Amaragiri Malekal Tirupati Temple

Amaragiri Malekal Tirupati Temple

Overview:

The Lakshmi Venkatramana Swamy temple is also known as Amaragiri Malekal Tirupathi temple. It lies in the town of Arsikere in the district of Hassan, in Karanataka State. The Amaragiri Malekar Tirupati temple has about 1300 steps. The temple was built during the Hoysala rule. The other places close to the Amaragiri Malekar Tirupati temple are Shasrakuta Basadi, Haluvokkalu Temple, Swethambara Temple, and Sahasrakuta Jinalaya. There are a number of flowering plants, herbal plants and Ayurveda plants surrounding the hill.

History:

The Tirupati Hill temple is about 800 years old. As per mythological stories, the principal deities Srinivasa and Padmanabha were installed by Sage Vasishta Maharishi. It is believed that Lord Rama had visited this temple. Tourists and pilgrims come here in big numbers during the annual festival season. The Amaragiri Malekar Tirupati temple is the only temple where you get to see the standing idol of Lord Venkateshwara (just like the one you see at Tirupati).

Religious Significance:

Lord Vishnu is worshipped here as Venkatramanaswamy. Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped here with Lord Venkatramanaswamy. Every year an annual festival is celebrated here which is attended by hundreds of pilgrims.

Festivals:

The Rathotsava festival is celebrated with great pomp and splendour and the idols of Padmanabha and Srinivasa are taken in a chariot. This is the best time to visit the temple, and this event is normally held around June-July.

Architecture:

The Amaragiri Malekar Tirupati temple has beautiful carvings of the Hoysala era. The architecture style of the Hoysala temples has been inspired from the Vesara style. The Badami Chalukyas as well as the Kalyani Chalukyas encouraged the Vesara style. The pillars have beautiful intricate stone carvings of the Vesara style. Gray soapstone has been used for building the temple which is a unique feature of the Hoysala temples.

The annual Brahmotsavam is held every year and it is celebrated with great pomp and splendour. The Hoysalas encouraged sculptural and architectural achievements and many of the temples in Karnataka clearly depict this fact.

The temple architecture at the Amaragiri Malekal Tirupati temple is a combination of the Nagara style of North India and the Dravidian style. The Chola Pandya style of architecture is clearly reflected in the architecture of this temple. The architectural grandeur of the temple is simply superb. The basic raw materials used for the sculptures were soapstone as it was smooth and pliable. Attention to details and the miniature carvings were the main features of the Hoysala architects which are clearly reflected in the architecture of the Karnataka temples.

How to Reach:

Regular buses ply from Arsikere to Belur, Halebid and Mysore. The closest airport is Bangalore. You may want to take the train from Arsikere. One can get to Arsikere from Hassan either by road or rail as Hassan does not have an airport. Also, Hassan has good connectivity to Mysore, Madikerei, Chickmagalore and Mangalore. It is about 115 kilometres from Mysore and 187 kilometres from Bangalore.