The little-known temple of BR Koppal

There are scores of  temples dedicated to Srinivasa, Ranganatha and Narasimha in the Bangalore-Mysore belt and many of them such as the Ranganatha temples at Srirangapatna and Magadi, the Srinivasa temples of  Apremeya in Dodda Malur and  Bangaru Tirupathi and the Narasimha temples of Maddur and Melkote are well-known.

In fact the districts of  Bangalore, Mysore, Mandya, Ramanagar, Hassan and Kolar which form part of  south Karnataka abound in temples dedicated to Hari and his ten avatars, including Srinivasa and Narasimha.

However, there are many temples which are not as well-known as the temples of Melkote or Magadi. One such temple is that of Sri Manikarnika Gunja Sri Lakshmi Narasimha at Baburayana Koppal  or BR Koppal, which is near Srirangapatna.

The temple is situated at the confluence of Lokapavani and Cauvery rivers.

The deity is Narasimha and he has a small bead, called gulaganji in Kannada, held up in his right palm. This means that this kshetra is more sacred (by the weight of a gulaganji) than the Manikarnika Ghat at Kashi. That is why the deity here is called Manikarnika Sri Gunja Lakshmi Narasimha.

The Manikarnika Ghat of Kashi is supposed to be the very place where Lord Vishnu dug a pit with his chakra while he was performing penance. The pit was filled with his perspiration when he started meditating. When Lord Shiva shook his head in admiration, his jewelled ear ornament fell into the pit with a resounding murmur. This is how the bathing ghat Manikarnika in Kashi got its name.

It is the same name of Manikarnika that distinguishes this Narasima Temple. Local legend has it that Brigu performed penance here.
A little distance away from the Narasimha temple is the beautiful hill of Karighatta where a temple dedicated to Srinivasa is built. Nearby is the famous Naimishamba temple.

The Manikarnika temple is 120 kms from Bangalore and 35 kms from Mysore and it is on the Bangalore-Mysore road. 

e bridge on the river Cauvery before entering Srirangapatna, a left turn on the highway leads to Babu Rayan Koppal and the temple. It is about
Another temple dedicated to Narasimha is the Sri Gunja Narasimha Swamy and Agasthyeshwara Temples at T. Narsipura. The Gunja Narasimhaswamy Temple is on the left side of Cauvery and even here Narasimha has a gulaganji in his right hand.

There is also a Narasimha temple in Srirangapatna. However, the most famous temple of Narasimha in the area of that of Yoga Narasimha in Melkote. This temple is accessible only after a back breaking climb from a steep cluster of steps.  

The village where Garuda was born

This is a village full of legends. Not only is it considered to be the birthplace of the legendary bird, Garuda, the vahana of Vishnu, but also the place where Narasimha appeared in the form of a pillar.

This is also the place where the revered sage, Shuka Muni, meditated.

Shaka Muni  is the son of Ved Vyasa and also the person who gave a discourse on Bhagavath Gite to Parakshit to rid him of the curse of  death by snake bite.

This is the village which was named after the revered sage. It was originally called Shukapuri and subsequently became  Shukanahalli. Today, it is better known as Sugganahalli.

Suggenahalli is in Magadi taluk and it is a pleasant getaway from Bangalore.  
The presiding deity of the village is Kambada Narasimha. The idol of Narasimha is on a stone and, hence, the name Kambada Narasimha. Kamba in Kannada means pillar. The other idols in the temple are that of  Mahalakshmi, Garuda, Andal, Hanuman and a Brindavan of Shuka Muni.
According to legend, Shuka Muni travelled all over India and he offered penance at six sacred places and attained siddhi. The six places are Badrinath and Naimisharanya in Uttar Pradesh, Melkote and Shukapuri in Karnataka and Vanamamalai and Ahobilam in Andhra Pradesh.

When he was meditating at Shukapuri, he heard a divine voice and then Narasimha appeared in a stone pillar. The Sage then consecrated the pillar and constructed a temple which popularly came to be known as Kambada Narasimhaswamy.

This temple is unique as it is built as per Vastu Shastra. There is a Badri Vruksha in the temple backyard, which is always evergreen. A few feet away from the tree, is a Brindavan where Shuka Muni attained siddhi.

The temple has twp courtyards and they symbolise Brahmacharya and Gruhastya. Nearby is the temple of Katari Veerajaneyaswamy where the deity faces west.
Narasihma also asked Shuka Muni to install another pillar two kms away from the temple. Here too, Narasimha is in the same pose as he is in the Kambada Narasimha Temple. This is a very beautiful spot and one can have a fascinating view of the surroundings.

Nearby is a temple of Rama.   
Another legend here is that Suggenahalli is the birth place of Garuda Vahana. There is a bronze statue of Garuda here whoch has healing powers. 
Sugganahalli is about 75 kms from Bangalore on national highway No  4 (Bangalore - Kunigal Road). After reaching Nelamangala Circle, take a left turn and travel up to Marur cross (around 60 kms). Take a right turn to Kudur town (about six kms) and then continue to Sugganahalli temple which is nine kms away.
Suggenahalli is well conncted by KSRTC and private buses.  KSRTC buses to Thondekere ply via Sugganahalli from Majestic bus-stand in Bangalore.

The temple belongs to the Muzrai Department. The temple is open at specified times in the morning and evening. The temple needs three persons to be present while opening. The key to the main door is nearly 2 feet in length.
 

The Narasimha in Bangalore that rids you of Kuja Dosha

In the Hindu pantheon, Narasimha is considered to be one of the Dashavatars of Hari or Vishnu.

There are many famous Narasimha temples in India and Bangalore too has its share of them. Unfortunately, the Narasimha Temple in Bangalore is not well-known as others.

The Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple at Roopena Agrahara is one of its kind in India. Located on Hosur Main Road, this is the only temple of Narasimha in India with the “Narasimha Meru.” The Meru belongs to an ancient period. It is a hill shaped chakra made specifically for Narasimha.

It is believed that a pradakshana around this Chakra will clear kuja dosha.

The place where this temple is situated is also called Hari Vaikunta Kshetra. The Temple is believed to be 400 yrs old. Nowhere in India is Narasimha Meru to be seen except here.

 Devotees perform pooja and then give  Tur Dal to the meru to help them get rid of  Kuja Dosha and many related problems like infertility, financial problem, delay in Marriage.

The meru is considered very holy as it holds all the mantras (Bejakshra) related to Narasimha. It is therefore considered to be very powerful and is rarely found.

The Meru has Adhi Kurma, Adhi Varaha, Adhi Vasuki and Adhi Manduka inside it. At the base of the Meru,  you can see Chethur Yalli and Asta Gaga. At the top of the charka, you can see Shreekara and Omkara.

The priest here told me that you have to perform 48 pradakshanas to Narasimah and thes Meru carrying tur dal in the palm. The tur dal will be used during anna dana on Swathi Nakshatra of every month.

The Narasimha here is in a sitting posture. He is surrounded by idols of Adi Lakshmi, Santhana Lakshmi, Gaja Lakshmi, Dhana Lakshmi, Dhanya Lakshmi, Vijaya Lakshimi, Veera Lakshmi and Aishwarya Lakshmi (Asta Lakshmis).

Vishnu took the avatar of  Narasimha during Vaishaka Masa on Swathi Nakshatra to kill Hiranya Kasipu. Hence every Swathi Nakshatra sees special poojas to the deity here.

Roopena Agrahara is on Hosur Main Road and the temple is well-known in the area. For details you can contact 91– 080 –25732289: 91 – 080 – 25732289.

There are some other Narasimha temples in Bangalore such as the one at Kammasandra and at Balepet near the Majestic Busstand.

However, the most well-known temple of Narasimha around Bangalore is in Seebi near Sira, Tumkur district, the Narasimha temples of Devarayanadurga and at Savandurga, all in Tumkur district.