Nanjangud (Karnataka)

The main temple at Nanjangud is dedicated to
the Hindu god Shiva, whose another name is
Nanjundeshwara. Nanjundeshwara means
"The God who drank poison"

Nanjangud (Karnataka) Hindu Temples

Nanjangud is a town in Mysore district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is a temple town and is on the banks of the river Kapila (a.k.a Kabini). It is at a distance of 23 km from the city of Mysore. Nanjangud is also called as "Dakshina Kashi" (southern Kashi).

Origin

The main temple at Nanjangud is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, whose another name is Nanjundeshwara. Nanjundeshwara means "The God who drank poison". In Hindu mythology the Gods and demons churned the ocean in search of the nectar of immortality. During this churning, there were lots of artefacts that emanated out of the ocean including poison. To prevent the poison from spreading across the universe and to destroy it, Shiva came to the rescue and drank the poison. His wife Parvati then held his throat tightly to prevent the poison from spreading to the rest of his body. Nanjanagud literally means "the place where Nanjundeshwara resides."

History

Nanjangud has been a major Shaiva centre since times immemorial. The original Nanjundeshwara temple is said to be of Ganga period (325 - 1000 CE). This temple has then been renovated by the Hoysala kings. Both Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan had close associations with this temple. Wodeyar kings have provided various grants to renovate the temple.

How To Reach

By Road - From the state capital Bangalore, one can take the State Highway 17 which goes to Mysore and then onwards to Nanjangud. The total distance from Bangalore to Nanjangud is around 163 km.

By Rail - Nanjangud has a railway station with broad gauge line (the standard gauge followed by Indian Railways) which runs from Mysore to Nanjangud. Mysore being an important location is well connected by rail to major cities in India and hence passengers can stop over at Mysore and take another train to reach Nanjangud. Conversion of the existing metre gauge line to broad gauge from Nanjangud to Chamarajanagar under project Unigauge is in progress. There is also a proposal to connect the railway line at Chamarajanagar to the railway line at Mettupalayam in Tamil Nadu which will provide connectivity to Nanjangud to other cities in the south of India. The Gauge conversion of the railway track from Mysore to Chamarajanagar is completed. The train service between Mysore - Nanjangud - Chamarajanagar has begun on a tentative schedule. Kindly check Bangalore - Mysore - Nanjangud - Chamarajanagar Train Timings for the tentative time table.

By Air - The nearest airport is the one at Bangalore. Alternatively one can use the airports at Coimbatore or Calicut for reaching Nanjangud. However, the airport at Mysore is being upgraded which can then be used to reach Nanjangud.

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