Himvad Gopalswamy Temple

My World / Blue Monday / Mellow Yellow

Gopalswamy Temple is a ancient temple perched on top of a hill which is covered by mist all round the year hence its first name Himvad (which means mist in Kannada) and is dedicated to Lord Gopalaswamy which is one of the names of the Hindu God Krishna.

Legend says that sage Agastya, performed intense penance and as a result lord Vishnu blessed this place and promised to reside here. As this was a place of worship and penance.

One can see the temple from quite a distance while climbing the hill and looks majestic amids the greenery surrounding it. Click here for a panoramic view of the hill

This temple was built by the King Chola Ballala during AD 1315. Later the Wodeyars of Mysore who were devotees of Lord Venugopala maintained this temple.

The gopuram of the temple is single-tiered and rests on the compound wall of the enclosure. A flag-pillar and a sacrificial altar is present in the inner porch. The parapet wall of the façade of the mantapa contains the sculpture of dashavatara (the avatars of the Hindu God Vishnu) with the centre portion of the sculpture depicting Krishnavatara (the avatar of Vishnu in which he appeared as Krishna).

The garbha griha or the sanctum sanctorum contains an idol of Lord Krishna in a dancing pose with a flute in his hand. The Panel behind the idol has carvings of a tree, the Lord’s friends, his consorts Rukmini and Satyabhama, Cows and Cowherds.The panel also features several characters and icons from Krishna's avatar.

Another unique feature of this temple here is that throughout the year the mist condense in the sanctum sanctorum and the diety of the temple lord Krisha is drenched by water droplets and just above the door leading to the Sanctum Sanctorum cold-water drips constantly. The priest narrates the legends associated with the place and sprinkles this water on the devotees.

There is a lake here called "Hamsatheertha", which means the lake of swans in Sanskrit. There is a story behind this lake, legends says that once a crow took bath in this lake and became Hamsa (Hamsa means swan in Kannada and swan acquires a mythological significance in Hinduism,symbolizing knowledge, tranquility and salvation). One cannot spot any crows surrounding this place which is another unique feature of this place, interesting isn't it?