Himavad Gopalaswamy

Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta, is a hill (betta in Kannada) located in the Chamarajanagar district of the state of Karnataka,at a height of 1450m India and is extensively wooded.The place is surrounded with a lot of greenery which is very soothing to the eyes. You can visit this region to see the temple, herds of elephants, and expect a lot of fog. 

Dense fog predominates and covers the hills round the year and thus gets the prefix Himavad (in the native language of Kannada) and the temple of Venugopalaswamy (Lord Krishna) gives the full name of Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta.

HISTORY & DETAILS 

This temple took shape in the 14th century and is dedicated to Lord Gopalaswamy installed by sage Agasthya.This temple was built by the King Chola Ballala during AD 1315. Later the Wodeyars of Mysore who were ardent devotees of Lord Venugopala displayed keen interest in maintaining the hill temple. 

This temple was built by the King Chola Ballala during AD 1315. Later the Wodeyars of Mysore who were ardent devotees of Lord Venugopala displayed keen interest in maintaining the hill temple. The plain tracts on the hills are covered with lush grass, and is home to elephants, deer and rabbit, while the slopes are covered with thick forests, home to tigers and leopards. The hills are also home to some rich bird life including peacocks, parrots, forest hens and pelicans. The forest is covered with rosewood, teakwood and other such valuable wood. It lies in the core area of the Bandipur National Park and is frequented by wildlife including elephants. Being a part of the Bandipur wildilife sanctuary, the hills are frequented by grazing wild elephants. The place is also known for its picturesque views of the surrounding hills and valleys. One can also get a view of the spectacular sunrise and sunset from a top.

The temple is dedicated to Gopalaswamy, which is one of the names of the Hindu God Krishna. The gopuram of the temple is single-tiered and rests on the compound wall of the enclosure. A dhwajastambha (flag-pillar) and a bali-peetam (sacrificial altar) is present in the mukha mantapa (inner-porch). The parapet wall of the façade of the mukha mantapa contains the sculpture of dashavatara (the avatars of the Hindu God Vishnu) with the centre portion of the sculpture depicting Krishnavatara (the avatar of Vishnu in which he appeared as Krishna). There is a shikhara tower over the garbha griha (sanctum sanctorum). The garbha griha contains an idol of Krishna holding a flute under a tree. Krishna is flanked by his friends and the posture is that of a dance with the left big toe resting on the right one. The panel also features several characters and icons from Krishna's avatar. Lord Gopalaswamy's idol is flanked by his consorts, Rukmini and Satyabhama. Cows and cowherds are featured towards the right side of the panel.

A lake is situated near the temple and is popularly called Hamsatirtha. The swan acquires a mythical significance, symbolising knowledge, tranquillity and salvation. Legend says that sage Agastya, performed intense penance and as a result lord Vishnu blessed this place and promised to reside here. As this was a place of worship and penance, it used to be called as 'Hamsatheertha', which means the lake of swans in Sanskrit.

TIMINGS :

8:30 AM to 4:00 PM

HOW TO REACH :

220 Km from Bangalore; 75 Km from Mysore; 10 kms from Hangala Village, 21kms from Bandipur Reception area.