Karighatta – Tirupathi of Karnataka

Karighatta is located near Srirangapatna in Mandya District.

Karighatta, is a beautiful hill at 2697’ height above sea level, is located near this Srirangapatna(Island town) off the Bangalore-Mysore Highway about 20kms from Mysore and 130kms from Bangalore.

Kari means Black and Ghatta means Hill so KariGhatta means "Black Hill" where we can visit temple of Lord Vishnu in the name of "Kari Girivasa" (who dwells in black hill). ‘Kari’ also means Elephant. He is popularly known as “Lord Srinivasa” and “Bairagi Venkataramana”. The hill is mentioned in the ancient texts as “Neelachala” which means “Blue Mountain”.

It has a beautiful view points and a small and cute temple at the top of the hill surrounded by trees and shrubs It is a popular trekking spot. It is also famous for snakes, foxes, hares, mongoose, some nocturnal animals & is an ancient migration route of wild elephants that used to frequent these hills.

From atop the hill, one can see a vast expanse of the landscape dotted with farmlands and orchids, with the river Lokapavani (a Tributary of Cauvery river) bisecting the land and a bridge across the river adding to the beauty and serenity. Most part of the year, the Flora is mainly dry brush, but is transformed into a green sloping landscape during the rainy season.

It is better to carry water and some food as there are no refreshments available nearby and might get quite warm and humid on a sunny day. Also look out for monkeys – they are a menace and just explode into sudden burst of activity and snatch away anything that resembles food / refreshments.

Also, there are plenty of farms/orchids around the hill that sell seasonal fruits like Oranges, Chikku, Grapes and others – one can find young kids/elders selling fruits by the roadside near these farms. Or if it fancies you, you can actually pluck the fruits directly from the trees with the permission of the caretaker and pay for them later. It would be a great experience for folks who are from cities and have never seen the fruits grow on the trees.

The temple is not just a tourist attraction, but quite important for the locals since the deity (Bairagi Venkataramana or Karigirivasa or Srinivasa – a form of Maha Vishnu) is the main God for a lot of families in the surrounding villages and you will find them making their pilgrimage during special occasions and marriages in large numbers. It is believed that if you are facing any trouble, visit this temple and do pooja and it brings positive changes in your lives.

The distinctive characteristic in appearance of the idol is that after decoration with flowers and traditional robes, it looks like Bairagi (mendicant).

Before entry into temple you can find Lord Srinivasa facing the main deity along with the Garudastamba. The pole called Garudastamba seen here is tall and attractive. Then you can find enterence to the temple through main gate made of huge wooden doors that open into large quadrangle of main temple. You can see icon Lord Venkateswara or Vaikunta Srinivasa, in black stone, which is of 6’ tall which was installed by Sage Brigu. On the left of the main deity is Lord Yoga Srinivasa and on the right side is Lord Bhoga Srinivasa idol. On western side you can visit shrine of Goddess Padmavathi, the consort of Lord Srinivasa is installed in a separate sanctum. Behind the temple there are footprints of Lord called ‘Vishnu Pada’.

The marriage hall known as ‘Kalyana Mantapa’ is used for wedding and other purposes.

There are 450 steps to reach the flat hilltop where the temple stands, though vehicular road also exists. A stream named Lokapavani River, a tributary to Cauvery, flows by this mountain and meets Pashchima Vahini/Westwards branch of Cauvery River at Sangama. You can see Chamundi hills, Mysore city, Srirangapatna, Sri Ranganatha temple, Kunti Beta and Nimishamba temple from top of the hill. Now a bridge cutting across river Cauvery and Lokapavani is built near Nimishamba temple for easy access to the hill from the other bank.

The annual Rathothsava and fair are held during Kumbha Masa Palguna (February-March), when the hill will be filled by devotees all around.

The hill has patches of grasslands, deciduous forests and tamarind tress. The grass is sharp and is known as ‘Dharbe hullu’ (Eragrostis cynosuroides) is used for pooja, ceremonial functions and other religious rituals, without which the priest would not start his program. It is sharp-edged gross. Legend says that Vishnu during Varaha Avatar landed on this hill and shook his body and some of his hair fell and grew into these sharp “Darbe”.

There are few Dasayya of lord Vishnu near the temple who recite the glory of the lord playing the cymbal and blow the conch shell in the end.

During the battle of Srirangapatna, the British had placed their cannons at strategic locations on this hill.

Karighatta Temple is connected by different modes of transport. Buses are available from Srirangapatna and other neighboring towns. After reaching Mysore it may not be difficult to reach this hill. But you must carry water, food and other requirements for use. No accommodation. You can just visit the temple enjoy the nature’s beauty for few hours and return.

Temple timings: 10am to 2pm and on government holidays 10am to 7pm.

It is better to visit this hill before the tourist crowd starts to come in - the peace and quiet you experience at the top is well worth the early visit. The temple is a must visit if you have the time and want to spend a relaxing day with just your family / friends.

All in all, the visit to Kari Ghatta is very nice fulfilling experience!

Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karighatta_temple
https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g2078495-d3705468-Reviews-KariGhatta_Temple-Mandya_Mandya_District_Karnataka.html