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74-596: Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple , also known as Selva Pillai or Thirunarayanapuram , is a temple in Melkote in the Mandya District of Karnataka , India. The temple is built on rocky hills which overlook the Kaveri valley. The temple is Classified one among the 108 Abhimana Kshethram of Vaishnavate tradition. It is about 30 miles (48 km) from Mysore and 97 miles (156 km) from Bangalore . After Ramanujacharya

148-507: A crown set with precious jewels. It is known after him as Krishnaraja-mudi . Yet another crown, known as the Vairamudi or Vajramukuta , which is set with diamonds and must have been the most expensive of the three, is also older than both the Raja-mudi and Krishnaraja-mudi. Who was the donor of that very valuable crown, and how it came into the possession of the temple, is unknown. However, as

222-407: A distance of 36 km (22 miles) north-west of Mandya, and 51 km (32 miles) north of Mysore . According to mythological account, this place was known as Narayanadri, Vedadri, Yadavadri, Yathishaila and Tirunarayanapura. The name of the place is derived from the temple of Narayanaswamy which is built on the hillock, surrounded by a fort. It is built on a rocky hill-range named Yadugiri, which

296-637: A few works bearing on logic, rhetoric, mathematics, astronomy, astrology, ritual, architecture, Pancharatra, Dharmashastras, Grihya and Dharmasutra. There is also a Sanskrit college here named Sri Veda Vedantha Bodhini Sanskrita Mahapatashala (Govt. Sanskrit College) which was established as early as in 1854 and which is one of the oldest institutions of its kind in the state. Melkote has contributed many literary figures like Pu Ti Narasimhachar , Tirumalaraya, Komanduri Deshika Charyulu ( got Appreciation Certificate also from Mysore Maharaja ), Chikkupadhyaya and Devashikhamani Alasingachar. The academy has also published

370-526: A metal idol sculpture used for processions and certain religious rituals, represents the deity Cheluvanarayana Swamy . According to the legend, this metallic figure was once lost, but was recovered by Sri Ramanujacharya . The annual report of the Mysore Archaeological Department states that based on the strength of epigraphic evidence, the presiding deity of this temple was already a well-known object of worship even before Sri Ramanujacharya

444-740: A number of commentaries on Vedic texts, in English, Kannada and Sanskrit including Sayanacharya's commentaries on the Vedas and Purusha Suktam . The Sri Yadugiri Education center (by Sri Ramanuja Srisha Seva Trust) provides cultural education to rural students. Sri Veda Vedanta Bodhini Govt. Sanskrit college is a place for traditional education. The mission of the institution is "Providing good education to rural students". Veda, Nalayira Divyaprabandha, Stotra and Grantha Kalakshepams are being taught in traditional families even today. SGS groups runs colleges and schools. SET group runs schools and polytechnics. The town

518-523: A research institute, the Samskrita Academy was established, which incorporated the library. Yadugiri Yathiraja Mutt , Ahobila Matha and Parakala Matha of the Sri Vaishnava sect are located in the place. Melukote has been known for quality handlooms especially weaving dhoties, sarees, etc. An artisans training centre, a dairy unit and a residential school are established in the place. Melkote

592-427: A sanyasi to live and manage the affairs of the temple. The temple is lined with carved pillars and features a dome-like top decorated with highly detailed sculptures. The presiding deity is Cheluvanarayana Swamy, also known as Tirunarayana (ತಿರುನಾರಾಯಣ) or Cheluvapille Raya (ಚೆಲುವಪಿಲ್ಲೆ ರಾಯ), a form of Lord Vishnu . Inscriptions indicate that the deity was also known as Ramapriya. The utsavamurthi (ಉತ್ಸವ ಮೂರ್ತಿ),

666-467: A silk cloth while fitting the crown. During the 13-day celebration, Kalyanotsava, Nagavalli Mahotsava are held in the Holy Kalyani, followed by Maharatotsava. In most years the spiritual events have been accompanied by cultural programmes, including music and dance performances, but in 2014 they were cancelled because of the upcoming election and its "model code of conduct". While Vairamudi Brahmotsava

740-647: A stream, called the Manimuttaru, which to this day flows in Thanjavur. On his way, he saw Bala Krishna playing with his friends in the mid day sun at Brindavana. Garuda protected the Bala Krishna from the sun by placing his wings as the shade and placed the crown on his head. The local legends of Melkote claim that Krishna presented Cheluva Narayana with this crown. Preparations for the Brahmotsava start several weeks before

814-430: A total length of about 800 km (500 mi). The major tributaries include Amaravati , Arkavati , Bhavani , Hemavati , Kabini , Lakshmana Tirtha , and Noyyal . There are a number of dams on the river which form part of an extensive irrigation system and are used for the generation of hydroelectric power . The river has supported agriculture for centuries and has served as the lifeline of several kingdoms in

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888-610: Is 3,589 feet (1,094 m) high above sea level. The village is the only settlement in Mandya district , located above 1000 metres. In the 12th century, the Srivaishnava saint Ramanujacharya took up his residence in this location for about 14 years. As a result, it became a prominent centre of Srivaishnavism. Large numbers of Iyengar Brahmins migrated and settled in the region, forming the Mandyam Iyengar community. The principal temple

962-586: Is a major river flowing across Southern India . It is the third largest river in the region after Godavari and Krishna . The catchment area of the Kaveri basin is estimated to be 81,155 km (31,334 sq mi) and encompasses the states of Tamil Nadu , Karnataka , Kerala , and the union territory of Puducherry . The river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range in the Western Ghats . The source

1036-432: Is a square building of large dimensions but very plain, dedicated to Lord Cheluva-Narayana Swamy or Thirunarayana . The utsavamurthi , which is a metallic image, represents the deity who is called Shelvapillai , Cheluva Raya and Cheluvanarayana Swamy , whose original name appears to have been Ramapriya (meaning "Rama's Favourite"). It is believed that this utsavamurthi belonged to and was worshipped by Lord Rama and

1110-647: Is also home to the mugger crocodile ( Crocodylus palustris ), smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata), and hump-backed mahseer (Tor remadevii). The total watershed of the basin is 81,155 km (31,334 sq mi) and the riparian zone of the river consists of 43,856 km (16,933 sq mi) in Tamil Nadu, 34,273 km (13,233 sq mi) in Karnataka, 2,866 km (1,107 sq mi) in Kerala , and 160 km (62 sq mi) in

1184-565: Is also home to the Academy of Sanskrit Research, an institution that was founded in 1977, by the Government of Karnataka. The academy has kept 83 employees with 25 research scholars working on Sanskrit Research. Some of the areas of research include: Vishistadhvaitha , Upanishads and Scientific research from ancient texts. There is also a library that houses 11,000 manuscripts and 35,000 books. Cauvery The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery )

1258-674: Is also mentioned as Ardha gaṅgā meaning Half Ganga in Mahabharata and other literature, due to its purported mythology of having arisen from the Ganges. Marudvṛdhā is another hypothesised name for this river, meaning "the beloved of the Maruts " in Sanskrit. The river arises at Talakaveri in Kodagu district of Karnataka . The source of the river is located at an altitude of 1,341 m (4,400 ft) in

1332-526: Is also the location of the Melkote Temple Wildlife Sanctuary. This sanctuary was created on 17 June 1974, primarily to house wolves. Other mammals found in this sanctuary include the jungle cat, leopard, bonnet macaque, langur and pangolin. It is also an ornithologist's paradise, with around 200 species of birds indigenous to the area. Melkote Temple Wildlife Sanctuary has been known for its once abundant Cycas circinalis species, which in

1406-430: Is approximately 20 km (12.4 miles) from Melukote. Vairamudi Brahmotsava (Vairamudi Utsav) is an annual spiritual event and festival revered throughout South India. In the past it has attracted up to 400,000 devotees of Lord Cheluva Narayana (Tirunarayana). The main event is the procession of Lord Cheluvanarayana Swamy (as represented by an idol, normally in most srivaishnava temples, the presiding deit "moolavar "

1480-583: Is headed by the Prime Minister of India and consists of the Chief Ministers of the riparian states as its consituent members. On 16 February 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that Karnataka will get 284.75 tmc ft, Tamil Nadu will get 404.25 tmc ft, Kerala will get 30 tmc ft and Puducherry will get 7 tmc ft of water from the river. An additional 10 tmc ft was reserved for environmental protection and 4 tmc ft

1554-472: Is home to the academy of Sanskrit Research, which has collected thousands of Vedic and Sanskrit manuscripts. Early in the 12th century, the famous Srivaishnava saint Sri Ramanujacharya , who hailed from present day Tamil Nadu , stayed at Melukote for about 12 years. It has thus become a prominent centre of the Srivaishnava sect. Melukote is a village and a historic place of the same name, situated at

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1628-559: Is located at an elevation of 1,341 m (4,400 ft) in the Kodagu district of Karnataka. The river flows for about 320 km (200 mi) through the Deccan plateau in Karnataka before entering Tamil Nadu. It flows further eastward in Tamil Nadu for 416 km (258 mi) before flowing into the Bay of Bengal near Poompuhar in Mayiladuthurai district of Tamil Nadu. The river flows for

1702-595: Is made up of two sub-zones, forest and agro-ecosystem. The forest vegetation consists of a mix of dry deciduous , evergreen forests , and grasslands . As per a study, about 12,850 km (4,960 sq mi) of natural vegetation was lost in the river basin between 1965 to 2016. The basin has a variety of flora with major species including Terminalia arjuna , Tamarindus indica , Pongamia pinnata , Salix tetrasperma , Ficus benghalensis , Ficus religiosa , Eucalyptus torticornis , and Diospyros montana . There are many protected areas spread across

1776-580: Is mentioned as both a river and a goddess in various Hindu texts such as the Mahabharata and the Puranas . The river is mentioned as one of the seven holy Gangas and bathing in the river is said to grant one's desired as per the Sivapurana . The Varaha Purana states that the river flows from the five great mountains and gives longevity to those who drink the waters of the river. The Skanda Purana narrates

1850-629: Is one of the most important festivals for Sri Vaishnavas, others include the Garudotsava at Kancheepuram (Tamil Nadu), Kotharotsava at Srirangam (Tamil Nadu) and the Brahmotsava at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. Melkote is house to the Academy of Sanskrit Research (ASR). Established in 1978, with further history that goes back a few centuries to the times of Ramanuja , ASR is spread over 14 acres at

1924-451: Is represented on procession by "utsavar "in a different name, here Cheluvaraya is called as "sampathkumara") through the streets of Melkote, which are decorated in his honour. In the procession the Lord's idol is carried on a golden garuda , along with idols representing his divine consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi. The procession takes place at night and continues until dawn. The festival is named for

1998-783: The Bhavani River in Tamil Nadu, Hemavathy Dam (37.1 tmc ft) on the Hemavathi River , Kabini Dam (18.5 tmc ft) on the Kabini River , and Harangi Dam (9.5 tmc ft) on the Harangi River in Karnataka are major dams on the tributaries of Kaveri. The dispute over the sharing of Kaveri waters began in 1807 when the Madras Presidency objected to the plans of the Mysore kingdom to develop irrigation projects. After initial discussions failed,

2072-596: The Brahmagiri Hills of the Western Ghats . Its follows a rough upper course consisting of rocky beds and high banks. Once it leaves the Kodagu hills, it flows eastwards and forms a series of rapids and falls. It flows through a narrow gorge onto the Deccan plateau and drops about 18–24 m (59–79 ft) at Chunchanakatte Falls . The river forms the island of Srirangapatna and widens to 900–1,200 ft (270–370 m) before flowing south-east. At Shivanasamudra ,

2146-705: The British Raj intervened and a six rule agreement called the General Agreement of 1892 was signed. After Indian Independence , article 262 of the Constitution of India provided powers to the Government of India to adjudicate on inter-state disputes on water sharing. The Government of India constituted the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) on 2 June 1990 to adjudicate the water dispute between

2220-523: The Cauvery valley. Melukote is about 51 km (32 miles) from Mysore and 133 km (83 mi) from Bangalore . Melukote is the location of the Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple , with a collection of crowns and jewels which are brought to the temple for the annual celebration. On the top of the hill is the temple of Yoganarasimha. Many more shrines and ponds are located in the town. Melukote

2294-519: The Hogenakkal Falls . After the falls, the river flows southwards towards Mettur Dam and joins its main right bank tributary Bhavani at Kooduthurai . The river flows eastwards through Erode and Karur , and widens further before entering the Tiruchirappalli district . It splits into two branches with the northern part called as Kollidam River and the southern part of the river retaining

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2368-837: The Mysore Archeaelogical Department (p. 57) states, on the strength of epigraphic evidence, that the presiding deity of this temple was already a well-known object of worship before Sri Ramanujacharya worshipped at the shrine, in December 1098, and even before he came to the Mysore region. The temple is richly endowed, having been under the special patronage of the Vijaya nagar king Vikitapathi Raya and Mysore kings, and it has an extremely valuable collection of jewels in its custody. As early as 1614, Maharaja Raja Wodeyar I (1578–1617) of Mysore, who first acquired Srirangapatna and adopted

2442-728: The President of India asked the Supreme Court of India to rule on the validity and legality of the tribunal under the Constitution. In November 1991, the Supreme Court opined that the order needs to be published by the central government in the Official Gazette, which was done on 1 December 1991. In May 1992, the Government of Tamil Nadu filed a case in the Supreme Court to direct the Indian Government to pass necessary orders to ensure

2516-570: The Sankethi word for "river" from the language spoken by the Sankethi people , who live along its waters. Cauvery is the anglicized version of the original name. The river is also known by other names. In ancient Tamil literature , the river was called Ponni meaning "the golden one" in reference to the fine silt it deposits. It is known as Daksina gaṅgā meaning the " Ganges of the South" indicating its geographical location and its significance. It

2590-626: The Tamil literature Manimekalai , Agastya drank the Ganges River in anger, when the floods destroyed his tapas and later released it in South India. Silapathikaram mentions Kaveri as the daughter of Kavera. In Theravada Buddhism , Kaveri is mentioned as a water channel. It is part of the twenty canal-systems associated with the reservoir Parakkamasamudda that existed in the Polonnaruwa region during

2664-479: The 11th and 12th centuries. Similar "Tulukka Nachiyar" (Turkish sacred woman) stories are seen for Srirangam and Madurai temples to show how Bhakti transcends socio-religious boundaries. Melkote Melukote in Pandavapura taluk of Mandya district , Karnataka , in southern India, is one of the sacred places in Karnataka.It is built on rocky hills, known as Yadugiri, Yaadavagiri or Yadushaila, overlooking

2738-525: The Bahudhanya year (1099 CE) Pushyamasa Shukla Paksha Chaturdashi , the deity was installed according to Pancharatra agama . Ramanuja worshipped it for three days, followed by kumbhabhishekham and recited tamil vedas . Vishnuvardhana sanctioned 5000 Gadyanas for the construction of the temple which was completed in 1104 CE. Subsequently, the Yadugiri Yathiraja Mutt was established for

2812-498: The Srivaishnava faith, granted to the temple, and to the Brahmins at Melkote as custodians of the deity, the large and valuable estate (fiefdom) granted to him by Vijaynagar emperor Venkatapati Raya . On one of the pillars of the temple's nava-aranga ("new stage" or pavilion for music and dance performances), there stands a bas relief about 1.5 feet (0.46 m) high, of Raja Wodeyar, standing with folded hands, with his name inscribed on

2886-522: The base. He is said to have been a great devotee of the presiding deity and a regular visitor to the temple. A gold crown set with precious jewels was presented by him to the temple. This crown is known as the Raja-mudi, after his name. From the inscriptions on some of the gold jewels and on gold and silver vessels in the temple, it is learnt that they were presents from Krishnaraja Wadiyar III (r. 1799–1831) and his queens. Krishnaraja Wodeyar III also presented

2960-421: The deity of vadakalai which was stolen, and courts ordered to replace them with a single orange line. The courts ordered against reintroducing another marking of vadakalai or tenkalai character on the deity. The temple infrastructure has a large pond called as Kalyani . The beauty of the steps leading to water and the mantapas built all around are such that it has been captured in many Indian films. One of

3034-429: The demon Hiranyakashipu was killed by Nrsimha, Prahlad was advised by his elders to do penance, so that “Pitra-dosha” does not affect him. So this is the place where Prahlad worshipped Nrsimha in the form of Shaligram. The priests of this temple follow the pancharatra and vadakalai traditions. The temple tower in this temple has vadakalai markings as the court ruling was not to remove these symbols. The marking on

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3108-413: The direct control of Yadu yatirajagiri matha. On the top of the hill is an attractive Melkote Narasimha temple dedicated to Lord Yoga Narasimha. It is believed that the image of Yoga Narasimha temple at Melkote was installed by Prahlada himself. Krishnaraja Wodeyar III presented a gold crown to Lord Yoga Narasimha. It is also believed that this is the place where Prahlad did his penance. Since his father,

3182-517: The drought-stricken land. Another story narrates that during the Samudra Manthana , or churning of the Ocean of Milk , Mohini and Lopamudra retrieved the nectar of immortality for the gods. Afterwards, Brahma took care of Lopamudra as his daughter and later offered her to king Kavera, who renamed her as Kaveri. When Kaveri grew up she prayed to Brahma to transform her into a purifying river. As per

3256-458: The festival. The actual celebrations take place over the course of thirteen days. Garudotsava is celebrated a day before the Brahmotsava at Melkote. The district administration of Mandya makes arrangements for bringing the Vairamudi crown from the Mandya treasury to the temple amidst great security measures. It is believed that the crown must not be exposed to daylight. When not in the procession

3330-488: The goddess Kaveri. The river is mentioned in various Hindu religious texts including the Mahabharata and the Puranas . In ancient Tamil literature , the river is referenced to as Ponni meaning "the golden one". Kaveri is mentioned in Sanskrit as a holy river in various Hindu religious texts including the Mahabharata and the Puranas . The name itself might have had different etymologies. As per Skanda Purana ,

3404-424: The idol "Cheluva pille!" (Beloved son) and the idol comes to him. Ramanuja takes the idol back to Melkote, however the princess follows him, unwilling to part with the idol. The princess becomes one with the idol out of devotion and to this day is honoured as "Bibi Nachiyar". The legend however is anachronistic as the delhi sultanate was established in the 13th century while Ramanujacharya is believed to have lived in

3478-429: The image of Cheluvanarayana Swamy only during a specific annual festival known as Vairamudi habba (literally "Diamond crown festival"). This festival commemorates, and is named after, the oldest crown, of unknown origin. The Vairamudi festival, which is the chief annual celebration, is attended by more than 400,000 people. Jatra ( chariot festival , when the utsava murthy of the deity is taken in procession through

3552-743: The implementation of the provisions of the tribunal order. In April 1997, the Attorney General of India reverted that the central government has prepared a scheme under the Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956 for the implementation of the tribunal award and the Cauvery Water Authority (CRA) and Cauvery Monitoring Committee (CMC) were formed subsequently as a part of the Cauvery Water (Implementation of Interim Orders of 1991 and all subsequent Tribunal Orders) Scheme, 1998. The CRA

3626-417: The kings of the surya vamsa Dynasty for generations. Later the same deity was given to a king of Chandra vamsam (the dynasty of Lord Krishna ) and was worshipped by Lord Krishna and many generations. So CheluvaNarayana is so unique that he was worshipped by both Rama and Krishna. According to a legend, this metallic image was lost for many centuries and was recovered by Sri Ramanujacharya. The annual report of

3700-580: The legendary diamond studded crown, the Vaira Mudi, which the Lord only wears during this procession. For the rest of the festival the Lord wears the Rajamudi, another crown studded with precious stones. According to Hindu legends, Vairamudi, the diamond crown, was stolen from Lord Narayana , when he was asleep at his abode in the Ksheera Sagara (Milky Ocean), by Virochana. Virochana was the king of demons and

3774-548: The name Kaveri. After flowing for 16 km (9.9 mi), the two branches converge around the Srirangam island. The river further branches off into 36 different channels before emptying into the Bay of Bengal near Puhar in Mayiladuthurai district . The river traverses for about 416 km (258 mi) in Tamil Nadu for a total length of about 800 km (500 mi). The Kaveri River has 21 major tributaries. The largest tributary Hemavati , and Lakshmana Tirtha join

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3848-463: The oldest crown, it has a special place in ritual ceremonies, and has a special annual commemoration named after it, namely the vairamudi habba. Despite all the royal connections of the other two crowns, it is only the old vairamudi to be distinguished this way. All the three crowns are kept in the safe custody of the state government at the Mandya Treasury. They are brought to the temple to adorn

3922-404: The past. Access to the river's waters has been a cause of dispute among the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for decades. The Kaveri basin is a densely populated region, with several towns and cities located on its banks. The river is considered as sacred by the people of Southern India and is considered to be among the seven holy rivers of India. The river is often personified and worshiped as

3996-494: The priests keep the crown hidden from view in a sacred casket. On the evening of the procession, the crown is placed in front of the sanctum of Sri Acharya Ramanuja and the head priest places the Vaira Mudi and fits it to the statue of the Lord Cheluva Narayana. It is tradition that not even the head priest should look at the Vaira Mudi with naked eyes until it is fitted onto the Lord. Hence the priest covers his eyes with

4070-432: The recent time has been over exploited by the flower decorators and local doctors. There is a vast forest land near this place and a wild life sanctuary was opened on 17 June 1974, to protect the species like wolves and black buck which are plenty in the area. From here visitors can also visit Thondanoor a nearby temple town, the location of the famous Nambi Narayana, Parthasarathi, Yoganarasimha and Ramanuja temples. This

4144-524: The riparian states and territories in the river basin. In an order passed in June 1991, the CWDT directed Karnataka to release 205 tmc ft of water per year to Tamil Nadu based on a specific schedule. The water was to be released in four equal installments in a particular month and any shortfall would need to be covered in the subsequent week. Tamil Nadu was directed to provide 6 tmc ft of water to Puducherry. In July 1991,

4218-422: The river arose after Ganesha took a form of a crow and toppled sage Agastya 's kamandala . The river then took its name from the Tamil language words kā meaning "crow" and viri meaning "spread" literally translating to "spread by a crow". It might also mean a river with wide spread banks as viri can also be translated as wide spread. The etymology of the river might have also been derived from kāviri ,

4292-440: The river at Krishna Raja Sagara . Kabini is another major contributor to the flow of Kaveri and joins the river in Karnataka. It meets with its second largest tributary Bhavani at Kooduthurai in Bhavani and two other tributaries Noyyal , and Amaravati join further down the stream in Tamil Nadu. Other tributaries of Kaveri include Shimsha , Arkavati , Sarabanga , and Thirumanimutharu . Source: The Kaveri basin

4366-509: The river basin including significant tiger and elephant habitats. The basin provides habitat to a range of animal species such as gaur , leopard , sloth bear , Bengal tiger , Indian elephant , Nilgiri tahr , grizzled giant squirrel , and various species of deer, wild boar and reptiles. The river also hosts a variety of avifauna including the painted stork ( Mycteria leucocephala ), spot-billed pelican ( Pelecanus philippensis ), and black-headed ibis ( Threskiornis melanocephalus ). It

4440-422: The river drops 91 m (299 ft) and forms the Shivanasamudra Falls , one of the largest waterfalls in the country. After forming the island of Shivanasamudra, the river converges and passes through the Mekedatu gorge. After flowing for 320 km (200 mi) in Karnataka, the river flows for about 64 km (40 mi) along the Karnataka- Tamil Nadu border. The river enters Tamil Nadu and forms

4514-441: The son of Prahlada . Garuda was asked by the lord's devotees to bring back the crown. Garuda went after Virochana to the nether world, fought with the demon king and flew back with the crown. According to the legend it is believed that Vairamudi lost its blue gem on the crest while Garuda was bringing it. The blue gem is believed to have fallen near Nachiar Koil, a temple town in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu. The gem turned into

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4588-435: The songs of Hindi Block-buster film Damini featuring Rishi Kapoor and Minakshi Sheshadri has been shot at here in Melukote Temple. There are other shrines of Ramanuja, images of Alvars and Yadugiriammanavaru etc., in the temple. On top of the hill is the impressive temple of Yoganarasimha. Krishnaraja Wodeyar III presented a gold crown to this upper shrine. There is a big pond there. Many more shrines and ponds are located in

4662-414: The southern end of Melkote, and contains schools that practice the gurukul system of Sanskrit education as well as those that teach in modern methods, libraries, halls and temples, all dedicated to the study of Sanskrit language and texts. The private library of the Yatirajaswamigalu of Melkote contains a large number of Sanskrit and Kannada works bearing on the Vishishtadvaita school of philosophy,

4736-405: The streets of the town) is held annually during March–April and more than one lakh people congregate for this occasion. A number of inscriptions and records of the place speak of other land grants and gifts to this shrine. Perhaps the fort on the hill was built during Hoysala and Vijayanagara period. The renovated temple has a beautiful gopura was built by Vijayanagar Dynasty. This temple is under

4810-428: The temple on a specific annual occasion to adorn the image of Cheluvanarayana Swamy . According to legend Ramanujacharya goes to Delhi to retrieve the utsava-murti that had been stolen from the temple. The Delhi Sultan shows Ramanujacharya his treasury of looted statues, however the idol Ramapriya is not among them. The next day Ramanuja finds the idol being played with as a doll by the Sultan's princess. He calls out to

4884-425: The town. Melukote has been a centre of learning. It has contributed many literary figures, such as Tirumalarya, Chikkupadhyaya, Alasingachar and Pu. Ti. Narasimhachar. Sri Vedavedantha Bodhini Sanskrit College is one of the oldest institutions here, established in 1854. An old library founded in 1935, contains large number of Sanskrit , Kannada , Tamil and Telugu books and manuscripts. In 1976, opening in 1978,

4958-416: The union territory of Puducherry . Over half of the Kaveri basin is arable and the most cultivated crops are rice and sugarcane . An estimate at the time of the first Five Year Plan put the total flow of the river at 15 cubic kilometres (12,000,000 acre⋅ft), of which 60% was used for irrigation. The river is also used for drinking water and hydroelectric power generation. The Grand Anicut

5032-412: The various origins of the river. Shiva filled Agastya 's bowl with Kaveri, who flowed as a river with the help of Ganesha . In another legend, Lopamudra becomes Agastya's wife and takes on a form of water during a severe drought in South India. Agastya carries her in his small brass water pot and Ganesha, in the form of crow, knocks the water pot down. The spilled water runs down the hill and onto

5106-448: Was constructed by a Chola King in 2nd century CE. The hydroelectric plant built on the Sivanasamudra Falls in 1902 was the first hydroelectric plant in Asia. The Mettur Dam in Tamil Nadu was constructed in 1934 and the Stanley Reservoir formed by the dam has a capacity of 93.4 tmc ft . Krishna Raja Sagara in Karnataka is the second largest dam on the river and has a capacity of 49.5 tmc ft . Bhavanisagar Dam (32.8 tmc ft) on

5180-434: Was formed in the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous period during Gondwana breakup and opening of the Indian Ocean . Most of the basin is made up of Precambrian rocks and the two major rock types that are found are metamorphic and igneous rocks. Closepet granite is found in the upper parts of the Kaveri basin and Charnockite rocks are only found in the central part. A 2017 paper proposed that an impact structure

5254-417: Was made the rajguru of Hoysala Empire , Lord Vishnu in a dream ordered Ramanuja to move to Melkote, where he would find the holy earth. Traditional accounts mention that the reason for travel was to search for namam clay for Srivaishnava Urdhva Pundra which was abundant in Melkote. Upon traveling, he found the holy earth and a vigraha of the god which was installed as the deity Tirunarayana of Melkote in

5328-452: Was present in the vicinity of the Kaveri river. The run-off from the river does not drain off quickly because of the shape of the river basin, which limits the occurrence of floods. It is a perennial river fed mostly by monsoons . Four distinct seasons occur in the basin with hot and cold seasons sandwiching the monsoon seasons. The river basin is fed by South-West monsoon in Karnataka, and North-East monsoon in Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri basin

5402-504: Was reserved for wastage into the sea. The court directed the government to form a Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) within six weeks and acting on the Supreme Court's direction, the central government constituted the CMWA in June 2018. In Hinduism , the river is considered one of seven holy rivers in India. The river is personified and worshiped as the river goddess Kaveri Amman . Kaveri

5476-415: Was worshiped at the shrine during the December 1098 CE period. This was also before Sri Ramanujacharya ventured to the Mysore region where he most likely would have used his influence to rebuild or renovate the temple. From the lithic records of the period, the existence of Tamil influence and Vaishnava worship are also evident. All three crowns are kept in the custody of the government and are brought to

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