Amaragiri Malekallu Tirupati Temple
Amaragiri Malekallu Tirupati
Temple devoted to Sri Venkataramana Swamy or Lord Balaji. The temple is located on the Bangalore-Honnavara
highway around 2km from Arisikere. Fable says that Sage Agasthya had offered
prayers here to Lord Balaji and was blessed with Lord Balaji’s darshan here.
Car Festival
Legend says that Sage Vasishta
lived here and went to atonement by worshipping Lord Venkataramana Swamy for
about 800 years. Finally, on the day of Ashada
Shuddha Dwadashi Lord appeared and blessed him. To commemorate this
occasion, Maharathothsava is held in the temple every year.
After being blessed, Lord
Venkataramana left the place and eventually, there was none to take care of the
Ashram built by Sage Vasishta and the idol of Sri Venkataramana perished under
the mother earth. After thousands of years, the idol was discovered by the Palegar of Chitradurga.
One of the rulers of the Palegar
was directed to build a temple in the same place atop the hill where Sage Vasishta
had ones built the ashram and placed the idol.
The Palegar was directed by
Lord Venkataramana in his dreams to this hilltop following a Tulsi Male (Tulsi
Garland) where he was told to build the temple.
The place was once called
Malekallu, then with Palegar
installing the temple there, and could seek the blessing of Thimmapa Thirupathi
instead of going to Thirupathi, the temple was called Malekallu Thirupathi
temple.
To reach the temple, one must
climb around 1200 steps, being atop the hill.
The temple was also called
Amaragiri Tirupathi and the Lord Govidanraja temple down the hill was called
Govindaraja Pattna. Lord Venkataramana and goddess Padmavathi or Lakshmi were
together installed atop the hill and Govindaraja Swamy in the temple below.
The temple architecture is a
complete depiction of Hoysala Architecture.
Important Festivals and Rituals
The major festival is on the
Ashada Shuddha Dwadashi which falls on the 12th day of the waxing stage in the
month of Ashada that falls in July- August.
Newly wedded couples visit the
temple to seek the blessing from Lord Venkatramana and Goddess Padmavathi. Kalyanotsava is a major performance of ritual
happening here witnessed by thousands of devotees.
Ugadi festival, Shriramanavami,
Dodda Garudotsava, Asahada Shuddha Dwadasi, Ashada Shuddha Triyodasi and many
more festivals are conducted here with great grandeur.
Rathothsava starts on the day of Ashada Shuddha Panchami and till the Ashada Bahula Shashti with different Poojas and programs conducted every day.