Sri Lakshmi Narayana Temple at Mudigundam, Chamarajanagar District, Karnataka.

The visit to this temple at Mudigundam was a part of our Chozha period temples Visit on the ancient trade route from Chamarajanagar to Kollegal ( Gangapadi ), in Karnataka State. During Chozha period this place was the capital of Mudikonda  Chozhamandalam ( a part of Gangapadi ), Hence it obtained the name as Mudikonda, which has corrupted to the present name of Mudigundam.

Moolavar  : Sri Narayana Swamy.

Thayar     : Sri Lakshmi.

Some of the Salient features of this temple are.....

The temple is facing east with balipeedam and 2 half pillars with bas reliefs of Vishnu, Rama, etc,.  Thayar is in a separate sannidhi facing east, only with sanctum.

Mahavishnu, Venu Gopalan / Krishna and saint are in the maha mandapa. There is an under ground storage room in the artha mandapam. May be used during Muslim’s invasion to safeguard the idols.

A mandapa on the back side of the temple was pulled down and the Pillars with beautiful bas-relief are  dumped on the side of the sanctum sanctorum.

ARCHITECTURE

The sanctum sanctorum consists of  Sanctum, antarala, ardha mandapa, maha mandapa and Mukha mandapa. The ardha mandapa with supported by 4 beautiful Ganga style vrutha pillars. The Palakai is little large and the Pothigai is of Vettu pothigai.

The original temple was reconstructed, keeping the adhisthana. The Mandapams may be built during Vijayanagara period. The adhisthana is of padabandha adhisthana  with three patta kumuda. The inscriptions are found on the Jagathi, Kumuda and vethigai. The temple

HISTORY AND INSCRIPTIONS

The original temple was built during Chozha period by the traders. This place was called as Mudigonda solapuram alias Desi-uyyakondapattinam

This and four others below the inscriptions in Tamil and Grantha characters of 13^th Century engraved on the pillars are in Tamil.

This mentions that Tiruvarangaperumal son of Kipa. Peruvaniyan-kuttandai of Mudigonda solapuram alias Desi-uyyakondapattinam, got the pillar made at the cost of 3 gadyanas.

An incomplete inscription refers to an individual ( name lost ) of Perumarudur Puduppalli who got a pillar made.

Another inscription records that a pillar was the gift of Siramadevan, son of Ayupillai of Perialttur.

The donor of this Pillar was Pattividivandai of the Village Ogaiyur.

Another Inscription gives the names of the donor of the pillar and of his father. But they are only partly preserved. It refers to Marudur.

TEMPLE TIMINGS

Since orukala pooja is conducted the closing and opening times are unpredictable.  

HOW TO REACH:

This place Mudigundam is on the bus route Chamarajanagar to Kollegal. 37 KM from Chamarajanagar, 3 Km from Kollegal, 63 KM from Mysore and 143 KM from Bangalore.

LOCATION OF THE TEMPLE : CLICK HERE ( GPS Co-ordination   12.142192, 77.089916 ).

The Pillars removed from old mandapa

Thayar Lakshmi & Narayana

The underground room

The inscriptions

The inscriptions

The inscriptions

--- OM SHIVAYA NAMA ---