Sri Nambinarayana Temple Thondanur, Mandya

SRI NAMBINARAYANA TEMPLE

Thondanoor, Mandya, Karnataka, India

God

Nambi Narayana is the main deity of this temple, who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Here deity is facing in East direction and 9 feet in height. The presiding deity is in standing posture with conch in the right hand and discuss in the left hand, he stands resplendent in all finery.

Goddess

Goddess Aravinda Nayaki Thaayar is the consort of Lord Vishnu.

Interesting Facts

The idol of Sri Nambi Narayana is 18 feet tall holding Shanku in His right and Chakra in His left. Position of Shanku and Chakra appears to be interchanged.

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.

Smoking is strictly prohibited inside the temple premises.

transport connections

Name	Distance	Contact Number
Chinakuruli KSRTC Bus Stand	7.4 KM	08212424995
Pandavapura Railway Station	12.6 KM	139
Mysore Airport	50.3 KM	0821-2596802

Railway Station Name	Distance	Contact Number
Pandavapura Railway Station	12.6 KM	139

Airport Name	Distance	Contact Number
Mysore Airport	50.3 KM	0821-2596802

Architecture

The temple of Nambi Narayanaswamy got this name as Lord Narayana graced Thondanur Nambi a disciple of Ramanuja, The absence of the Raja Gopura or entrance tower is a pointer to Hoysala style of temple building. This temple is facing in East direction and has a 45-feet garuda sthambha. The vimana or tower of the shrine is built of mortar in Dravidian style, the outer walls of the temple and the entire inner circumambulatory area display a solid base and a strong structure. Granite base in Navaranga among other pillars, four are in soft stone and the remaining is in granite, the Vimana of the shrine is in Dravidian style and built of mortar.

Mandapams & Pillars - The pillars in the navaranga are embellished with motifs of flowers and beads, besides the carvings of ashtadikpalakas. While the maharanga mantapa looks grand in simplicity, held aloft by 50 pillars the paataalankana with its 40 octagonal-faced pillars is eye-catching. The temple as it stands today, consists of a navaranga a Maharanga mantapa, an Ardha mantapa, a sukanasi, a garbha griha and a massive paataalankana. The Ardhamantapa has the padukaas of Ramanujacharya.

Old Name - Centuries ago, this place was referred to as Yadava Narayana Chaturvedi Mangalam. Inscriptions refer to Veera Narasimha, the Hoysala ruler leading his kingdom with Dorasamudram as his capital and granting 64 gadayaanas to the people of Thondanur Agrahara for undertaking any repairs to the temple.

Inscriptions - There are several inscriptions dating back to the 11th Century AD that describe the contributions made by different rulers of that period to the upkeep and maintenance of the temple and the conduct of various festivals during the year. A 12th Century A.D. inscription in Tamil with Grantha Characters refers to a gift of 5 Gadyanas of gold paid into treasury by Kunraara Deva Perumal Bhattar for maintaining a perpetual lamp at Lakshmi Narayana from out of the interest accrued upon the endowment.

Religious Significance

The region came to be named by Ramanujacharya, the 11th century Vaishnavite philosopher-saint who stayed here for many years after leaving Srirangam in Tamil Nadu. Ramanujacharya fled Srirangam to escape persecution by the Chola king, Kulottunga, a staunch Shaivite who ruled large regions of Tamil Nadu. Travelling along the course of River Cauvery, Ramanujacharya reached Thondanur, a flourishing centre of Jain theology, ruled then by the Hoysala king Bitti Deva. At Thondanur, Ramanuja was warmly welcomed by one of his prime disciples and Thondanur Nambi.

Puranas reference - The idol and the sanctum are over 5500 years old and dates back to the Dwapara Yuga. At the end of the Dwapara Yuga in the Sura Sura war, Indra was afflicted with Brahmma Hathi Dosham. To liberate himself from this, he undertook penance and invoked the blessings for Lord Vishnu. He was directed to install 5 Narayana Idols in this region to liberate himself from his dosham. Thondanur is the first and the oldest of the Pancha Narayana Kshetrams. The others in this region being Cheluva Narayana at Melkote, Keerthi Narayana at Thalakkad, Veera Narayana at Gadag and Sowmya Narayana at Belur.

Legends of the place - There is an interesting story of how King Bitti Deva, a staunch Jaina follower, converted to the Vaishnavite faith. Bitti Deva was unhappy over the plight of his daughter who was possessed of an evil spirit. Neither medicine nor mendicants could heal her, as per the suggestion of Thondanur Nambi, Bitti Deva approached Ramanujacharya who bade the king to make his daughter bathe in the waters of Thondanur Lake. Ramanujacharya then invoked the blessings of Lord Narasimha at the temple atop a small hillock there and placed the Narasimha danda or wand on the girl’s head and much to the surprise of all those present, the girl was instantly rid of her malady. An overjoyed Bitti Deva, much against the wishes of his people adopted the Vaishnavite faith. He was rechristened as Vishnuvardhana by Ramanujacharya. According to some quarters of people, it was originally a Jain basadi that was transformed into the Vishnu temple with the arrival of Ramanujacharya and subsequent conversion of Bitti Deva to the Vaishnavite faith.

History

It was built during 12th century by Vishnuvardhana to commemorate his victory over Cholas at Talakadu. The temple was renovated by Ramanuja during his exile from Srirangam, he built new mandapas outside the sanctum and renovated and consecrated the temple.

Temple Timings

Day	Timings
All Days	09:30 AM - 05:30 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