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| Yoga Narasimha Temple at Melukote, Karnataka. www.tripmondo.com |
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| Yoga Narasimha Temple at Melukote, Karnataka. www.karnataka.com |
The temple was built during the Hoysala period. One fact that can't help attracting our attention is the presence of a huge drum donated by none other than Tipu Sultan, the then ruler of Mysore. In 1785 he also presented elephants to the temple. The temple bell was donated by the Mysore Parakalamatha. The temple is richly endowed and the rulers of Mysore, the Wodeyar family made immense contributions by way of donating gold and gems-studded jewels. In 1614, the Mysore Maharajah Raja Wodeyar (1578–1617) adopted the Srivaishnava faith and handed over to the temple and the Brahmins at Melkote, the estate granted to him by Vijaynagar king Venkatapati Raya. He presented the gold crown to the temple.The erstwhile ruler of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wodeyar III had donated a gold crown to the temple deity besides Vairamudi, another gold-diamond -studded crown to the deity.
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| Drum donated by Tipu Sultan. Yoga Narashimha temple, Melukote, Karnataka. www.kamat.com |
The temple has several legends associated with it. One of the significant beliefs regarding the idol of Yoga Narasimhar is that it was installed by Prahalada himself, son of Hiranyakashapu whom the lord killed.
Melkote is an important pilgrimage center for the Srivaishnava sect. because early in the 12th century, the famous Advaita philosopher and Srivaishnava saint Sri Ramanujacharya, who hailed from Tamil Nadu, stayed at Melukote for about 12 years. Melukote is the birthplace of Jayalalithaa, who has again formed the new ministry in consecutive terms in the state of Tamil Nadu after winning the recent Assembly election held in May, 2016.
Ref:
http://www.holidayiq.com/Yoga-Narasimha-Swamy-Temple-Melukote-Sightseeing-1281-14574.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melukote