Shri Krauncha Giri Temple, Bellary district of Karnataka.

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Shri Krauncha Giri Temple

Krauncha Giri is believed to be the first abode of Lord Subramanya in the South India. It is located 10kms from Sandur in Bellary district of Karnataka.

The unique feature of the mountain is its elliptical shape with a diametric narrow pass.
 According to the legends, this gap in the mountain is made by Lord Subramanya, when he cut the mountain in the battle with the demon Taraka from his sphere weapon,Vel, to kill the demon who was hidden in the  mountain.  This mountain is also associated with legends of the sages Agastya and Parasurama.  Kalidasa in the work Megha Sandesa describes the gap in the mountain.

The temple is located in the south west corner of India. The complex houses temples of  Parvathi and Kumaraswami. The idol of Lord Ganesha is very famous in this temple.

According to the legends, the Parvathi temple was  bulit by the Badami Chalukyas and the temple has Goddess Parvathi as the main deity.  Currently, the temple is called Kumaraswamy temple and was consercated by the rulers of the Rashtrakutas (8th-10th century).  The presiding deity of the temple is the Lord Subramanya.  The temple is  now a protected monument.  It was discovered by the local rulers, the Ghorpades, in the thickly-wooded Swamimalai hill in the 15th century.
In the beginning, the women were strictly not allowed to enter the shrine. After October 1996, Murarirao Yeshwantrao Ghorpade removed the ban on women. The Ghorpades, loved and respected by the locals, had declared the temple open to Harijans as early as the 1930s.

After learning this,  on his visit to Sandur in 1934, Mahatma Gandhi said, "A small state in South India has opened the temple to the Harijans, and the heavens have not fallen."

Vidyashankara Temple,Sringeri, Karnataka

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Vidyashankara Temple

Shringeri is the site of one of the original Advaitha maths established by Shri Adi Shankara himself.  It has a continuing tradition and recorded history from the eighth century.  Shri Adi Shankara’s disciple Sureshwarachrya was the first head of this math.

The Vidyashankara temple was built in the year of 1338 A.D. The temple has a unique feature of the monuments, which is entirely built of stone combining both Hoysala (Chalukya) and Dravidian architectural styles. The structure stands on a high plinth and commands a magnificent view from the hills and their slopes all round. On the western side of the temple is the Garbhagriha, with Vidya Ganapati on one side and Durga on the other side of the entrance. Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu , Lord Maheshwara appear with their consorts on the other three sides of the Garbhagriha.
On the eastern half of the structure,  is a mandapa with twelve pillars, huge monoliths carrying large figures and carrying heavy projecting corbels on top.  These twelve pillars are represented by the twelve signs of the zodiac, and arranged in their regular order. On the floor is a large circle, marked with converging lines to indicate the direction of the shadows. The central ceiling is an exquisite piece of workmanship with lotus and pecking parrots.
The vimana over the Garbhagriha rises magnificiently with sikhara, mahapadma and stupi. The rest of the roof is made up of sloping channelled slab. The basement is elaborately sculpted with animals, puranic stories, Shiva, Vishnu, Dasavatara, Kali, Shanmukha and so on.  From the caves of the corners of the central hall, chains of stone rings hang which is a common feature of the Vijayanagar period.

This temple is very large store house of the scupltures. The meditation of the Linga (Vidya Shankara Linga) in the sanctum and other Murtis will lead to divine realization.
Vidyatirtha Rathotsava (car festival) is celebrated on a grand scale, during Kartika Shukla paksha. The festival spans for seven days from Tritiya to Navami. On the Saptami day, His Holiness performs special pooja. The Aradhana of Shri Vidya Shankara is also performed on sashti, saptami and ashtami.

 This temple is under the care of the Archaeological Survey of India, owing to its architectural marvel.

This temple also houses a broken sandalwood idol of Sharadamba, believed to have been installed in the Sharadamba temple, by Adi Shankara Himself. This idol, it is believed, was damaged during the Muslim invasion, and Shri Vidyaranya had the current gold statue of Sharadamba installed in its place