Chaluvaraya Swamy Temple (1120 A.D), Melkote, Pandavapura Taluk, Mandya District.

Fascinating landscapes, lakes, wildlife and two great temples. All these are found at Melkote, a small sleepy town at about 145 kms away. The shortest route to reach this place is to drive upto Mandya on Mysore Road and take the road to the west. As you near the town a ghat section with few sharp curves on a gradient is encountered and you will drive along a placid lake on the right. The conical hill with big boulders and the temple Gopuram at the top appears closer.

Melkote looks like a one road town with the guesthouses, choultries, bus stand, eateries and temples all lined up on the main road. But spread apart are quite a few things to see like the Rayagopura, Dhanushkodi, Akka Thangi Kola, Panchakalyani, etc., besides the temple on a hill and a temple below.

To begin with the less strenuous you can visit the large temple of Chaluvaraya swamy at the end of the road. The entrance leads to a huge quadrangle followed by a large Mantapa and the Garbhagriha. Apart from the image of Chaluvaraya Swamy the shrines of Lakshmi and Ramanujacharya are also interesting. It is worth taking a walk around a temple, the outer walls of which are supported by a line of pillars and topped by a series of Sukhanasis with well-sculpted figures representing epic stories.
Just across the street is the Badrinarayana temple, another huge stone pillared shrine. From here you can walk up a 100 Mtrs or so to the south to find Akka —Thangi Kola, two uniform square tanks with steps, adjacent to each other. The green waters are clean and clear. However, if you need todrink the Thangi kola on the far side is suggested.

The road continues further to a few steps on the left leading to Rayagopura. This is a cluster of very tall pillars with carvings of beautiful damsels at the base. These resemble in a way the tall stone pillars found in an excavation at Hampi. Centuries ago Chola kings wanted to build a tall temple overnight so as to view Srirangapatna from here. The work went on briskly through the night, but when a cock crowed, they left the temple as it was thinking it was already dawn.

Dhanushkodi is an interesting spot about 1½ kms further. The peafowl calls seem to beckon. The cool shady path in the midst of eucalyptus grove is even more inviting. A short flight of steps at the end of the walk brings you to this enclosure guarded by huge boulders.

According to legend, Sita, while passing through this area needed water, Lakshmana struck an arrow into the rock but the water did not come. When Rama used Varunastra the water at once came out. There are two fissures in the rock. This spot is on a high cliff with good views, but take care. The temple on the hill opens at 4 pm and you can walk up leisurely. Vehicles can go up halfway. As you climb up the steps look back to have a wonderful view of the large Pushkarani below.

You can also see the Kalyani at the far right. At the top the cool rejuvenating breeze sweeps over. Having darshan of Yoganarasimha, you can climb to the top to have a panoramic view of the surroundings. Even the distant Tonnur Lake is visible.

Drive on Mysore road to Mandya and take the road to Melkote. A number of buses ply from Bangalore and Mandya.