Tirumakudalu-Narasipura , officially known as T.Narasipura
[1],is a
panchayat town in
Mysore district in the
Indian state of
Karnataka. The first letter “T” of the name (T.Narasipura) refers to Tirumakudalu, the confluence of the
Kaveri,
Kabini and Spatika Sarovar (a hidden mythical lake or spring, also named Gupta Gamini)and the peninsular town at this location is also called Tirumakudlu (Trimakuta in Sanskrit). This is the only place in
South India where three rivers meet, and the only place where
Kumbhamela is held in south India every three years. It finds a mention in the
Skanda Purana as one of the Trimakuta Kshetras (holy places with the confluence of three rivers.
[2]. The word 'Narasipur' is the name of the town, which is derived from the famous Gunja Narasimhaswamy temple that is located on the right bank of the
Kabini river. Considered as sacred as Prayag (confluence of the
Ganga, the
Yamuna and the
Saraswati at
Prayag –
Varanasi - Kashi in North India), it is also known as Dakshina
Kashi. The town finds its mention, both as a tourist place and a pilgrimage centre.[
edit] Mythology
It is said that Tirumakudlu is where Rishi
Agasthya had visualised it as 'Dakshina
Kashi' long long ago. When he travelled down South to Narsipur, the town was a thick forest. Enamoured by the confluence of the three rivers -
Kaveri,
Kapila and the undercurrent of Spatika Sarovara - he wanted to install a
Shiva Lingam there and asked Hanuman to get him a
lingam from
Kashi. Since the auspicious period lasting three-and-a-three-fourth of a galige was fast approaching and
Hanuman failed to get the
lingam on time, the sage created a sand
lingam himself and consecrated it. An insulted
Hanuman, who returned soon, cut off the top portion of the lingam and from the axed summit does the Spatika Sarovara flow out even to this day. The
lingam that
Hanuman brought was consecrated a little distance away and is called the
Hanuman Lingam.
The
Someshwara and Markandeshwara Lingam in T Narsipur and the Gargeshwara Lingam at Gargeshwari village, along with the
Agasthyeshwara and the
Hanuman Lingam, form the panchalingas of T Narsipur, just like the five lingams at
Talakad.
The legend associated with Gunja Narasimhaswamy Temple is that Lord Narasimhaswamy appeared in the dream of a washerman telling him that his idol lay beneath the stone on which he washed clothes everyday. The Lord told him to build a temple for him and asked him to look for gold coins beneath the stone which could be used for the construction of the temple. When the washerman expressed his wish to visit (
Kashi)
Varanasi on a pilgrimage, the Lord told him that the construction of a temple for Him had earned to him (washerman) an additional punya (blessing) of about a gulaganji (seed of a twig tree) than that which accrues by visiting
Kashi.
[
edit] Archeological Significance
T. Narasipur and its surrounding areas are prehistoric sites where many
Neolithic sites have been unearthed by the Department of Archeology and Museums of Karnataka. The rich and fertile areas of the taluk cultivated by the
Kaveri and its tributaries, has been the source of continued uninhibited human habitation, over the centuries, as verified by the ancient archeological evidences discovered in the area. The ancient sites excavated in the late fifties and up to mid sixties (between 1959 and 1965) on the left bank of the
Kaveri near the Bhiksheswara Temple opposite to the Narasipur town, which form part of the Upper
Kaveri basin, has established the
Neolithic phase in the region claiming a date from the first half of second millennium B.C which saw the gradual evolution of the peasants into food producing and settled communities responsible for the growth of civilization. The systematic ground excavations comprising burial ground remnants, potteries, graffiti, stone implements, metal objects, beads and bangles, animal remains, human remains, wood remains, etc examined in depth and in great detail have revealed four cultural phases at the sites, but the most outstanding phase has been deduced as the
Neolithic phase.
An authoritative report on the “Excavations at T.Narasipur” by Prof M.Seshadri, Director of Archeology of Mysore published in 1971 provides a detailed insight into the ancient pre-historic civilizational bearings of T.Narasipur town and its surroundings
[3].
[
edit] Demographics
As of 2001 India
census[3], Tirumakudal-Narsipur had a population of 9930. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Tirumakudal-Narsipur has an average literacy rate of 66%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 73%, and female literacy is 59%. In Tirumakudal-Narsipur, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
[
edit] Access
T. Narasipur is the taluk headquarters in
Mysore District of
Karnataka state,
India. It is 29 km South-East of
Mysore, the district headquarters and 130 km from
Bangalore, the state capital. Nearest airport is
Bangalore International Airport.
Mysore Junction Railway Station and
Nanjangud Town Railway Station are the nearest railheads. National Highway 212 passes through the area.
[
edit] Temples
It is a place of religious prominence. The Gunja Narasimha Swamy temple is a massive complex belonging to the
Vijayanagar period. The image of
Narasimha in the sanctum sanctorum has a twig with seed of the Gunja tree and hence is called Gunja Narasimha Swamy. The temple has inscriptions dating from the
Krishnadevaraya period with a mélange of
Dravidian and
Hoysala Architecture and is renowned for the voluminous records in
Nagari script. The temple more than 450 years old, which is in need of repair and restoration, is now being renovated by a donor - Dr N.V.Ramanuja Iyengar- an NRI.
[1]Apart from the Gunja Narasimha Swamy temple, there are many other temples such as the Agasthyeshwara temple (Sage
Agasthya founded and sanctified the Agasthyeshwara temple.This temple complex contains many monuments belonging to the
Ganga,
Chola,
Hoysala and
Vijayanagara periods at Thirumakudlu, the Bhiksheswara temple, the Moolasthaneshwara temple and the Anandeswara temple in the surrounding area.
[4][
edit] Religious festivals
The chariot festivals of Gunja Narasimha Swamy and Agastheswara, conducted every year, are attended by thousands of people.
The Kumbha Mela of T. Narasipur,
[2] of recent origin, since 1989, is an event that occurs once in three years. Organised by the Kumbha Mela Trust under the auspices of senior pontiffs and religious leaders of the State, the congregation is meant to underline the concept of unity in diversity. The
Kumbha Mela of
Allahabad and
Nasik is replicated at T. Narasipur when lakhs of devotees congregate and take a holy dip in the confluence of three rivers. A slice of ancient
India unfolds as ochre-clad
sadhus join people to take a dip at the confluence of the
Kaveri, the
Kabini, and the celestial lake "Spatika Sarovar".
[
edit] Industries
Silk Filature at T.Narasipur
[3] is a raw silk manufacturing unit. The unit manufactures raw silk yarn and transfer to meet the raw material requirement of silk weaving factory in
Mysore. The factory supplies raw silk yarn to its own silk weaving factory located in Mysore. Approximately 1000 Kilograms of cocoons are purchased daily from Govt. Controlled Market depending on needs and raw silk yarn known as filatures are produced. The purchase is done on almost daily basis, as the purchased cocoon cannot be stored for more than 2 to 3 days.
Sand extraction from the river bed is an activity which has caused increased river bank erosion, and frequent public protests are a common feature against this operation to no avail.
[
edit] Nearby places
Somanathapura, about 32 km East of
Mysore by road and about 14 km from T.Narasipur, a village on the left bank of the river
Cauvery is famous for Sri Venugopalaswamy temple and Sri Channakeshava temple built here in 1269 A.D & 1268 A.D by the
Hoysla King Narasimha with exquisite carvings. These temples are good examples of the
Hoysala architecture and are of great architectural and artistic interest.
Talakad an ancient town, situated on the left bank of the river
Cauvery, is 45 km South East of
Mysore or 5 km from T.Narasipur. Sri Kirtinarayana, Sri Kartikeya, Sri Vaideeswara, Sri Pataleswara and Sri Maraleswara temples are located in this town. Many more monuments lie buried in the barren expanse of sand dunes in the town.
This place is also tagged to the curse called “Curse of
Talakad”
[5] by Alamelamma on the
Wodeyar dynasty (erstwhile
Maharajas) of Mysore. The curse which has survived the folklore of last four hundred years is known thus:
-May Malangi turn into an unfathomed whirlpool
-May Talakad turn into a barren expanse of sand
-May the Rajas of Mysore not have children for all time to eternity!
Sosale is another important religious centre because of the famous Vyasraja mutt of the Madhva sect established there by Vysarajathirtha. It is located about 3 km from T.Narasipur.
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