Himada Gopalswamy Betta is situated in the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka State. This is a hill that is at an altitude of 1450 meters from the sea level. It is a dense jungle that is exactly positioned in the core region of Bandipur National Park. It is the highest peak. The National park is home to many wild life species including elephants.
All the year round the surrounding hills are regularly covered with dense fog, so the prefix Himada is placed before Gopalswamy temple.
This place is around 220 kilometers from Bangalore and at a distance of 75 kilometers from Mysore. You can buy bus tickets to Gundlupet, which is 10 kilometers away from this spot. The road way is good for cars to travel to the hill top. At the bottom of the hill there is a check post that is handled by the forest department, which collects the entry fee.
Pooja items including fruits, flowers, incense sticks and coconut are allowed to be carried to the hill top for offering to the Lord Gopalswamy at the temple. Other food items have been banned. No one should carry plastic bags meaning the pooja stuff must be in non-plastic bags. The entry fee is Rs.25 for two-wheeler and Rs. 50 for four wheeler vehicles.
You have to return back and report at the entry check post after one and a half hour. Visiting hours are from 8:30 am to 4 pm. An overnight stay at the hill top is not permitted. At the top there is a guest house belonging to the forest department that is not for public use, but only public servants that are on official duty can utilize it.
Gopalaswamy temple was constructed by the Hoysala King in 1315 A.D. Later, the Wodeyar kings of Mysore, who were passionate followers of Lord Venugopala, showed intense concern in preserving the hill temple. This temple is devoted to Gopalswamy that is also the name of Lord Krishna. The temple is enclosed with a compound wall. There is a flag-pillar and sacrificial altar present in the inner-porch.
The front wall of this inner-porch has the sculpture of dashavatara, where the core portion of this sculpture depicts Krishnavatara. There is a shikhar over the sanctum sanctorum, where there is a deity of Lord Krishna holding his flute and standing cross-legged under a tree.
He has his friends besides him. The panel portrays several icons including Satyabhama, Rukhmini, cow and cowherds on the right side.
According to a myth, sage Agastya had performed extreme penance and was blessed by Lord Vishnu. The Lord agreed to live here. As this was a holy place of devotion and penance, it was called €Hamsatheertha'.
In Sanskrit it means a lake of swan. Swan obtains a legendary implication in Hinduism, signifying awareness, harmony and salvation.
As Gopalswamy temple is part of Bandipur National Park, tourists often get to watch the grazing wild elephants in their natural habitat. This place is popular among nature lovers, who flock here by booking bus tickets in advance to reach here in peace and comfort. They take with them beautiful memories of the pictorial views of the hills and valleys spread around. Tourists also admire the impressive sunrise and the sunset from the hill top.
All the year round the surrounding hills are regularly covered with dense fog, so the prefix Himada is placed before Gopalswamy temple.
This place is around 220 kilometers from Bangalore and at a distance of 75 kilometers from Mysore. You can buy bus tickets to Gundlupet, which is 10 kilometers away from this spot. The road way is good for cars to travel to the hill top. At the bottom of the hill there is a check post that is handled by the forest department, which collects the entry fee.
Pooja items including fruits, flowers, incense sticks and coconut are allowed to be carried to the hill top for offering to the Lord Gopalswamy at the temple. Other food items have been banned. No one should carry plastic bags meaning the pooja stuff must be in non-plastic bags. The entry fee is Rs.25 for two-wheeler and Rs. 50 for four wheeler vehicles.
You have to return back and report at the entry check post after one and a half hour. Visiting hours are from 8:30 am to 4 pm. An overnight stay at the hill top is not permitted. At the top there is a guest house belonging to the forest department that is not for public use, but only public servants that are on official duty can utilize it.
Gopalaswamy temple was constructed by the Hoysala King in 1315 A.D. Later, the Wodeyar kings of Mysore, who were passionate followers of Lord Venugopala, showed intense concern in preserving the hill temple. This temple is devoted to Gopalswamy that is also the name of Lord Krishna. The temple is enclosed with a compound wall. There is a flag-pillar and sacrificial altar present in the inner-porch.
The front wall of this inner-porch has the sculpture of dashavatara, where the core portion of this sculpture depicts Krishnavatara. There is a shikhar over the sanctum sanctorum, where there is a deity of Lord Krishna holding his flute and standing cross-legged under a tree.
He has his friends besides him. The panel portrays several icons including Satyabhama, Rukhmini, cow and cowherds on the right side.
According to a myth, sage Agastya had performed extreme penance and was blessed by Lord Vishnu. The Lord agreed to live here. As this was a holy place of devotion and penance, it was called €Hamsatheertha'.
In Sanskrit it means a lake of swan. Swan obtains a legendary implication in Hinduism, signifying awareness, harmony and salvation.
As Gopalswamy temple is part of Bandipur National Park, tourists often get to watch the grazing wild elephants in their natural habitat. This place is popular among nature lovers, who flock here by booking bus tickets in advance to reach here in peace and comfort. They take with them beautiful memories of the pictorial views of the hills and valleys spread around. Tourists also admire the impressive sunrise and the sunset from the hill top.
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