Veeranarayana Temple

Karnataka, Gadag, Bangalore

Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the Veeranarayana Temple is one of the Pancha Narayana Kshetras situated in Gadag. In this temple, Lord Vishnu is worshipped as Veeranarayana, the warrior form of Maha Vishnu. The temple is believed to be built by the Hoysala King Bittideva, who later changed his name to Vishnuvardhana, after his conversion to Vaishnavism from Jainism.It is believed that the Kannada Poet Kumara Vyasa has composed his own version of the Mahabharata in this temple.

Legend

According to the legends, the Hoysala King Bittideva was greatly influenced by the great Vaishnava Saint Sri Ramanujacharya, who cured the illness of the Hoysala Princess. King Bittideva converted to Vaishnavism from Jainism and changed his name to Vishnuvardhana. King Vishnuvardhana built five temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu which is known as Pancha Narayana Kshetras. The five temples are the Veeranarayana temple at Gadag, the Nambinarayana temple at Tondanur, the Chennakesava Temple at Belur, the Kirtinarayana temple at Talakad and the Cheluvanarayana temple at Melkote. It is also believed that the Kannada Poet Kumara Vyasa has composed his own version of the Mahabharata in this temple.

Architecture

The Veeranarayana Temple is an amalgam of various schools of architecture - Chalukya, Hoysala and Vijayanagara. The temple has a Vijayanagara style entrance courtyard that leads to the Ranga Mandapa, with a Garuda Sthamba that is typical of Hoysala style. The inner mandapa and sanctum and the main tower are in Chalukya style. The main deity, Veeranarayana is depicted in a magnificent standing form, with four hands, holding the Shanka, Chakra, Gadha and Padma. He is wearing the dhoti in the form of a Veera Kaccha that is in a style ready for battle. On either side of him stand Lakshmi and Garuda, much smaller figures.

Darsan Info

Morning 06:00 AM to 01:00 PM and Evening 05:00 PM To 08:00 PM.
Different kind of sevas are performing in festival days, need to get an paid ticket from temple counter

Darsan Dresscode

Wear clean clothes and avoid fashionable wear

Famous Festival

Vykunta Ekadasi, Tholi Ekadasi

Culture

Gadag is a city in Karnataka state in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Gadag District. Gadag has been a important seat of Hindustani music and known for historical hindu temples. The climate of the peace is motivational and peace loving surrounded by green trees and hill stations.