Devarayanadurga
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Devarayanadurga (Kannada: ದೇವರಾಯನ ದುರ್ಗ) is a hill station near Tumkur in the state of Karnataka in India. The rocky hills are surrounded by forest and the hilltops are dotted with several temples including the Yoganarasimha and the Bhoganarasimha temples and an altitude of 3940 feet. It is also famous for Namada Chilume, a natural spring considered sacred and is also considered the origin of the Jayamangali river. Another famous temple in the area is the Mahalakshmi Temple at Goravanahalli.
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[edit] Getting There
It is 65kms from Bangalore, India, by road on Tumkur road. The nearest railway station is 25kms away in Dobbespet.
There are 2 routes to this place. 1) From banglore, go till Dobbespet. Go under the flyover and take a right. (note: The left here leads to Shivagange betta and right leads to Devarayandurga.) This road is in quite bad shape and it's a longer approach to Devarayanadurga. On this route you get Devarayanadurga first, and then as you go towards Kyatsandra, you get another Hanuman and Shankara temple, a little further is Namada Chilume and then Siddaganga mutt (different from Siddagange betta) and a kilometer from there is Kyatsandra where you hit Banglore Tumkur road. 2) The other route from banglore is from Kyatsandra. Ride about 5 kms further from Dobbespet on Tumkur road and you will reach Kyatsandra. From there take right at Kyatsandra. You reach Siddaganga Mutt then NamadaChilume then Hanuman Temple and finally Devarayanadurga. The roads on this side are much better and this route is shorter.
[edit] Geography
Devarayana Durga is a fortified hill, about nine miles east of Tumkur town, situated in the midst of picturesque scenery. It consists of three elevations and seven gates leading to the top. On the lowest elevation situated is the Lakshmi-Narasimha Swamy Temple. Near by is a spring know as Ane-done. On the slope of the hill is a pond said to the source of stream Mangali. Higher up is another small spring named Jaya-tirtha representing the source of another stream Jaya. Both the streams unite at Irukasandra at the foot of the hill and form the Jayamangali. The hills are also the source of the river Shimsha.
On the middle elevation are the Govt travellers Bungalow and few other places of rest. There are also two other springs known as Rama-tirtha and Dhanus-tirtha. There is a large cave nearby with figures of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana.
[edit] History
The place was originally known as Anebiddasari then as Jadakana Durga after a chief named Jadaka and finally as Devarayana Durga subsequent to its capture by Mysore king Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar.
Tradition relates that a robber chief named Andhaka or Lingaka had his stronghold here, and he was subdued by sumati, a prince, whose father, Hemachandra, was the king of Karnata and ruled from Yadupattana. On accomplishing the enterprise on which he had set forth, Sumathi is said to have established the city of Bhumandana near the present Nelamangala and taken up residence there for the protection of that part of his fathers kingdom.
Under the Hoysalas, there seems to have been, on the hill, a town called Anebiddasari or the precipice where the elephant fell. A rougue elephant, which the sthala purana describes as a Gandharva suddenly appeared before the town to the great consternation of the people and after doing considerable mischief, tried to walk up the steep rock on the west, when it slipped, fell back and was killed. The hill is accordingly called as Karigiri in the Puranas.
Under the Vijayanagara Kings, the use of the same name continued, and a large tank, named Bukkasamudra, was formed after throwing an embankment across the gorge from which the river Jayamangali has its source. Remains of the embankment and of the adjacent town can still be traced.
[edit] Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple
The temple, built in the dravidian style of architecture, faces east and is said to have been constructed by Kanthirava Narasaraja I. From the inscriptions numbered Tumkur 41 and 42, we learn that the enclosure and tower were repaired in 1858 by the Mysore king Krishnaraja Wodeyar III.
The TVS Group, a south Indian automobile company, has helped a great deal in the improvement and maintenance of the temple environs.
BhogaNaraishma temple is at the base of the hill and Yoga Narasimha temple is on top of the hill.
[edit] Other Temples
On the third elevation stands, facing east, a temple of Narasimha, known as the Kumbhi. This Narasimha temple consists of a Garbhagriha, a sukanasi, a navagraha and a mukhamantapa and is similar to the plan of the temple below. In addittion to the temple there are three sacred ponds or Kalyani here known as Narasimha-teertha, Parasara-teertha and Pada-teertha.
There is also another temple, said to be older than Lakshmi Narasimha swamy, dedicated to Hanuman, also known as Sanjivaraya, who stands with folded hands.
Higher up above is a small shrine of Garuda.
[edit] Giri-Pradakshina
Legend has it that the devotees of Hindu temples used to perform the ritual of cicling the hills on which the temples were situated. As an effort to revive the practice, a large number of Devotees perform the Giri-pradakshina, organized by Vishwa Hindu Parishad(VHP)
[edit] Festival
CAR FESTIVAL
Devarayana Durga Sri Bhoga Narasimhaswamy jathra/Car festival, an annual Car festival is held during Phalguna Masa shudha poornima day some where in the Month of March/April in Devarayanadurga. On this day the chariot/car/Ratha of Sri Bhoga Narasimhaswamy is drawn in the main Ratha beedhi of the hill town. The festival draws devotees from all over Bangalore-Tumkur and surrounding region.
NARASIMHA JAYANTHI
Devarayanadurga Sri Lakshminarasimhaswamy's Narasimha jayanthi, an Annual celebraton of Narasimha avathara day takes place during Chaitra Shudha chathurdashi (May month) at which thousands of people gather and many pendals are built to serve then with summer drinks like Panakam, buttermilk, phalamruth and free feeding is done to all devotees coming for the darshan of lord.
[edit] Namada Chilume
At the base of the hill on the road leading to Tumkur, is a place called NAMADA CHILUME (nAmada chilume; chilume means spring). Myth has it that Sri Rama on his way to Lanka halted here. As he did not find water anywhere around to wet the "nAma" (a kind of paste Hindus apply on their forehead), he shot an arrow into the ground, and a spring sprang and thus the name (Rama)-nAmada chilume. The spring can be still seen, and there is a foot impression of Lord Sri Rama near that.
Little away from the current government guest house, just facing the spring is an old, dilapidated guest house constructed in 1931. Dr.Salim Ali was said to have stayed in this guest house during his Ornithological visits to this place, around 1938. Interestingly enough there is a moist deciduous patch behind the old guest house, adjoining the huge rock face and Dr.Salim Ali had collected moist-deciduous species in this area, which are no longer to be seen now.
[edit] Nursery
The forest department has developed a nursery of medicinal plants near Namada Chilume picnic spot on Devarayanadurga hills. There are about 300 varieties of rare ayurvedic plants in this nursery.
Only particular species of plants are cultivated on specified plots for easy identification of the plant varieties. The nursery is located at a forest spot beside Tumkur-Devarayanadurga bus route.
The nursery, known as the mini forest of medicinal plants, has been developed with the objective of conserving endangered species of plants on Devarayanadurga hills.
[edit] Accommodation
KSTDC operates a hotel in Devarayanadurga called Hotel Mayura Meghadoota.
