Chamundeshwari Temple Mysore: Timings, History, Location

One of the most popular and prestigious places to visit in Mysore, the Chamundeshwari Temple is a traditional Hindu temple dedicated to and named after Goddess Chamundeshwari, who is believed to be an incarnation of Shiva’s wife, Parvati. It is located on the eastern edge of Mysore at a great height of 1000ft on the Chamundi hills and enjoys the status of one of the oldest temples in the palace city of Mysore. The Chamundeshwari temple in Mysore has become a must-visit attraction for the travellers in the region and is also considered as a Shakti Peetha, among the 18 Maha Shakti Peethas.

Inside the Chamundeshwari temple, you will find the deity of the Goddess with 8 arms seated on a lion sculpture, killing the demon, Mahishasura, with her Trishul. Deities of the Mysore Royal Family are also found inside the temple, which attracts visitors with its impressive architecture, great historical significance and is surrounded by a calm, serene environment at the Chamundi hills. The temple has become an important element of most Mysore tour packages, attracting loads of tourists from around the world.

Explore Chamundeshwari Temple, Mysore

The Chamundeshwari temple is usually not too crowded, except during the festivals of Dussehra and Diwali which are high flocking periods for the city. Just while driving up the hill, you can spot the main temple building along with the massive statues of Mahishasura and Nandi Bull, both of which hold great importance in Hindu mythology. From the temple, the view of the Mysore city is phenomenal as you can see significant structures of the city including the Lalitha Mahal Palace. The weather is mostly pleasant and you will experience cool winds in accordance with the height and location of the temple. The sheer calmness of the environment and serenity you feel, away from the chaos of the city, feels amazing which is further elevated by the piousness and religious feelings of the temple and its devotees. The temple has also been declared as the No Plastic Zone, thus making a huge contribution to the conservation of our environment by curbing the use of plastics and dumping hazardous materials.

Location of the Temple

As you must have seen in the Mysore and Chamundeshwari images, Chamundi Hills can be easily spotted from all the corners of the city and stand majestically at a height of about 3,489 feet above sea level. The temple is built at the top of Chamundi hills with 1008 stone-cut steps leading up to it. Visitors to the Chamundeshwari temple Mysore can reach via either of the two main paths. You can either take the steps or drive through the narrow valley road to the temple.

The Chamundi Temple is located at a distance of just 13 Km from Mysore city and once can easily get local taxis or auto-rickshaws at nominal charges for a one-way/two-way trip to the temple premises. You can also visit the temple from Nanjangud via a well-connected road network. There are regular Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses to Chamundi hill at an interval of fewer than 20 minutes from Mysore. As Chamundi Hills has been declared a no-plastic zone, tourists are not allowed to carry plastic bags.

Chamundeshwari Temple Mysore History

Many rulers have been associated with contributing to the development of the Chamundi temple in Mysore and offering various valuable jewels and items of high value to the Goddess. The Chamundeshwari Temple, Mysore was built as a simple shrine more than 1000 years ago by the Hoysala rulers, with the towers being built by the Vijayanagar rulers of the 17th century. The temple later gained popularity under the patronage of the Mysuru Maharajas.

One of the more popular myths concerning the Chamundi temple Mysore says that there once used to be a buffalo demon, Mahishasura, who after years of penance and meditation had been granted a boon by God Brahma that he could not be killed by a man. With his boon, limitless ego and arrogance, the demon gained confidence and began harassing and hurting the humans and Gods.

It was at this time when Lord Shiva’s wife Parvati noticed a loophole in the boon and was granted powers by all the Gods to make her strong enough to fight Mahishasura, on a Lion as her vehicle. With these powers, the Goddess took on the form of Chamundeshwari and the battle between them lasted 10 days. At the end of the battle, Mahishasura was defeated.

The architecture of the Temple

The Chamundeshwari Temple in Mysore is the perfect combination of architectural beauty, serene surroundings and religious sentiments. The main temple is built in the Dravidian style of architecture and has a quadrangular structure. The temple consists of an impressive seven-tier tower known as ‘gopuram’ or ‘gopura’ and an equally imposing entrance which is known as ‘dwara’. Apart from these, the temple also comprises Navaranga Hall, Antharala Mantapa and Prakara as well as a small tower atop the sanctum sanctorum called ‘vimana’.

An imposing statue of Mahishasura with a cobra in one hand and a sword in the other can also be witnessed in the temple. A huge statue of the Nandi bull, as much as 5 meters tall and 7.6 meters in length, also sits halfway up the hill on the way to Chamundi Temple, Mysore. This bull is believed to be the vehicle of Lord Shiva and has been carved out of single black granite rock. You will find a small temple devoted to Lord Shiva at a short distance from the statue. Both the Mahishasura statue and the Nandi Bull statue have impressive architecture and are popular places to visit near Mysore.

Chamundeshwari Temple Mysore Timings

The opening time of the Chamundi Temple in Mysore is as follows:

The Chamundi Temple, Mysore is open to pilgrims and visitors from 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM, 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM and 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM. These are the Darshana and Pooja timings as well as the temple.

For those who are interested in attending the Abhisheka, visiting from 6:00 AM to 7:30 AM and 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM is ideal, and 5:00 AM to 6:30 AM on Fridays.

The temple also offers free meals blessed by the Chamundeshwari Devi of Mysore, known as Dasoha, for all the devotees daily from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM.

Best Time to Visit Chamundeshwari Temple, Mysore

Visitors can come to Chamundeshwari Temple in Mysore all throughout the year and take blessings from Chamundeshwari Devi. During the month of September to October, pilgrims can take advantage of a panoramic view of Mysore city and the extremely pleasant weather. The temple is also highly populated at these times in lieu of the popular festivals Dussehra and Diwali which are celebrated with extraordinary jolly and excited spirit in Mysore.

On your next trip to Mysore, you should definitely visit the holy temple of Chamundeshwari Devi and experience its serenity. Mysore sightseeing tours are very common and include all the relevant sites there are to see here, including the Chamundeshwari Temple in here.