Shri Jwalamalini Temple Nittur , unique jain thirtankara temple

Located just off National Highway 73, near Nittur village in Tumakuru district, Karnataka, the Shri Jwalamalini Temple stands as a timeless testament to Jain spirituality and architectural brilliance. This ancient temple, believed to have been constructed around 1200 AD, offers a tranquil escape for seekers of peace, history, and devotion. Located almost adjacent to NH73, the temple is easily accessible by road approximately 100 kms from Bengaluru.

Originally known as the Shantinatha Digambar Jain Temple, the site was first dedicated to Bhagawan Adinatha, the first Tirthankara of Jainism.  Over centuries, the original idol was damaged, and a new idol of Bhagawan Shantinatha was installed in 1969, continuing the temple’s spiritual legacy.  The temple’s architecture bears striking resemblance to Hoysala craftsmanship, with intricately carved pillars, ornate ceilings, and a layout that evokes the elegance of Karnataka’s medieval temple traditions.

 

At the heart of the temple lies the idol of Jwalamalini Devi, a rare and powerful Yakshini (guardian goddess) associated with Bhagawan Chandraprabhu, the 8th Tirthankara.  She is depicted in Sukhasana posture, seated on a buffalo pedestal, with eight hands holding symbolic items like chakra, trishula, pasha, and kalasha.  Her presence in the central sanctum is unique among Jain temples, symbolizing fiery protection, spiritual strength, and Tantric wisdom.  There are also santums for diety Venkatesha and Padmavathi.

 

The temple interiors are adorned with ornate carved pillars, sculpted ceilings, and peaceful courtyards that evoke a sense of timeless serenity. Visitors often describe the atmosphere as blissful, meditative, and emotionally grounding.  Surrounding the temple are carvings of Tirthankaras, Yakshas, and scenes from Jain cosmology, offering a visual journey into Jain philosophy. 

Sunday regular pooja conducted and temple fully open  .   Weekdays  temple may not be open for long time due to renovation; priest available nearby to assist with darshan. Special Days Prasadam (lunch) offered to all devotees. The resident priest, living adjacent to the temple, is known for his warm hospitality and often opens the temple for visitors even outside regular hours.  Free lunch (prasadam) is served every Sunday, continuing the Jain tradition of annadana (food donation). Basic accommodation is available for devotees traveling from distant places, making it a welcoming site for spiritual retreats.

Overall a must visit spot at Nittur , do visit with your family and friends and share with us your experience. 

Sri Maruthi Saidham Temple, Adakamaranahalli , A Divine Landmark on Tumkur Road

Nestled just 20 kilometers from Bengaluru’s city center, along the bustling Tumkur Highway (NH4), the Sri Maruthi Saidham Temple in Adakamaranahalli stands as a serene spiritual retreat and a marvel of modern temple architecture. Built in the late 20th century, this temple has become a beloved destination for devotees and travelers alike. This temple being adjacent to highway is easily visible while driving along the highway.

 

Highlights 

• The temple’s centerpiece is a 36 foot tall, 100 ton idol of Lord Hanuman, carved from a single granite stone.
•  The idol is straight faced, unlike the traditional sidefacing Hanuman statues, and is reminiscent of the famed Nanganallur Hanuman in Chennai.
•  It took 27 months to sculpt this awe inspiring figure, which radiates strength, serenity, and divine presence. 
• Other deities include Shirdi Sai Baba , A peaceful shrine dedicated to the saint known for his teachings of faith and patience. 
• Santhoshi Ma , The goddess of contentment and satisfaction, worshipped for prosperity and peace.
•  Navagraha and Ganesha idols are also present, making it a holistic spiritual space. 

 

• The temple walls and corridors are adorned with vivid depictions of the Ramayana, showcasing key episodes like Hanuman’s leap to Lanka , The battle with Ravana , Rama’s coronation. These artworks serve as a visual retelling of Hanuman’s devotion and valor, enriching the spiritual experience.
•  On special days and weekends, the temple offers free prasadam to all visitors.
• Devotees often enjoy simple yet nourishing meals as part of the temple’s annadana tradition, fostering a sense of community and service.

Temple timings for darshan 8 AM to 12.30 PM , 4 PM to 8.30 PM on weekdays . On weekends and special days 8 AM to 8.30 PM.  A nice spot to visit with family and friends. Do visit this spot and share your experience.

DevarayanaDurga Narasimha temples - Tumkur tourist attractions

In this article we cover our visit experience to famous Narasimha temples of Devarayanadurga , a hill station near Tumkuru about 70 kms from Bengaluru city. 

Highlights of temples at Devarayanadurga

• Bhoga Lakshmi Narasimha temple at base of Devarayanadurga Hill
• Yoga Narasimha temple at hill top of 1200 mts
• Constructed during 16th century by Mysore wodeyars following Dravidian structure
• Following renovations done during Chikka Devaraya Wodeyar , place named after him as 'Devarayana' and Durga meaning Fort. 
• Sanjeevaraya - Hanuman temple at hill base.
• Dasoha - free lunch programme for devotees

Bhoga Lakshmi Narasimha swamy temple

Our team visited this spot on a Sunday noon on their way back covering Goravanahalli Mahalakshmi temple at Tumkur. The drive way to this spot is really awesome covering the stretch highway roads , hill station scenic curvy roads surrounded with lush green. There is an entrance fee for vehicles to enter the area - we paid around Rs.30.  It was about 12.30 PM - both temples were luckily open for Darshan till 5.00 PM being a weekend. 

Bhoga Lakshmi Narasimha swamy temple pillars

We first visited Bhoga Lakshmi Narasimha swamy temple at the temple base which had 3 sanctums. Very soon we got the darshan of Narasimha & Lakshmi Idols unique of its kind with Narasimha in standing position. Behind the temple is a not to miss Pond / Kalyani from where one can get a good view of surrounding village hilly area. There were tracks to reach the rock faces nearby

Bhoga Lakshmi Narasimha swamy temple pond

Bhoga Lakshmi Narasimha swamy temple sanctum

It was around 1.30 PM and time for lunch - there were no hotels at this spot  except few snack shops - luckily we had the Dasoha open serving free lunch for devotees till 2 PM , we managed to get in in herd of devotees and fill our stomachs enough to carry out our rest of journey !! 

There is another Sanjeevaraya swamy temple which seemed to attract less visitors and noticed. Sanjeevaraya is believed to be another form of Hanuman.

Sanjeevaraya swamy temple

We then started to ascend towards Yoga narasimha temple situated on hill top , the 2 km drive from hill base was mesmerizing passing through S shaped curves with Monkey friends all around.  There is good parking facility at Hill top , however due to narrow roads - traffic management was needed to allow one path to flow followed by other. We managed to park our car at an awesome location where at both ends was filled with breezy hilly region. 

Yoga Narasimha swamy temple hill - Hanuman carving

There are two ways to reach this temple , one is by taking stairs from hill base which may be having some more than 1000 steps , else from this parking spot which covers around 200 steps.  There are hawker shops selling snacks , beverages for visitors . At the entrance we noticed a hanuman idol carved on the hill rocks , we sipped in some fresh juice at this spot & moved further . Old remains of fort can be noticed while climbing the stairs. Soon we reached on top , took darshan of Yoga Narasimha temple - Idol look alike the one we noticed at Bhoga Narasimha temple . While outside the temple we enjoyed the cool breeze , inside the temple we had to sweat out !!

Yoga Narasimha swamy temple hill

There is a small pond / Kalyani in front of temple which serves for Idol abhishekams & pooja - this spots attracts visitors to take selfies an relax in the midst of nature. After covering these spots we descended back covering other spots of Devaranaya durga which we shall cover separately in another article.

Yoga Narasimha swamy temple hilltop pond

Overall an awesome must spot for Nature lovers combined with Pilgrimage visit.  Do visit this spot and share with us your experience.

Goravanahalli Maha Lakshmi temple , Tumkur tourist attractions

In this post we share our visit experience to one of infamous temples of Tumkuru , the Mahalakshmi temple at Goravanahalli which is about 80 kms from Bengaluru city and 30 kms from Tumkuru.

Highlights of this spot

• Temple believed to be existing since 18th century with timely renovations.
• Maha Lakshmi goddess is presiding deity worshiped here.
• Anna Dasoha Free lunch programme for all devotees

Goravanahalli Maha Lakshmi temple

It was a Sunday morning when our team left to Tumkuru via Bangalore Tumkur national highway to reach this spot.  Drive was comfortable with good highway roads connecting to this spot. There is ample space for parking , we had to pay an entrance fee of Rs.30 for our car.  

It is believed at this spot one of the local person Abbaya who was poor was blessed with Goddess Lakshmi after which he became rich & started charity works towards development . His family members then continued his works . Devotees have felt to fulfill their wishes after performing poojas / offering prayers here and popularity of this spot gradually raised through word of mouth.

Shopping near temple

Long queue was awaiting us for dharma darshan. As we had to cover another spot , we took the special entry ticket at Rs.50 per person. temple follows cholas structure , Gopuram has carvings on different avatars of Lakshmi. Devotees offering prayers with Jaggery ghee deepams , lemon garlands were noticed . We could enter into girbha griha (sanctum) within 20 minutes. Lakshmi Idol fully decorated with ornaments , flowers was a pleasure to watch , after taking darshan we visited Ranganathaswamy temple next to this sanctum , moved on with some shopping at the hawker shop stalls selling pooja items , books , toys etc.  

Dasoha , free lunch was arranged between 12 to 3 PM for devotees. Temple is usually crowded and the environment keeps it bit noisy.  There is a dam nearby at 200m from temple where water collected in a big lake is stored & used for irrigation purposes. We took a stroll & enjoyed the cool breeze at this spot .

Goravanahalli dam

Overall a good spot to visit with family and friends once during a weekend. Do visit this spot and share with us your experience.

Kote Anjaneya temple , Tumkur tourist attractions

In this short post , we share our visit experience to famous Kote Anjaneya temple , Tumkur about 75 kms from Bengaluru city

Spot Highlights

• Historic temple - Idol existing since 500 years
• Believed to be concerated by Sri Vyasaraja
• Special chariot programs conducted every year
• About 75 feet hanuman statue at entrance

Hanuman statue 

Temple Gopuram

This temple is one of Tumkur landmarks , attracts crowd at all times . Construction resemble cholas architecture . Temple has 2 sanctums , in main sanctum visitors take darshan of Hanuman idol of about 3-4 feet in standing position . The 75 feet Hanuman statue recently constructed is another major attraction which makes this a must visit tourist spot.  One can enjoy scenic hills opposite to this spot.

Temple is open between 7 AM to 1 PM and between 5.30 to 8 PM for darshan. Overall a good spot to visit with family and friends. Do visit this spot and share your experience.

Kaidala Chennakeshava temple - Tumkur tourist attractions

In this post , we share our visit experience to Sri Chennakeshava temple at Kaidala a historic spot near Tumkuru , about 70 kms from Bengaluru city.  

Spot Highlights

• Believed to be constructed during reign of Hoysalas i.e  around 10-13 century
• Lord Vishnu in form of Chennakeshava Idol
• Lord Shiva in form of Someshwara Idol
• Sculpted by famous amarashilpi Jakanachari and his son Dankanacharya

Our team took  Bengaluru - Tumkur highway , passed through the Shimoga blistering highway to reach this spot by around 11.30 AM on a weekend covering about 70 kms from Bengaluru city. Temple surrounding is well maintained and there is ample space for parking. Surrounded by village houses , it seemed in the midst of Kaidala village.  

AmaraShilpi Jakanachari is believed to be main sculptor of this temple. There is a myth saying post completing this temple , the broken right hand of Jakanachari got restored and hence spot came to be known as 'Kai' dala. Kai in kannada means hand.

Temple is being maintained by government of Karnataka . Although famous in this region , temple attracts less visitors . We entered the big gopuram entrance , carvings of Vishnu at entrance resembled Hoysala sculpture styles . Unfortunately priest was not present , however main sanctum was kept open for Darshan. 

On entering main sanctum , we took darshan of the mighty 5 feet idol of Lord Chennakeshava . Temple area is totally calm , one can relax on the green bed inside the temple compound. Other attractions include mantaps for Lakshmi & navagraha outside the main santum.  Manuscript stone carvings are installed for visitors.display.

Besides this temple , is another ornate pillared Shiva temple which was closed for darshan . Localites informed this is open only on Mondays and priest has to be informed if poojas have to be conducted. 

Temple is open for darshan from morning 10.00 AM to 1.00 PM . A very unique historical spot worth visiting with your friends and family . Do visit this spot and share your experience.

Sugganahalli Sri Lakshmi Narasimha temple - Tumkur tourist attractions

In this article , we share our visit experience to Sri Lakshmi Narasimha temple  , an ancient temple at Suggenahalli one of tourist attractions in Tumkur district. This spot is at 65 kms from Bengaluru city.

Sri Lakshmi Narasimha temple , Suggenahalli , Tumkur

Spot Highlights

• Ancient temple - believed to be more than 1000 years old 
• Dravidian architecture style temple
• Unique Lord Narasimha idol of about 3 to 4 feet in standing position
• Dasoha - free lunch for devotees - 12 PM to 2 PM
• Temple timings : 10 AM to 1.30 PM , 6.30 PM to 8.30 PM

Our team took off to Tumkur via Bangalore national highway , took the diversion at Kunigal -Shimoga awesome highway roads and reached this spot covering about 70 kms from city. It was morning 9.30 AM and the temple main sanctum wasn't open. We had to wait for about 30 min for priests to open the main sanctum and start poojas.

Meanwhile we took a stroll across temple corridors , welcomed by a stone dwaja stambha in front of temple , area covers about half an acre with ample space for parking . On entering , in front is a main sanctum of Lord Narasimha , surrounded by mantaps having idols of Hanuman , Navagraha. One can take a view of terrace gopuram taking the stairs. Temple environment was totally calm.

Temple attracts local devotees , special chariot functions are conducted every year.  It is believed , one is sure of fulfilling desires by offering prayers to diety with bhakti . We took darshan of Narasimha idol , unique of its kind in standing position. 

About 1 km from this temple , one may take darshan of Moola devara Kambada Narasimha temple which is open between 10.30 AM to 12 PM. Temple priests may be contacted on mobile 9731208674  before leaving to temple for darshan.

Moving forward on the way towards tumkur , one can enjoy the scenic Suggenahalli lake views stretching over a kilometer. Overall a nice spot to visit with family and friends. Do visit this spot , share your experience with us.