple Legend
The Melukote Yoga Narasimha Swamy temple is believed to be a very ancient place of worship, with which many legends are associated. The most popular among them is the belief that the idol of the principal deity here was installed by none than Prahlada himself, for whose sake only, Lord Vishnu had taken this Narasimha Avatar. It is hence believed that the shrine is many Yugas old (eras), has been around for several thousands of years and there are references to it even in the ancient Vedic texts.
Temple History and Architecture
This Narasimha Swamy temple has its own historical importance too. The kings of the famous Hoysala dynasty built the temple structure in its present form many centuries ago. Since then the temple is greatly revered by the royalties ruling this region and its people. While ‘the Tiger of Mysore’ Tipu Sultan donated a big drum to this shrine, Mysore Parakala Matha presented an exquisite bell. The Mysore ruler Krishnaraja Wodeyar III had also donated a gold crown to the presiding deity here.
The temple architecture too is quite arresting. About 300 steps take one to the doorsteps of the temple, which is located attractively on top of a hillock. The nice structure of this temple itself stands as a reflection of the fine architectural style of the ancient times, while the pillars and the intricate carvings in them bear testimony to the expertise and aesthetic sense of the artisans.
Worship Details
Regular daily Pooja are conducted for the deities here from morning to evening. These include daily Abishekam, the sacred bath in the forenoons. Extended hours of darshan are held on festival days, public holidays and weekends, while special worships are organized on important occasions like Narasimha Jayanthi.