Chamundi Hill (Mysuru)

 temple, hill, heritage, pilgrimage, nature conservation park / area, interesting place, tourist attraction

One of the most famous tourist destinations in the beautiful city of Mysore with a 2000 years old temple dedicated to Goddess Chamundeshwari. The hill is covered by decidious forest called Chamundeshwari reserve forest. There are few interesting wildlife like snakes and leapords.It peaks to about 1055 M above MSL.

The Chamundi Hills are located in India, close to the palace city of Mysore. Its average elevation is 1,000 meters.

Legend has it that that the demon Mahishasura, the king of the area that is currently Mysore, was killed by the Goddess Chamundeswari (also Chamundi) after a fierce battle. The hills hence got their name and a temple of the goddess was built on the top. The goddess is also known as MahishasuraMardini meaning She who slew Mahishasura. The temple has a very beautiful idol of the goddess wearing a garland of skulls. The temple has always been patronised by the rulers of Mysore. In earlier days, the Maharajas of Mysore would ride the ceremonial Dasara elephant during the annual Dasara festival, but after India gained independence, the idol of Goddess Chamundi is taken on an elephant.

A panoramic view of the city is seen from the top of the hills. Among other landmarks, you can see the race course, the Lalitha Mahal palace, Mysore Palace, Karanji and Kukkarahalli lakes. At dusk, the view of the city is especially beautiful, and on Sunday evenings and during the Dasara festival, the illuminated Mysore Palace glitters like gold.

There a long stairway leading to the top of the hill. There are around 1,000 steps in all, and climbing the first 400 or so steps takes some effort. En route to the top, the steps pass the large monolithic statue of Nandi the Bull. Nandi is the vahana (Vehicle) of Lord Shiva. Climbing gets easier soon afterwards.