MODULE: 2

Heritage Walk and Craft Corner: A tool to explore the unexplored and neglected
richness of the country, as its central theme group of B.E students had visited the places
of “Melukote”. They will also make an excerpt either as a documentary or a photoblog
describing the temples historic significance, its architecture and handcraft purchased in
the place visited.

NAME OF THE STUDENT : BRUNGESH BG

USN NO : 1VI21IS

SEM / SEC : III ‘A’

SUBJECT : SOCIAL CONNECT AND RESPONSIBILITIES

SUBJECT CODE : 21SCR36

NAME OF THE FACULTY MENTOR : Ms.SRIDEVI K N

DATE OF SUBMISSION : 13/03/2023

AGENDA

 Historic Significance.
 Temple Description.
 Geo-tagged pictures of temples and sculptures of place visited.
 Food Tasted.
 Craft Corner.
Signature of the Faculty Mentor
 Heritage Walk And Craft Corner

MELUKOTE

Melukote in Pandavapura taluk of Mandya district, Karnataka, in southern India, is one of the
sacred places in Karnataka.It is built on rocky hills, known as Yadugiri, Yaadavagiri and
Yadushailadeepa, Cheluvanaraya Swamy Temple is one of the iconic temples of Melkote. This
place is rich with Natural & Environmental beauty attracting hundred & thousands of pilgrims
every day. Every minute at the divine pilgrimage succumbs you to a sanctified, ambrosial,
transcendental and a pure blissful aura around.

Geography:

Melukote is a municipal town and holy centre of the same name, situated at a distance of 36
km (22 miles) north-west of Mandya, and 51 km (32 miles) north of Mysore. According to
mythological account, this place was known as Narayanadri, Vedadri, Yadavadri, Yathishaila
and Tirunarayanapura.
The name of the place is derived from the temple of Narayanaswamy which is built on the
hillock, surrounded by a fort. It is built on a rocky hill-range named Yadugiri, which is 3,589 feet
(1,094 m) high above sea level.

History:

In the 12th century, the Srivaishnava saint Ramanujacharya took up his residence in this

location for about 14 years. As a result, it became a prominent centre of Srivaishnavism.
Large numbers of Iyengar Brahmins migrated and settled in the region, forming the
Mandyam Iyengar community.

In the early 16th century, there were around a thousand houses where Brahmins lived. In the
18th century. Tipu Sultan ordered his army to wipe out the Brahmins performing Pooja at the
temple. Nearly 800 families were performing Pooja and the army slaughtered ~1500 mandya
Brahmins on the first day of Diwali. Since then, the people of Melukote do not light Diyas
neither they celebrate Diwali. Melukote is home to the academy of Sanskrit Research, which
has collected thousands of Vedic and Sanskrit manuscripts.

Early in the 12th century, the famous Srivaishnava saint Sri Ramanujacharya, who hailed

from Tamil Nadu, stayed at Melukote for about 12 years.

Dept.of ISE,Vemana IT 2022-23 2

 Heritage Walk And Craft Corner

PLACES VISITED

KENGAL HANUMANTHAIAH TEMPLE

Figure 1: Geo-tagged photo of Kengal Hanumanthaiah Temple

This temple is located near Chennapattana in the route between Bangalore and Mysore on the
right side of S.H. No. 17 after crossing Ramanagara. The Lord is called Kengal Anjaneya as
the word “Kengal” in Kannada means “Red Stone”. The five and a half foot-high idol in this
temple is unique as it is made of natural red stone which looks as if it is smeared with Sindur.
Here Lord Anjaneya is seen with a moustache, a rare feature seen no here else. Another
special feature is that the idol is Swayam Bhu or self-manifested from the red rock.

Sri Vyasa Thirtha, the famous teacher of Krishna Devaraya, installed this statue in 16th
century. The temple was constructed by Hoyasala kings and was later renovated by Late Sri

Dept.of ISE,Vemana IT 2022-23 3

 Heritage Walk And Craft Corner

Hanumanthaiah, Chief Minister of Mysore State (1952-1956), a great devotee of Lord

Hanuman. The architecture of the temple is simple but the Lord is said to be very powerful
and many got their wishes fulfilled after visiting this temple.

Just on the right hand side of the main shrine Lord Narasimha with Lakshmi is seen. Just in
front there is a beautiful brass idol of Lord Balaji with His two spouses, Sridevi and Bhu
Devi. On the left hand side there is shrine for Lord Sri Rama. Lakshmana and Sita. The metal
idols of these deities along with the brass idol of Hanuman are quite beautiful. All these
metal idols are very big not less than three feet in height. The temple premises are quite
spacious with very big trees and plants.

SHREE CHELUVANARAYANA SWAMI TEMPLE

Figure 2: Geo-tagged photo of Shree Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple

Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple, also known as Thirunarayanapura, is a temple

in Melkote in the Mandya District of Karnataka, India.The temple is built on rocky hills
which overlook the Kaveri valley. It is about 30 miles (48 km) from Mysore and 97 miles
(156 km) from Bangalore. The temple is lined with carved pillars and features a dome-like
top decorated with highly detailed sculptures. The presiding deity is Cheluvanarayana
Swamy, also known as Unggasu Wiili or Cheluvapille Raya, a form of
Lord Vishnu. Inscriptions indicate that the deity was also known as Ramapriya.

Dept.of ISE,Vemana IT 2022-23 4

 Heritage Walk And Craft Corner

The utsavamurthi, a metal idol sculpture used for processions and certain religious rituals,
represents the deity Cheluvanarayana Swamy. According to the legend, this metallic figure
was once lost, but was recovered by Sri Ramanujacharya. The annual report of the Mysore
Archaeological Department states that based on the strength of epigraphic evidence, the
presiding deity of this temple was already a well-known object of worship even before Sri
Ramanujacharya was worshiped at the shrine during the December 1098 CE period. This was
also before Sri Ramanujacharya ventured to the Mysore region where he most likely would
have used his influence to rebuild or renovate the temple. From the lithic records of the
period, the existence of Tamil influence and Vaishnava worship are also evident.

SRI YOGANARASHIMASWAMY TEMPLE

Figure 3: Geo-tagged photo of Yoga Narashimaswamy Temple

The above temple is Situated under the Pandavpura Taluk in the Mandya district of
Karnataka, the impressive temple of Yoga Narasimha Temple at Melukote stands atop hill at
a height of 1777 metres above the sea level. The majestic temple is dedicated to Lord
Narasimha. The temple houses an idol of Narasimha in a seated position with the Yogapatta.
The temple is considered to be one of the seven holy centres devoted to the worship of
Narasimha. The temple was built during the Hoysala kingdom. The beauty and religious
significance of the temple has always fascinated the common people and the royalty alike.
The temple has a huge drum that was donated by Tipu Sultan. It has a beautiful bell that was
donated by the Mysore Parakalamatha. During the rule of the erstwhile Wodeyar Kings of
Mysore, Krishnaraja Wodeyar III had donated a gold crown to the temple deity.

Dept.of ISE,Vemana IT 2022-23 5

 Heritage Walk And Craft Corner

The temple has numerous legends associated with it. One of the most famous beliefs about
the temple is that the idol of the deity Narasimha was installed by Prahalada, son of
Hiranyakashapu himself. It is also believed that the temple finds reference in the Vedic
literature that dates back to thousands of years.

The temple boasts of an impressive architecture. There are around 300 steps that lead to the
temple situated high up on the hill. The intricate carvings on the pillars and the overall
structure of the temple offer a glimpse into the architectural style of the bygone era. The top
of the temple is visible from afar due to its height.

PRASADHAM

Figure 4: Geo-tagged photo of the Parsadham provided in the temple

Prasada is vegetarian food especially cooked for devotees after praise and thanksgiving to a
god. Mahaprasada (also called Bhandarā), is the consecrated food offered to the deity in a
Hindu temple which is then distributed and partaken by all the devotees regardless of any
orientation.

The prasada is to be consumed by attendees as a holy offering. The offerings may include

cooked food, fruits and confectionery sweets. Vegetarian food is usually offered and later
distributed to the devotees who are present in the temple. Sometimes this vegetarian offering
will exclude prohibited items such as garlic, onion, mushroom, etc.

Dept.of ISE,Vemana IT 2022-23 6

 Heritage Walk And Craft Corner

Temples usually have stricter worship routines that include offering naivedya multiple times
a day. Most temples allow only trained pujaris to cook the naivedya. The naivedya offered
directly to the deity is considered as prasada, the deity having "enjoyed" it. This can be
considered to be a symbolic rather than a literal offering.

Offerings of food in home shrines are relatively simpler than the Hindu temples. A common
practice is to mix the prasada back into the remaining food before partaking it.

Tasting during preparation or eating the naivedya food before offering it to God is strictly

forbidden. The food is first placed before a deity and specific prayers are offered with
accompanying rituals. Afterwards, the food is considered as having been blessed by God, and
has officially become the sanctified prasada.

ARCHITECTURE AND SCULPTURE

Figure 5: Geo-tagged photo of the sculptures of the Melukote temple

Figure 6: Geo-tagged photo of view of the Melukote from the top of the temple

Dept.of ISE,Vemana IT 2022-23 7

 Heritage Walk And Craft Corner

Figure 7: Geo-tagged photo of pictorial view of Melukote from the top of the hill

CRAFT CORNER

Dept.of ISE,Vemana IT 2022-23 8

 Heritage Walk And Craft Corner

Figure 8: Geo-tagged photos of the crafts provided near the temple

The term "craft" denotes a skill, usually employed in branches of the decorative arts (eg.
ceramics), or in an associated artistic practice (eg. lace-making). A key feature of crafts is
that they involve a high degree of "hands-on" craftsmanship (hence the colloquial term
"handicrafts) rather than just skill with a machine.

Some crafts that are practiced by artists working alone are sometimes referred to by the
vague term "studio craft". Metal work, wood turning, glass blowing, and glass art are

Dept.of ISE,Vemana IT 2022-23 9

 Heritage Walk And Craft Corner

examples of "studio crafts", as is pottery - notably the studio pottery movement exemplified
by Bernard Leach in Britain.

The above pictures are the crafts that we could see in the places we visited and they were so
attractive that made us to buy them all. They also describe the story of the temple.

STUDENT’S EXPERIENCE

Figure 9: Geo-tagged photo of Department of ISE

It’s about 140km from Bangalore city via Mandya off Mysore highway. Google would
suggest 2 more routes, via Kanakapura road & Nelamangala-Kunigal. I definitely suggest
Mysore road over the other two options because you have plenty of options to fill & refill
yourself. We left the city at 6.30am and stopped at Adiga’s at Maddur for breakfast around
8am.Take right after HP petrol bunk in Mandya town and join state highway 47.Places to see
–Sri Cheluvanarayana Swami Temple, which is the main temple with nice architecture.
Temple closes at 1pm and reopens around 4.30pm.Yoga Narasimha Swami Temple, this is
the temple at the top of the hill which one can easily spot from the surroundings. One has to
climb quite a few steps to reach the temple. Lake – We saw a lake on the right side of the
road about 2-3km before Melukote (via Mandya).Melukote is possibly one of the few
locations around Bangalore that offers almost everything- history, architecture, temple, pond,
lake, hilltop & greenery or even otherwise one can enjoy all this and more within a day.

The aim of this module is to visit heritage places, knowing the history and culture of the city,
connecting to people around through their history, knowing the city and its craftsman.

Dept.of ISE,Vemana IT 2022-23 10

 Heritage Walk And Craft Corner

Dated: 17-01-2023
Report prepared on: 10-03-2023
Student Signature
BRUNGESH BG

Dept.of ISE,Vemana IT 2022-23 11