Melukote

Yoganarasimha and Cheluvaraya swami temple
This was our long awaited and pending picnic from past few months. We thought of going on May end but somehow it got delayed. Anyways we could make it this time. It was 25th Jul we experienced series bomb blasts in B'lore city. SO we thought of postponing our picnic this time,so we mailed each other and dropped the plan. So after going to home according to the news,we got to know that those bombs were low intensity and couldn't cause much damage and public no need to worry. This was the boosting statements for us and we again decided to stick to our plans. So we have planned to start at 6:30am.
Me Naveen,Praveen,Shyam,Avi,Abhi we six left with three pulsar bikes. Since we left early there was not much traffic and once we got Mysore highway it was traffic free road. May be ppl were scared to comeout due to blasts. We reached chennapattna and then Mandya,took the divertion from there and headed to Melukote temple. The farmers are growing sugarcanes there and making jaggery. We could savour the smell of jaggery,so nice it was. When we reached Melukote it was started drizzling. We reached the foot of the hill,left our bikes and shoes there and started to climb the steps. I think the temple has got nearly 1000 steps. The God Yoganarasimha on the top of the hill. The temples are 900 years old and are very beautiful with carvings around the temple.
At the foot of the temple there is a lake called Kalyani kere. Which is very huge and beautiful. I really getting angry on uncultured ppl who making it dirty by writing their names and their lovers name.

Kalyani kere
Later we visited Cheluvaraya swami temple which is also beautiful one. There, one of an Iyengar who was marketing his puliyogare. I heard about it so we thought we could taste it. It was amazing and really tasty one. So we planned to pack it for us and visit the Rayagopura and Akka thangi Kola.

Rayagopura
Rayagopura became famous now a days after shooting Barso re song from Guru. This is a nice monument with carvings. The below Rayagopura there is two lakes called Akka and thanki kere. Thangi kere water is sweet and Akka kere salty. We had our puliyogare there and had sweet pongal too. We could see chariot of Chelvaraya temple were pulled by devotees. We again came back to puliyogare hut and had sweet pongal. Now we thought of going to Thonnur kere and later Srirangapattana. So we started our bike and headed towards Jakkahalli and from there to pandavapura. So we reached near to thonnur kere and walked for a while to reach the top.


Thonnur kere
The lake was too huge and beautiful. Looks very deep too. It was already 3.00pm so we dropped our plans to Srirangapattana and headed back to B'lore. While we were back it was very cloudy and started to pour. So we stopped in Mandya and had a cup of tea and Maddur vada and continued and reached B'lore by 6:30pm.
What is the story:
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Due to incessant wars between native Hindu kings and invading Muslims the place got ruined. The main deity Cheluvanarayana got buried under the ruins. The Utsavamurthy was however taken away to Delhi, along with the other riches of the temple, by the king Mohammed Badshah.

Sri Ramanuja (born in 1017AD) was camping in Thondanur for propogating Srivaishnavism due to the strong influence of Jainism in the region then. He brought many people into the folds of Srivaishnavism including King Vishnuvardhana. One night, Ramanuja dreamt of Lord Cheluvanarayana beckoning him to unearth the Vishnu idol from the ruins, in a nearby place. With the help of King Vishnuvardhana and his army, Ramanuja arrived in Yadavadri in 1099, and dug up the idol of Cheluvanarayana and reinstalled the Lord in a newly constructed temple. He also established regular prayers and processes for the Lord. From then, the place gained the name "Yathishaila" (Saint Hill).
Once the main deity was established, Ramanuja felt the need for a utsavamurthy in the temple. Again Lord Cheluvanarayana informed in a dream that the temple’s utsavamurthy was available in Delhi in the palace of the king. In spite of his old age, Ramanuja immediately travelled to Delhi and approached the king with all his radiance and charm. He requested the king for the return of the idol of his dreams. The muslim king, who was highly impressed by Ramanuja’s power and devotion agreed to return the idol. The idol however was in possession of the young princess who was deeply attached to its beauty. The princess agreed to hand over the idol to Ramanuja with great difficulty. Ramanuja accepted the idol and started on his return journey to Melkote. The princess who could not bear the separation followed the idol with Ramanuja to Melkote. Even today, there is a small idol of the princess at the feet of Ramapriya in her memory and is identified as "Bibi Nacchiar" (Muslim Angel).
Today, Melkote (known as Thirunarayanpuram among Srivaishnavas) is one of the four most sacred centres of Srivaishnavism in South India, the others being Sriranagam, Thirumalai and Kanchipuram. Ramanujacharya composed the following chant (shloka) in recognition of the places,
The main deity in Srirangam is in a sleeping posture and hence the place is called "Bhoga Mantapam" (House of relaxation). Thirumalai is called "Pushpa Mantapam" (House of flowers) as the deity is always decorated with flowers. Kanchipuram is known as "Thyaga Mantapam" (House of relinquishment) as the main deity bestows the devotees. Thirunarayanapuram is known as "Gnana Mantapam" (House of Knowledge) as the main deity radiates knowledge.

Lord Narasimha Temple:
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Temple of Lord Narasimha on top of the hill is one of the oldest temples in the area. It is a picturesque view from the temple. On a clear day visitors have sighted Sri Gomateswara statue of Sravanabelagola from the roof of the Lord Narasimha temple. The cave below the temple commonly known as "Bilswarga" is an extraordinary cave that goes right under Lord Narasimha's idol. It is a challenging trip down the cave with very tight spaces.

Others:
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Dont miss the Puliyogare and sweet pongal of Iyengars. You can try curdrice as well which is really delicious.