Melkote

Melkote, a place near Mysore in Karnataka is known for the ancient shrine of Vishnu, worshiped here as Tiru Narayana. This shrine has a very ancient association with the spiritual leader Ramanujacharya. The other names for Melkote are:

Yadavagiri

Yatistalam

Vedadri

Narayanadri

The principal deity in Melkote is Tiru Narayana. Although the processional image of Vishnu goes by the name Selva Pillai or Sampath Kumara. Lord Vishnu's consort is popular in Melkote in the name of Yadugiri Taayaar.

The icon of Selvappillai is enshrined in the Rangamandapa. You will find the shrines to Yadugiri Taayaar as well as Kalyani Nachiyaar. The temple pond at Melkote is called the Kalyani theertham.

Melkote has got two significant temples:

• The Tirunarayana temple lying at the foothills
• The hill temple to Yoga Narasimha. It is believed that the Yoga Narasimha temple image was installed by Prahlada.

King Bittideva of Melkote of Karnataka who choose to follow the Sri Vaishnava way of life assumed the name of Vishnuvardhana and constructed five shrines popularly called the Panchanarayana temples. It is said that at that time the Narayanapura shrine went in ruins. Both the images of Tirunarayana and Sampathkumara were missing. It goes like that Ramanujacharya could find the image of Tirunarayana in the midst of Tulasi shrubs on the Yadavagiri hill and was only then re-installed in the temple.

The temple in Melkote is popular for its Vairamudi Sevai in the month of March-April. It is then that the image of Selvappillai is decorated with a diamond crown and taken out in procession. During the festival the priest picks up the crown from its chest with his eyes blindfolded and then places it on the head of the image of Selvappillai. Thousands of people come to Melkote to celebrate this occasion each year.