As per the Hindu calender, festival season starts in the month of Shravana and the preceding Ashada month is usually sans any auspicious festivities. For Mysureans however, the vardanthi or ‘birth anniversary’ of the presiding deity Chamundeshwari, falls in Ashada.
This year, the vardanthi is being celebrated on Sunday, the saptami day or Krishna paksha, in Ashada. It commemorates the day on which the idol of the goddess was installed and consecrated in the 1820s. However, there is no document to support this claim. Ashada Fridays are also considered special for Chamundeshwari.
For a couple of centuries, the Wadiyar kings of the Yadu dynasty and the people of the erstwhile Mysore state have held Goddess Chamundeshwari in great reverence. Skanda Purana and other scriptures mention a sacred place called ‘Trimuta Kshetra’ surrounded by eight hills. Chamundi Hill is deemed to be one of those on the western side. However, there is no mention of the Chamundi Hill in ancient scriptures. Earlier, the hill was identified as ‘Mahabaladri’ in honour of Lord Shiva in the Mahabaleswara temple. It is the oldest temple on the hill, traced back to the 10th century of the Ganga dynasty.
Later, since Chamundeshwari received royal patronage, it came to be known as Chamundi Hill, probably since the late 1820s. Chamundeshwari temple was a small shrine initially. It assumed significance since the Wadiyar kings accorded importance to the deity. However, according to legends, the image was established by sage Markandeya in the puranic ages.
The original shrine is thought to have been built in the 12th century by the Hoysala rulers, while its tower was probably built by the Vijayanagar rulers. There is reference of Dodda Devaraja Wadiyar laying a flight of 1,000 steps up to the top of the hill in 1659, in Epigraphia Carnatica, volume 5. However, the literature does not name it as Chamundi Hill. It refers to it as ‘Betta’, meaning hill.
Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, who shifted the capital from Srirangapatna to Mysuru, since the downfall of Tipu Sultan, is said to have repaired the shrine in 1827 and also added the present gopura. Later, Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar presented a ‘Simha-vahana’ (a lion-shaped vehicle), other animal cars and jewels to the temple.
There is a six-foot statue of Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar standing with his hands folded and flanked by his three wives, Ramavilasa, Lakshmivilasa and Krishnavilasa.
This year, the vardanthi is being celebrated on Sunday, the saptami day or Krishna paksha, in Ashada. It commemorates the day on which the idol of the goddess was installed and consecrated in the 1820s. However, there is no document to support this claim. Ashada Fridays are also considered special for Chamundeshwari.
For a couple of centuries, the Wadiyar kings of the Yadu dynasty and the people of the erstwhile Mysore state have held Goddess Chamundeshwari in great reverence. Skanda Purana and other scriptures mention a sacred place called ‘Trimuta Kshetra’ surrounded by eight hills. Chamundi Hill is deemed to be one of those on the western side. However, there is no mention of the Chamundi Hill in ancient scriptures. Earlier, the hill was identified as ‘Mahabaladri’ in honour of Lord Shiva in the Mahabaleswara temple. It is the oldest temple on the hill, traced back to the 10th century of the Ganga dynasty.
Later, since Chamundeshwari received royal patronage, it came to be known as Chamundi Hill, probably since the late 1820s. Chamundeshwari temple was a small shrine initially. It assumed significance since the Wadiyar kings accorded importance to the deity. However, according to legends, the image was established by sage Markandeya in the puranic ages.
The original shrine is thought to have been built in the 12th century by the Hoysala rulers, while its tower was probably built by the Vijayanagar rulers. There is reference of Dodda Devaraja Wadiyar laying a flight of 1,000 steps up to the top of the hill in 1659, in Epigraphia Carnatica, volume 5. However, the literature does not name it as Chamundi Hill. It refers to it as ‘Betta’, meaning hill.
Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, who shifted the capital from Srirangapatna to Mysuru, since the downfall of Tipu Sultan, is said to have repaired the shrine in 1827 and also added the present gopura. Later, Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar presented a ‘Simha-vahana’ (a lion-shaped vehicle), other animal cars and jewels to the temple.
There is a six-foot statue of Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar standing with his hands folded and flanked by his three wives, Ramavilasa, Lakshmivilasa and Krishnavilasa.