The Malle Mahadeshwara Temple, or to give it the correct name, The Shri Malai Mahadeshwara Swamy Temple, is in the Mahadeshwara hills in Hanuru Taluk of Chamarajanagar District of Karnataka.
The Mahadeshwara hills are called the MM hills in view of this.
The temple is about 140 kms from Mysore and it takes little more than a pleasant 3 hours of driving to reach there by car.
Leaving the beautiful city of Mysore, you drive towards Tirumakudalu Narasipura or T. Narasipura which is at the junction of the Cauvery and Kabini rivers and the hidden lake the Gupt Gamini.
The rivers are magnificent when full during the monsoon. There is a sense of peace and wonder when we stand on the banks near the temple, watching the fast-flowing water.
nnnnThe best time to travel would be just after the rains in August or September, when the rivers would be full, and the trees lush and green.
T. Narasipura is also a pilgrim town and there are hordes of pilgrims during auspicious days, specially to have a bath in the confluence of the two rivers.
nnnnWhen the rivers are in full flow, they bar access to prevent any accidents as it is quite dangerous because of the fast and furious flow of the rivers.
The traffic reduces as you leave T. Narasipura and the greenery increases. It is a beautiful drive with many wildlife sightings on the way. Monkeys and deer are common and if lucky you may even get to see the Indian Pangolin.
The road itself is a bit of a drag as there are broken sections which jar you into the reality from the beautiful India that you see as you traverse these rural areas.
Small picturesque villages, fields of vegetables, fruits and paddy and forest sections flit by as you coast along the road.
As you near the temple the forest sections increase and on a good day you will have little or no traffic and the chances of wildlife sightings increase.
Beneath the surface calm is an area that was in turmoil a few years back. This is Veerappan, the brigand, territory. Before he was killed in a police action Veerappan held sway here, a terror, with a larger-than-life image which still evokes powerful passions and views. For some he was a heartless demon with many cold-blooded killings, others claim a robin hood image for him.
The temple of Malle Mahadeshwara Swamy was also where he is said to have come and prayed as he belonged to these areas.
The first view of the Temple nestled in a valley surrounded by verdant hills is breath-taking. The temple stands out nestled in a valley surrounded by verdant hills.
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The location is on the borders of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, and people from both these states throng the temple.
The pilgrims are mostly villagers from nearby areas, and there are only a few tourists.
The winding road soon takes you to the temple proper and on some days, there would be a heavy rush of people from nearby villages both from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The temple is managed by a trust under the Karnataka Government and is fairly well maintained, and they have a guest house where you can get fairly well-maintained rooms.
An incarnation of Shiva, Lord Mahadeshwara, or the Saint Mahadeshwara is believed to have lived around the 15th Century.
As per legends, the Saint travelled around sitting on a tiger and they depict him sitting astride a tiger in the popular pictures in the area.
The Saint came to the Mahadeshwara hill, which were thick forests then, for meditation, and it is believed that he is still in meditation here in the form of the Lingam in the Garbhagriha of the temple.
The lingam here is self-formed or swayambhu and a manifestation of the Saint, who is credited with many miracles in the area.
As per local legend the Saint, travelling on his tiger came to the forests which were under the control of an evil king who was an expert in black magic. The saint freed the people in the forests from the sway of the King and his black magic. He also enlightened the tribes in the area and made them his disciples.
The locals still sing songs of the saint and his miracles. These songs handed over through generations and there are supposed to be no written records of the same. The singers are dedicated to Lord Mahadeshwara.
The local villagers offer their farm produce to the lord here, and the temple godowns are full of vegetables and fruits and grains.
One of the most popular offering are shallots or sambar onions as they are called locally. They lay the offerings down in rows and it is amazing to see the vast quantity of shallots, specially, arranged in neat rows.
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The temple offers free food to the pilgrims three times a day, and I always have lunch at the temple. It is a prasad from Lord Mahadeshwara to his people.
The lunch is simple, just rice, sambhar, rasam, a vegetable and a sweet and sometimes butter milk.
When the crowds gather for the various festivals and auspicious occasions, it amazes you to see the faith and simple devotion of the people.
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The food freshly prepared from the produce offered, and they prepare even the masalas fresh on the premises. The aromas from the masalas being made are enticing and the food, though simple, delicious and full of flavours.
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When the temple is not crowded it is a very peaceful place, the ambience, the beautiful mountains around, the neat and clean temple, evoke a sense of peace and calm to connect you to the spirituality within you
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It is an uplifting spectacle to see the vast crowds and how they all intermingle cheerfully, happily accepting the inconvenience and discomfort for a greater cause. Amidst all the confusing chaos there is an underlying unity and happiness which is unique to Hinduism in India.
A visit to Malle Mahadeshwara is a treat to all our senses and also a should be on our travel plan in Karnataka.
Namaste till Next time.R.Radhakrishnan