Melkote - Impressive pillars @ Cheluvanarayanaswamy Temple

Cheluva Narayanaswamy Temple:

We reached Cheluvanarayanaswamy temple at 4 pm. The temple main sanctum's door was not opened. Hence we first had a darshan of lord Anjaneya which is behind the main sanctum. When enquired the priest, he said it will be opened in another half an hour. No one was sure when the door will be opened and there were many people waiting. Later we came to know from the locals that it will open only after 6 pm due to festival celebration at the temple.

Even though there was huge crowd inside the temple, we had very good darshan. When enquired locals about the festivals, each one had different stories to tell. We got confused and didn't know which one to take.

After darshan we stood in queue for prasad. This was bigger than darsan queue ;). The sad part is that the prasad was distributed to those who had donnai/donne (plantain leaf cup). We didn't have one. As the prasadam was very hot we couldn't take it in our hand. Thank God finally we could get little amount of prasadam.

The enthralling pillars at this temple is the great feast to the eyes. We captured the pillars that are beautifully decorated with intricate details.

Before darsan we had lot of time, so we decided to go nearby place. Raya Gopura which is about 300 meters from temple is a film shooting spot. It is said that this incomplete pillars were built overnight.The famous song "Rakkama kaiya thattu" from the movie Thalapathi and "Barso re" song from the movie Guru were shot here. On the way there are Akka Thangi kulam.(Sister ponds).

Akka Thangi Kulam

It was already late and we were not sure about the distance and directions to Lord Narasimha temple. Hence we skipped and returned home.

View of Narasimhaswamy Temple from Raya Gopuram

Note:

It is better to visit these places in the morning.
Melkote is famous for its puliyogare

Temple Timings: 8:30 am to 12:30 pm
                        4:00 pm to 6:00 pm and
                        7:00 pm to 8:30 pm

Prasadam: ~ 12 noon

Distance from
         Bangalore:        ~140 km

Sri Rangapatna: ~35 km

Restroom Facility: Yes, available behind the temple.

Other Information:

Map: