Called by many names and associated with many stories, this busy town, 64 kms from Bangalore, situated on the right bank of the Shimsha River, is a fine tourist destination. According to one version, Maddur is a corrupted version of Marudur, an ancient name.
Another version is that Maddur derives itself from the word ‘maddu’ (gunpowder) as it was a storehouse for explosives and gunpowder. The town flourished till the end of the 18th century and it is learnt that there was a fort there, which served as the stronghold of a succession of Mysore rulers followed by Hyder Ali and later destroyed by Lord Cornwallis.
Madduru is also referred to as Arjunapuri after a legend from the Mahabharatha, according to which Arjuna once requested Krishna to display the Ugra Narasimha avatara.
Krishna felt the avatara would be too powerful to see directly and created the image in stone. The temple of Ugra Narasimha is an example of architectural splendor. The seven-ft tall image of Narasimha in shining black stone, with eight hands and three eyes, slaying Hiranyakashipu and wearing his intestine as a garland is fearful indeed. There are numerous shrines in the temple complex and the inner walls are decorated with attractive frescoes. The sculptures in the temple are also in fine shape, a reflection of the craftsmanship and skill of the creators.
Adjacent to this stands the Varadaraja Swamy temple. According to the inscriptions here, during the Hoysala period, King Vishnuvardhana’s mother wanted to visit Kanchi to worship Varadaraja Swamy.
As her age and infirmity prevented her from undertaking the journey, the King built a temple in the town for his mother. The specialty here is the idol of Varadaraja also referred to as Allalanatha, has a rich carving even behind the idol, which is why they say “Ella devara mundhe nodu; Allalanathana hindhe nodu” meaning “See all the idols from the front, see Allalanatha from behind.”
Drive on Mysore Road till Maddur or take one of the buses from the City.
No comments:
Post a Comment