Nanjangud, officially known as Nanjanagudu, is a town in the Mysuru district of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

. Nanjangud lies on the banks of the river Kapila (also called Kabini), 23 km from the city of

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

. Nanjangud is famous for the Srikanteshwara Temple located here. Nanjangud is also called Dakshina Kashi (southern Kashi). This town is also famous for a type of banana grown in the region called the ''Nanjanagoodu rasabale''. Nanjangud's local administrative unit was designated as a Municipal Committee in 2015 by including Devirammanahalli and Kallahalli village.

Origin of the name

The Srikanteshwara Temple at Nanjangud is dedicated to the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

supreme deity

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

, also called Sri Nanjundeshwara, (The Lord who drank poison). Nanjanagud literally means "the place where Nanja (Nanjundeshwara) resides" in

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

History

Nanjangud has been a major Shaiva centre for nearly a thousand years. Chola Kings in the 11th – 12th century are considered to have built this temple with significant additions by the Hoysalas and the Vijayanagara kings. This temple was later renovated by the

Hoysala The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later moved ...

kings. The

Wodeyar The Wadiyar dynasty (formerly spelt Wodeyer or Odeyer, also referred to as the Wadiyars of Mysore), is a late-medieval/ early-modern South Indian Hindu royal family of former kings of Mysore from the Urs clan originally based in Mysore city. ...

kings of

made various grants to renovate the temple. The state general secretary in Karnataka of Hindu Mahasabha, Dharmendra, threatened to kill Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai for the temple demolitions, resulting in his and several party officials' arrest.

Geography

Nanjangud is located at . It has an average elevation of 657 metres (2155 ft). The taluk borders

taluk of

district to the north, T Narsipur taluk of

district to the east, H D Kote taluk of

district to the west and Gundlupet and Chamarajanagar taluks of Chamarajanagar district to the south.

Getting there

Nanjanagud is 24 km from Mysuru and 165 km from Bengaluru Via NH766. Buses are available from Bengaluru, Mysuru city by city bus and Chamarajanagar. The nearest airport is

Mysore Airport Mysore Airport , also known as Mandakalli Airport, is a domestic airport serving Mysore, a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located near the village of Mandakalli, south of the city, and is owned and operated by the Airports Aut ...

situated at Mandakalli at a distance of 16 km from Nanjangud and 10 km from Mysuru. Nanjangud has two railway stations - the Nanjangud Town railway station and the Sujathapuram railway station. Usually only slow trains stop here, except the Chamarajanagar-

Tirupati Tirupati () is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirupati district. The city is home to the important Hindu shrine of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and other historic temples and is re ...

express train.

Places to see

Nanjundeshwara Temple

This temple is the most famous attraction of the town. It is believed that sage Gauthama stayed here for some time and installed a

Lingam A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary '' murti'' or devotional ...

, the idol form of

Parashurama Kshetra

Near Nanjangud is the confluence of the Kapila and Kaundinya rivers. This place is termed as Parashurama Kshetra where the sage Parashurama is said to have cleansed himself from the sin of beheading his mother.

Oldest bridge in India

The bridge across the Kabini river has been declared as the oldest bridge with both a railway line and a road by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

. It is located at the entrance of temple town here. The bridge, built in 1735, is now 283 years old and a Heritage Monument declared by the Government of India.

Guru Dataatreya Swamy Temple

The Dattaatreya Temple is located near the Chamundeshwari Temple on the banks of River Kapila. The idols of Sri Maha Sharabheshwara and Sri Pratyangira Devi are also installed in this temple.

Hemmaragala Santhana Gopala Swamy Temple

This temple is also known as Hemmaragala Huchu Gopala Santhana Venugopala Swamy or Koundinya Maharshi Kshetra. It is located 13.3 km from the main Nanjangud Srikanteshwara temple. The main idol is called Tribhangi Kolalu Gopala. It is believed to be around 1800 years old and believed to grant children to childless couples. In the temple there are columns and pillars depicting the architecture of Vijayanagara era.

Other attractions

Scenic places within a 100 km radius of Nanjangud include Bandipur National Park, Shivsamudram Falls and the Kabini Reservoir.

Economy

Nanjangud is home to many industries which are mainly located in the Nanjangud Industrial Area which is spread across . It all started with the now closed Sujatha Textile Mills (STM) which at its peak used to employ about 3000 people. Since then, STM has closed down. However, there are other industries which thrived. There are 36 major industries, 12 medium industries and 35 small-scale units at Nanjangud. According to NIA, Nanjangud is the second highest tax-paying (sales tax of over Rs 400 crore a year) taluk in the State after Bangalore.

Sports

Football player N.S.Manju is originally from Nanjangud.

Nanjanagudu Banana

Nanjangud Rasabaale is a popular variety of the banana fruit, originating from the Devarasanahalli Village. The Nanjanagudu banana has been accorded

Geographical Indication A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town, region, or country). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, ...

tag(GI), number 29. List of Geographical Indications in India Kayyar Kinhanna Rai has authored a famous Kannada poem on the banana titled "Hannu Maruvavana Haadu".

Image gallery

File:Temple Road, Nanjangud.jpg, Ambedkar Circle File:Vivekananda Park Nanjangud.jpg, Vivekananda Park File:Mahadeshwara Temple.jpg, Mahadeshara Temple File:Nanjangud town.jpg, Nanjangud Ground File:Post office Nanjangud.jpg, Court File:Sathyanaratana Temple, Nanjangud.jpg, Sri Sathyanarayana Temple File:Paddy fields at Nanjangud.jpg, Paddy fields at Nanjangud File:Nanjangud Shiva statue.jpg, Statue of Lord Shiva, near Srikanteshwara Temple

Location

References

External links

{{Hindu temples in Karnataka Cities and towns in Mysore district Tourist attractions in Mysore district