Famous Temples in India

SREE HIMAVAD GOPALASWAMY TEMPLE

Himavad, Gopalaswamy hills, Karnataka, India

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God

The main diety is Sri.Gopalaswamy, the image is beautifully carved out of Krishna Shile, and is about 7 feet in height including the prabhavali. The idol of Krishna, is very beautifully carved and he is standing in a Tribhangi posture. The Venu Vadan(Flute Recital) is so soothing, you can observe the Gopalas(Cowherds) listening to it and dancing to the tune, also the Gopikas are also deeply immersed in the music. You can find Shravana Kumara's in sitting posture. Down below you can find Rukmini and Satyabhama standing on either side of Sri.Krishna. Since, Sri.Krishna is standing and playing his flute and as he is surrounded by Gopalas, Gopikas and Govu(Cows).

Best Season To Visit

The best season to visit this temple is Winter season. The best months to visit are September to February.

Weather

Highest - April to June (38°C during day and 26°C during night)Average - May (37°C during the day and 21°C during night)Lowest - October to February (27°C during day and 18°C during night)Monsoon season - August to September

Dress Code

  • For men the dress code is Shirt & Trouser, Dhoti or Pyjamas with upper cloth.
  • For women the preferred dress code is saree or half-saree with blouse or chudidhar with pyjama and upper cloth.
  • These rules are applicable for foreigners also. Shorts, mini-skirts, middies, sleeveless tops, low-waist jeans and short-length T-shirts are not allowed.
  • Pilgrims/visitors will not be allowed inside the temple if dress code is not followed.

Do's & Dont's

  • Do bathe and wear clean clothes before you enter the temple.
  • Do respect ancient customs and co-piligrims while at temple.
  • Smo​king is strictly prohibited inside the temple premises.

transport connections

Name Distance Contact Number
Gundlupet Bus Stand
20 KM 08226-225999
Nanjangud Town Railway Station
56.5 KM 139
Mysore Airport
68 KM 0821-2596802

Architecture

Himavad which actually means packed with mist, mist for most parts of the year and hence the first part of the name is Himvad meaning mist and the presence of the ascetic ancient temple on top dedicated to Gopalaswamy. The temple is facing in East direction, the gopuram of the temple is single-tiered and rests on the compound wall of the enclosure and over the entrance is the typical tower with brightly painted godly themes. A dhwajastambha (flag-pillar) and a bali-peetam (sacrificial altar) is present in the mukha mantapa (inner-porch). Entrance consisting of two pillars supporting a simply decorated beam and at the junctions Garud was seated with foding hands. There is a shikhara tower over the garbha griha (sanctum sanctorum), the panel also features several characters and icons from Krishna's avatar. Cows and cowherds are featured towards the right side of the panel.

The unique feature here is that throughout the year just above the door leading to the sanctum sanctorum cold-water drips constantly. In front of the sanctuary stands the conventional prayer hall typical of a Hindu temple and the hall, its surroundings also contains a large number of images mostly mythical themes of Vaishnava affiliation. A lake is situated near the temple and is popularly called Hamsatirtha. As this was a place of worship and penance, it used to be called as 'Hamsatheertha', which means the lake of swans in Sanskrit. There are 77 theerthas or springs along the slopes of the hills within 25 km radius of the temple. The temple is restored in a Dravidian style and outer protection wall is constructed at a later stage. The parapet wall of the mukha mantapa contains the sculpture of dashavatara (the avatars of the Hindu God Vishnu) with the centre portion of the sculpture depicting Krishnavatara (the avatar of Vishnu in which he appeared as Krishna). Some part of the temple is constructed in Granite stone.

Religious Significance

In the Dwapara yuga, the wedding celebration of Girije the daughter of Himavantha, the king of the snow-clad mountains was to be held in a grand manner. Brahma, Rudra, all the great sages including Vyasa and Parashara and the thirty three crore Devatas were excepted to attend the wedding, which was to take place in Kashi in North India. Brahma and other Devatas were worried that such an unprecedented congregation of all the celestial powers at Kashi would tilt the balance of Earth and would push the whole of Earth to Patalam (underworld). To prevent this catastrophe, Brahma and others requested the great sage Agastya to go to South India and act as counter-weight. Yielding to the request Brahma and other Devatas, Sage Agastya after collecting holy waters from the various rivers like Ganga, Yamuna and then mix in his Kamandala (water carrying vessel of the sages), set out to South India. Before the Sage set off, Devatas made yet another appeal to him.

There was a constant on-going tussle for superiority between the King of Maha Meru Parvata and the Mountain king Vindya, who was a disciple of Sage Agastya. To demonstrate his power, King of Meru had grown to the sky and beyond, thereby hampering the movement of the Sun and the Moon. People in South India where living in pitch darkness, as there were neither risings nor settings of the Sun and the Moon. Devatas appealed to Sage Agastya to stop this unhealthy tussle between his disciple, King of Vindya and King of Maha Meru. The beneficent Sage Agastya agreed to intervene and left for South India. On the way, Sage Agastya visited the Vindya Mountains. Seeing his guru, King Vindya offered his respectful obeisance to the great sage by bowing his head. Capturing the opportunity the end the fight, Sage Agastya ordered the King of Vindya to be in the same stance till he returned from South India and thus stopped further growth of Vindya Parvata.

Agastya then proceeded on his journey and came to the Mountain Sahyadri from where he prayed to Lord Krishna, seeking assistance for the successful completion of the divine and arduous task of saving the Earth, which was entrusted to him. Lord Krishna pleased with the penance undertaken by Sage Agastya appeared before the sage and granted him a boon. Sage Agastya requested Lord Krishna to come and settle on the Kanakachala Mount of the Sahyadri Range, along with his spouses, Rukmini and Satyabhama. Lord Krishna granted this wish on the condition that the devotees coming to see him should have proper shelters to stay and all the seven sages should offer worship at the place throughout the year. Sage Agastya accepted the conditions of Lord Krishna and consecrated the place of worship by installing an idol made of Blackstone of Lord Krishna, along with his two wives, Rukmini and Satyabhama, cows and gopikas and his friend Makaranda. The Lord Krishna is seen as resting under a tree Mandhara (also known as Suravanya) in three different postures.

History

Himavad Gopalaswami temple was constructed in 12th Century AD by the Hoysala Kings. Later the Wodeyars of Mysore who were ardent devotees of Lord Venugopala displayed keen interest in maintaining the hill temple.

Temple Timings

Day Timings
All Days 09:00 AM - 01:30 PM 02:30 PM - 05:00 PM

Tours










Airports

Airport Name Distance
Shamshabad 40 KM
Lorem Ipsum 12 KM

Railway Stations

Railway Station Name Distance
Secunderabad 10 KM
Nampally 12 KM
Begumpet 6 KM
Lingampally 20 KM

Bus Stations

Bus Station Name Distance
MGBS 35 KM
CBS 28 KM
kukatpally 20 KM
Lingampally 30 KM
Uppal 35 KM

Private Transports

Transport Name Distance Contact Number
Private Transport 8 KM 9546858757
Private Transport1 8 KM 9546858757
Private Transport1 8 KM 9546858757
Private Transport1 8 KM 9546858757
Private Transport1 8 KM 9546858757

Local Transports

Transport Name Distance Contact Number
Local Transport 5 KM 9546858757
Local Transport1 5 KM 9546858757
Local Transport1 5 KM 9546858757
Local Transport1 5 KM 9546858757
Local Transport1 5 KM 9546858757

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User Reviews

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SREE HIMAVAD GOPALASWAMY TEMPLE

Himavad, Gopalaswamy hills, Karnataka, India

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