THE KODANDA RAMASWAMI TEMPLE IN HIREMAGALURU

A rare and ancient temple of Lord Rama is present in Hiremagaluru, Karnataka. Read on...

- Hema Rajaraman

The town of Hiremagaluru is situated at a distance of just 4 kms from Chikkamagalur in Karnataka. Hiremagaluru was earlier called as Bhargavapuri in ancient times. It is believed that Lord Parashurama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, lived in this town and hence this town became popular as Bhargavapuri (Lord Parashurama had another name as Lord Bhargava). Nine Siddhas (Saints) performed penance near a pond called ‘’Siddha Pushkarini’’ in this region.

Hiremagaluru is very popular among devotees due to the presence of an ancient Kodanda Ramaswami temple dedicated to Lord Rama. The main Deity of this temple is Lord Kodanda Ramaswami. The celebrated bow of Lord Rama is called ‘Kodanda’ and since the Lord is armed with it, He is worshipped as Lord Kodanda Ramaswami. Generally, Goddess Sita is seen towards the left and Lord Lakshmana towards the right of Lord Rama, in all major temples in India. This is probably the only temple where Goddess Sita can be seen towards the right and Lord Lakshmana towards the left of Lord Rama! The Mythology of this temple explains the reason behind this rare posture of Lord Rama, Goddess Sita and Lord Lakshmana. Lord Parashurama is a unique