Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple

Legend has it that once Hindu god Brahma requested Vishnu to gift him his image to worship. Vishnu handed him an idol which Brahma gave his son Sanatakumara who in turn installed it in current Melkote. Brahma requested one more image for worship with Vishnu and he gave a metal image, which was believed to have been carried by Rama during the Kritayuga, Balarama during the Dwaparayuga and Yadava family during kaliyuga. The presiding deity is called Narayanadri and the metal image is referred as Yadavadri. The legend however is anachronistic as the Delhi sultanate was established in the 13th century while Ramanujacharya is believed to have lived in the 11th and 12th centuries. Similar "Tulukka Nachiyar" (Turkish sacred woman) stories are seen for Srirangam and Madurai temples to show how Bhakti transcends socio-religious boundaries. ==History==

at the temple After Ramanujacharya was made the rajguru of Hoysala Empire, Lord Vishnu in a dream ordered Ramanuja to move to Melkote, where he would find the holy earth. Traditional accounts mention that the reason for travel was to search for namam clay for Srivaishnava Urdhva Pundra which was abundant in Melkote. Upon traveling, he found the holy earth and a vigraha of the god which was installed as the deity Tirunarayana of Melkote in the Bahudhanya year (1099 CE) Pushyamasa Shukla Paksha Chaturdashi, the deity was installed according to Pancharatra agama. Ramanuja worshipped it for three days, followed by kumbhabhishekham and recited tamil vedas. Vishnuvardhana sanctioned 5000 Gadyanas for the construction of the temple which was completed in 1104 CE. ==Temple complex==

The temple complex has a square plan and houses the image of Cheluvanarayanaswami in the santum. The temple halls house the images of Ramanuja, Azhwars and Yadugiriamma Inscriptions indicate that the deity was also known as Ramapriya. The utsavamurthi (ಉತ್ಸವ ಮೂರ್ತಿ), a metal idol sculpture used for processions and certain religious rituals, represents the deity Cheluvanarayana Swamy. According to the legend, this metallic figure was once lost, but was recovered by Sri Ramanujacharya. The annual report of the Mysore Archaeological Department states that based on the strength of epigraphic evidence, the presiding deity of this temple was already a well-known object of worship even before Sri Ramanujacharya was worshiped at the shrine during the December 1098 CE period. This was also before Sri Ramanujacharya ventured to the Mysore region where he most likely would have used his influence to rebuild or renovate the temple. From the lithic records of the period, the existence of Tamil influence and Vaishnava worship are also evident. ==Endowments==

The temples has rich endowments received from various ruling Mysore kings. The Rajamudi, the crown studded with stones was presented by Mysore king Wodeyar (1578 - 1617CE). Tipu Sultan is believed to have donated elephants and Nagari to the temple. The Mysore king Krishnaraja Wodeyar (1799 - 1831 CE) has donated a crown set with precious jewels known as Krishnarajamudi. There is a third crown set studded with diamond known as Vairamudi. All these are used to decorate the processional deity during temple festivals. All three crowns are kept in the custody of the government and are brought to the temple on a specific annual occasion to adorn the image of Cheluvanarayana Swamy. ==References==