Mysore Chamundeshwari
Rathotsav
Chamundi
Hills is located 13 kilometres east of Mysore. The hill is crowned by a temple
known as the Chamundeshwari Temple.
Temple
Overview
The
Chamundeshwari Temple is one of the 18 Maha Shakti Peethas. Thus it is one of the
holiest pilgrimage destinations in South India. The temple is built at the top
of a hill with 1008 stone-cut steps leading up to it.
It
is dedicated to the Goddess Chamundeshwari who is believed to be an incarnation
of Shiva’s wife, Parvati. The temple was originally built as a small shrine and
grew to its current size under the patronage of the Mysuru maharajas.
A
car festival is held here on this day for ‘nadadevathe’
with great devotion.
Legend
There
are many myths and legends about the Chamundeshwari temple. According to one of
them, once upon a time, a buffalo demon named Mahishasura lived in the area. After
years of penance, he had been granted a boon by Brahma that he could not be
killed by a man. With this confidence, he began harassing the humans and the
Gods.
Shiva’s
wife Parvati noticed a loophole in the boon and was granted powers by all the
Gods in the heaven to make her strong enough to fight Mahishasura along with a
lion as her vehicle.
With these powers, she took on the form of Chamundeshwari. The battle between Chamundeshwari and Mahishasura lasted ten days. At the end, Mahishasura was defeated. This victory is celebrated as the festival of Dasara across India.