Chamundi Hills

On the outskirts of Mysore City, is a rocky hill rising to a height of 1063 metres above sea level. Owing to it isolated position and precipitous sides, it renders the position of Mysore city conspicuous. The oldest temple on this hill is that of Mahabaleshwar, which was endowed by the Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana in 1128 A.D. The descendants of Vijayanagara kings ruling at Chandragiri near Tirupati renovated this temple in 1620 A.D.
The hill is popularly called as Chamundi Hill taking its name after the Goddess Chamundi or durga, the consort of Shiva, and the tutelary deity of the Royal family of Mysore. The goddess is worshipped in a temple on the summit of the hill.
According to mythology, the buffalo demon Mahishasura practiced austerities and was able to attain the strength to drive the ‘devas’ out from their celestial abode. Maha Vishnu and Brahma created a female deity infusing in her the energies of all the deities, and thus emerged goddess Durga.
Armed with Vishnu’s Chakra, Shiva’s Trident and various attributes of the ‘Devas’, Durga became very powerful and fought with Mahishasura and destroyed him. Thus, Durga became ‘Mahishasuramardhini’ or ‘Chamundi’. The place where she killed the demon became ‘Mahishapura’ which in course of time came to be called as Mysore. In time, Chamundi or locally called as Chamundeshwari became the I utelary deity of the royal Wadeyars of Mysore.
Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadeyar renovated the shrine of Chamundeshwari in 1827 A.D., and erected the main tower lacing east. He also presented a fine ‘Simha Vahana’ and many ornaments to the deity. One of the gold jewels, called Nakshatramalika, a present from the king is of interest as it has in it thirty Sanskrit verses in praise of the deity inscribed on it. A statue of this king and his queen are found in the enclosure of the temple.
The temple of Chamundeshwari is a fine quadrangular structure and is a landmark seen from a great distance. A flight of steps, numbering about a thousand, leads to the top of the hill. Half way up along the stone steps, cut in solid rock, is a colossal figure of Nandi (the holy bull of Shiva), mounted in the mythological sculptures. It is adorned with finely carved bells and jewels.
A majestic 4.8 metre high monolith figure, it attracts the attention of all the visitiors. Although the carving is in no way extraordinary, yet the gigantic size, the correct proportions of the statue and the labour of sculptor expended in making, render it as a fine piece of art of this kind in South 1 ndia. Dodda Devaraja Wadeyar of the Mysore royal dynasty was responsible for creating this remarkable monument of devout zeal during his reign in 1659 A.D.
The annual car festival of Chamundeshwari (Rathothsava) takes place after navarathri festivities and is attended by a large crowd of devotees including the members of the royal family. The giant size statue of the demon Mahishasura, stands beside the Chamundeshwari temple. This figure is an awesome spectacle built in mortar and gorgeously painted in bright colours, that stands menacingly with sword held aloft. The summit offers a panoramic view of the lakes, rivers, palaces and parts of the Mysore City.