Did you know that the Ragigudda Sri Prasanna Anjaneya Swamy Temple in Jayanagar 9th Block of Bangalore is located on a hillock named Ragigudda- a compound word of Ragi meaning 'millets' and gudda meaning 'Hill' in Kannada.
Ragigudda Sri Prasanna Anjaneya Swamy Temple, also called Prasanna Veeranjaneya Temple or popularly as Ragigudda Anjaneya, is on a small but ancient rocky hill called Ragigudda which has a mythical history. The stone tools found in this hill date back to 10,000 years and the small Hanuman idol found here is believed to be one such Swyambhu idol on the hill which has been deeply venerated. This temple is now most sought after social center and worship centre in Jayanagar, South Bangalore. Over the years the vigarahas (Idols) of Lord Shiva and Rama of Epic Ramayana are part of the ensemble in the hill top temple. As one starts going up the hill, a temple dedicated to Ganesha, Navagraha and Rajarajeshwari are seen at the foot of the hills. The total area of the temple is around 5 acres and all the development of the temple complex is reported to have occurred in the early 1970s, a group of dedicated youth with supportee by local people launched the programme of enlarging the hill temple and related faculties.
There is an interesting legend related to the naming of Ragigudda as prefix to the Anjaneya temple. It so happened that once a pious lady called Sudharma, wife of a local chieftian called, wanted to give alms of fresh ragi (Raghava dhanaya) from the heap of Ragi they had harvested on their field, to the three Brahmins, representing the Trinity of gods who appeared before her. Her mother-in-law took exception to this act of her Daughter- in -Law and wanted the ragi to be taken back from the three brahmins seeking alms But this would not happen as these three brahmins who appeared before the daughter-in-law were the trinity of Gods - Shiva, Vishnu and Maheshawara. The Ragi heap from which alms were given then froze into a hill and a small vigraha (idol) of Hanuman (Anjaneay) was deified on it. Further, pleased with the pious lady, the Trinity decided to remain at this place in the form of three stone statues; these large rock statues are on the eastern side of the Ragigudda. They stand here in the foot hills of temple as a witness to all the developments to the temple complex and its precints which have taken place over the last five decades. It is now one of the most popular and large Hanuman temples in Bangalore visited by thousands of devotees every day.
The
temple has an arched entrance from a narrow street. A winding stairway leads
first to the big Ganesha temple. This is followed immediately by the
Annapooreshwari Devi, nicely decorated with garlands and ornaments, where
deavotees offer rice bags to the Devi as
'Anna dana' or food offering to be shared with devotees. Further up the stairway is a shrine dedicated Suryanarayana, the Sun
God; deified as seated on his chariot drawn by seven horses. Next to Lord
Ganesha sits Lakshmi Devi shrine.
The principal deity, Hanuman on the hill top, is seen holding the sacred Sanjeevini Mountain with his left hand and the mighty ‘gadha' (club or blunt mace) on the right hand. The gadha is seen resting on his right shoulder. The tail of Anjeneya is seen raised above his head and is resting on the Sanjeevi parvath (mountain). Lord Hanuman is seen divinely glittering, adorned with various ornaments all over his body; particularly noted is a Rathna Kundalam on his ears and a majestic crown on his head.
A copper coloured Nandi (Bull mount of Shiva) sits before Lord Shiva. The stairway leading to the Hanuman Temple is very well covered from rain and sunshine. A divine fancy view from a particular angle, the Hanuman temple appears perched as if on the back of an ‘annapakshi’, the divine swan, a celestial bird, floating in the air.
The temple administration has built two halls - the smaller one that can be rented for performing small Hindu ceremonies like the thread ceremony, seemantham, etc., and the bigger one for major events like marriage. The temple Trust (registered in 1972) runs a charitable wing that provides affordable education and healthcare to the less privileged in and around the temple,
Every year, in the month of December, the festival of Sri Hanumajjayanthi (the auspicious birth of Lord Hanuman) is celebrated in a grand manner, as a 12-day event. The other main festival held at this temple is of Ramanavami (birth day of Lord Rama) during March or April. On both occasions, a number of yagyas, abhisheka and poojas are carried out with the Mahaprasad being served to thousands of devotees.
