Nanjangud
Encyclopedia
Nanjangud is a town in Mysore district
in the India
n state
of Karnataka
. It is a temple town and is on the banks of the river Kapila (Kabini), and lies at a distance of 23 km from the city of Mysore.Nanjangud is famous for Srikanteshwara Temple
. Nanjangud is also called as "Dakshina Kashi" (southern Kashi
).
at Nanjangud is dedicated to the Hindu
God Shiva
, also called Sri Nanjundeshwara, "The God who drank poison" to save the earth. In Hindu mythology, the Gods and demons churned the ocean in search of the ambrosia. During this churning, poison emanated first, followed by ambrosia. To prevent the poison from spreading across the universe and to destroy it, Shiva
came to the rescue and drank it up. His wife Parvati
then held his throat tightly to prevent the poison from spreading to the rest of his body and killing him. Narada held his mouth so that he did not vomit it out. The poison remained in his throat, making it blue in colour. For this reason, Shiva is also called Neelakantha, or "the blue-throated one". Nanjanagud literally means "the place where Nanjundeshwara resides."
and Tipu Sultan
had close associations with this temple. The Wodeyar
kings of Mysore made various grants to renovate the temple.
and Chamarajanagar
taluks of Chamarajanagar
district to the south.
WikiMapia.org Link: http://wikimapia.org/#lat=12.119516&lon=76.684484&z=15&l=0&m=a&v=2
, one can take the State Highway 17 which goes to Mysore and then onwards to Nanjangud. The total distance from Bangalore
to Nanjangud is around 163 km.
Another route is about 30 km from Mysore, which takes 30 minutes by road. Interestingly, the now dilapidated bridge on the river Kabini on the highway near Sujathapuram, is said to be the oldest in India.
line (the standard gauge followed by Indian Railways) which runs from Mysore to Nanjangud. Mysore being an important location is well connected by rail to major cities in India
and hence passengers can stop over at Mysore and take another train to reach Nanjangud. There is also a proposal to connect the Nanjagud to Nilambur Road in Kerala.It will become the shortest route between Trivandrum and Bangalore, the state capitals. Also proposed is the linking of the railway line at Chamarajanagar
to the railway line at Mettupalayam in Tamil Nadu
which will provide connectivity between Nanjangud and other cities in south India
.
The gauge conversion of the railway track from Mysore to Chamarajanagar
has been completed.
for reaching Nanjangud.
, the idol form of Shiva
. Nanjangud is also known as Dakshina Kashi or Varanasi
of the South.
The temple was originally built by the Ganga
rulers in the 9th century during their occupation of this region. The residing deity of the temple was later called Hakim Nanjunda; as given by the Tippu Sultan as it is said a favorite elephant of his was cured after prayer was offered to the deity. The same story is attributed to Hyder too ( as per Mysore Gazetteer)! It is said and inscribed in the temple history that his favourite and beloved elephant was bestowed with eyesight by the Lord, after Tippu Sultan's vow with the local deity. The Sultan then had a Lingam
made of jade
along with an emerald necklace and donated it to the temple. The Vaidya Nanjundeswara, even today is said to be a healer for his believers, and one can see even today worshippers doing Urulu seve, a ritualistic practice after taking bath in the Kapila river.
Twice every year thousands of worshippers gather for the famous Chariot
Festival locally known as the Dodda Jathre and the Chikka Jathre. Idols of Lord Srikanteshwara, Goddess Parvathi, Lord Ganapathi, Lord Subramanya and Lord Chandikeshwara are kept in five separate chariots and a traditional puja is performed to the idols early in the morning on the Jathre day. After the puja chariots are flagged off. Thousands of devotees pull the Chariots carved out of wood, across the streets of the old town. The town remains immersed in festivities on the Jathre days.
The very famous Sree Srikanteshwara Suprabhata Stotram was composed by Veda Brahma. Turuvekere Subrahmanya Vishweshwara Dikshith also known as Sri. T. S. Vishweshwara Dikshith. Veda. Brahma. T. S. Vishweshwara Dikshith was born in Turuvekere
, a small town in Tumkur district and was the Sanskrit professor in Maharaja Sanskrit College in the Royal Kingdom of Mysore
and resided at Mysore. He was also the Aasthana Vidwan of Alankaara Shasthra of King Jayachamaraja Wodeyar Bahadur
. Sri. T. S. Vishweshwara Dikshith was a learned Sanskrit
scholar in several Vedas
(Yajur Veda in particular) and specialised in Ghana Krama - which is the essence of the Vedas
. He also composed the Sree Sharada Suprabhata and Sree Chandramoulishwara Suprabhata of Sri Sharada temple, Shringeri
and Sri Chandramoulishwara temple in V. V. Mohalla, Mysore respectively. He was a Ghana Pati and had mastered several Shastras such as Alankara Shastra, Jyothishya Shastra (Astrology), Tarka, and Vyakarana
(Literature) to name a few. He received several awards and accolodates from the Maharaja of Mysore
, and their holiness the pointiffs' of Sringeri Sharada Peetham
and Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam respectively for his contributions made to Sanskrit Literature
.
The Idol of Sri Raghavendra Swamy at Nanjangu. This is the only Idol of Raghavendra Swamy.
History of Idol
During 1836-61 Sri Sujnanendra Teertharu adorned the Peeta of Sri Rayara Mutt, which is Srimadaachraya's Moola paramapare. This skilled ascetic and great genius, had aspirations to attain brindavana in the proximity of Sri Rayaru at Mantralaya Kshetra. As he neared his last days, Sri Gururajaru came in his dreams and instructed "You don't need to come all the way to Mantralaya. I myself would come to you. One Brahman would fetch my idol and hand it over to you. You can consecrate that at Nanjanagudu. You will get help from Maharaja, and you will be granted a day around my own".
There was a Brahman in Srirangapatna, who was suffering from multiple difficulties and had involved himself in the service of Sri Gururajaru. On an auspicious night, Rayaru came in his dreams and blessed him saying "a washerman would give my idol to you, you have to take it on foot to Nanjanagudu and hand it over to Sri Sujnanendra Teertharu who has a special affection towards me. Your difficulties would be resolved through Sujnanendra Teertharu". There was a washerman, washing clothes by beating them hard on a stone at the banks of River Kaveri at Srirangapattana. This was his usual every day work and nothing appeared to be special. But one day he observed that every beat of the cloth on the stone was producing a devine tune of 'AUM'. He then stopped using that stone to wash clothes. That same night, he witnessed Sri Rayaru in his dreams, who told him "Tomorrow a Brahman would come to you. You give him the stone, which you are using to wash the clothes. I myself am beneath it. Your days of suffering would end from tomorrow". He then disappeared.During those days, Krishnaraja Wodeyar III was the King of Mysore and he was known to be 'Rajarshi'. He had special blessings from Sri Subhodendra Teertharu and Sri Sujanendra Teertharu, pontiffs of Sri Raghavendra Teerethara Mutt. Because of them the King had a loyalty towards Madhwa Matha. He had a mrithika Brindavana of Sri Rayaru in his private space at the Palace and ensured daily pooja to the same and thus exhibiting his special devotion. One day Sri Rayaru appeared in King's dream and said "Sri Sujnanendra Teertharu is going to consecrate myself in the form of an idol at Nanjanagudu. You are to enable him for that by providing all support and get felicitated by him" . He then disappeared.
All these incidents had taken place simultaneously at once. The next day, as directed by Rayaru, Brahman collected the idol from the washer man set on foot towards Nanjanagudu with utmost cleanliness and devotion and offered the same to Sri Sujnanendra Teertharu. In an auspicious time, Sri Sujnanendra Teertharu consecrated the idol of Sri Rayaru at Nanjanagud. All the help on this were offered by Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, who was blessed. The Brahman and Washer man were provided with special facilities as appropriate.
After sometime, it was the aradhane of Sri Gururajaru and a day after the uttara aradhane, Sri Sujnanendra Teertharu attained the Lotus feet of Sri Hari. His poorva aradhane coincides with uttara aradhane of Sri Rayaru. Since Rayaru knew this beforehand, as promised, he came to Nanjanagudu and stayed along with Sri Sujnanendra Teertharu and blessed him by sharing the aradhane days with himself.
It is said that Parashurama got immense peace of mind at this place which he did not get anywhere else. So he decided to make a penance at the place where Nanjundeshwara temple presently exists. At that time, only Adi Keshava Temple existed (which is now by the side of main-shrine). While cleaning up the place with his axe, he accidentally hit the head of Lord Shiva, who was performing penance underground. Blood started flowing and Parushurama was frightened to have committed another sin. Then Lord Shiva consoled him not to worry and build a temple of his, adjacent to Adi Keshava's. Lord Shiva also told Parashurama to perform penance at Nanjangud. Parashurama performed at the place where his temple presently is located. Lord Shiva was then immensely happy with it and gave blessings that those who visit Nanjangud should definitely visit Parashurama temple to complete their piligrimage effectively and fruitfully.
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Mysore district
Mysore District is an administrative district located in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. The district is bounded by Mandya district to the northeast, Chamrajanagar district to the southeast, Kerala state to the south, Kodagu district to the west, and Hassan district to the north...
in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
. It is a temple town and is on the banks of the river Kapila (Kabini), and lies at a distance of 23 km from the city of Mysore.Nanjangud is famous for Srikanteshwara Temple
Srikanteshwara Temple,Nanjangud
Nanjangud is one of the Hindu pilgrimage centres of Southern India and is known for the Huge Ancient Temple of Lord Srikanteshwara dedicated to Lord Shiva also known as Lord Nanjundeshwara. Nanjangud Temple is located in the town on the right bank of River Kapila...
. Nanjangud is also called as "Dakshina Kashi" (southern Kashi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
).
Origin of the name
The Srikanteshwara TempleSrikanteshwara Temple,Nanjangud
Nanjangud is one of the Hindu pilgrimage centres of Southern India and is known for the Huge Ancient Temple of Lord Srikanteshwara dedicated to Lord Shiva also known as Lord Nanjundeshwara. Nanjangud Temple is located in the town on the right bank of River Kapila...
at Nanjangud is dedicated to the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
God Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
, also called Sri Nanjundeshwara, "The God who drank poison" to save the earth. In Hindu mythology, the Gods and demons churned the ocean in search of the ambrosia. During this churning, poison emanated first, followed by ambrosia. To prevent the poison from spreading across the universe and to destroy it, Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
came to the rescue and drank it up. His wife Parvati
Parvati
Parvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...
then held his throat tightly to prevent the poison from spreading to the rest of his body and killing him. Narada held his mouth so that he did not vomit it out. The poison remained in his throat, making it blue in colour. For this reason, Shiva is also called Neelakantha, or "the blue-throated one". Nanjanagud literally means "the place where Nanjundeshwara resides."
History
Nanjangud has been a major Shaiva centre for nearly a thousand years. It is the biggest temple in Karnataka. The original Nanjundeshwaraa temple is said to be of Ganga period (325 - 1000 CE). This temple has then been renovated by the Hoysala kings. Both Hyder AliHyder Ali
Hyder Ali was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born Hyder Naik, he distinguished himself militarily, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's rulers...
and Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...
had close associations with this temple. The Wodeyar
Wodeyar
The Wodeyar dynasty was an Indian royal dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Mysore from 1399 to 1947, until the independence of India from British rule and the subsequent unification of the Indian dominion and princely states into the Republic of India.The spelling Wodeyar/Wadiyar is found in most...
kings of Mysore made various grants to renovate the temple.
Geography
Nanjangud is located at 15.12°N 76.68°E. It has an average elevation of 657 metres (2155 ft). The taluk borders Mysore taluk of Mysore district to the north, T Narsipur taluk of Mysore district to the east, H D Kote taluk of Mysore district to the west and GundlupetGundlupet
Gundlupet is a town in Chamarajanagar district in the Indian state of Karnataka. This small town is about 56 km from the Mysore-Ooty / Mysore-Calicut road and about 200 km from Bangalore. Gundlupet is the last town in Karnataka en route to Ooty or Kozhikode.The Bandipur National Park...
and Chamarajanagar
Chamarajanagar
Chamarajanagar is a town in the southern end of Karnataka, a state in India. It is also the headquarters of the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka. It is named after Chamaraja Wodeyar IX , king of Mysore, who was born in the town...
taluks of Chamarajanagar
Chamarajanagar
Chamarajanagar is a town in the southern end of Karnataka, a state in India. It is also the headquarters of the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka. It is named after Chamaraja Wodeyar IX , king of Mysore, who was born in the town...
district to the south.
WikiMapia.org Link: http://wikimapia.org/#lat=12.119516&lon=76.684484&z=15&l=0&m=a&v=2
By Road
From the state capital BangaloreBangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, one can take the State Highway 17 which goes to Mysore and then onwards to Nanjangud. The total distance from Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
to Nanjangud is around 163 km.
Another route is about 30 km from Mysore, which takes 30 minutes by road. Interestingly, the now dilapidated bridge on the river Kabini on the highway near Sujathapuram, is said to be the oldest in India.
By Rail
Nanjangud has a railway station with broad gaugeBroad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
line (the standard gauge followed by Indian Railways) which runs from Mysore to Nanjangud. Mysore being an important location is well connected by rail to major cities in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and hence passengers can stop over at Mysore and take another train to reach Nanjangud. There is also a proposal to connect the Nanjagud to Nilambur Road in Kerala.It will become the shortest route between Trivandrum and Bangalore, the state capitals. Also proposed is the linking of the railway line at Chamarajanagar
Chamarajanagar
Chamarajanagar is a town in the southern end of Karnataka, a state in India. It is also the headquarters of the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka. It is named after Chamaraja Wodeyar IX , king of Mysore, who was born in the town...
to the railway line at Mettupalayam in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
which will provide connectivity between Nanjangud and other cities in south India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
The gauge conversion of the railway track from Mysore to Chamarajanagar
Chamarajanagar
Chamarajanagar is a town in the southern end of Karnataka, a state in India. It is also the headquarters of the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka. It is named after Chamaraja Wodeyar IX , king of Mysore, who was born in the town...
has been completed.
By air
The nearest airport is 15 kilometers on the highway between Nanjangd and Mysore. Alternatively one can use the airports at Coimbatore International Airport or KozhikodeKozhikode
Kozhikode During Classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, Kozhikkode was dubbed the "City of Spices" for its role as the major trading point of eastern spices. Kozhikode was once the capital of an independent kingdom of the same name and later of the erstwhile Malabar District...
for reaching Nanjangud.
Nanjundeshwara Temple
The town is famous because of the huge temple dedicated to Lord Nanjundeswara also referred to as Srikanteswara. It is believed that sage Gauthama stayed here for some time and installed a LingamLingam
The Lingam is a representation of the Hindu deity Shiva used for worship in temples....
, the idol form of Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
. Nanjangud is also known as Dakshina Kashi or Varanasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
of the South.
The temple was originally built by the Ganga
Gangas
The Western Ganga Dynasty was an important ruling dynasty of ancient Karnataka in India. They are known as Western Gangas to distinguish them from the Eastern Gangas who in later centuries ruled over modern Orissa...
rulers in the 9th century during their occupation of this region. The residing deity of the temple was later called Hakim Nanjunda; as given by the Tippu Sultan as it is said a favorite elephant of his was cured after prayer was offered to the deity. The same story is attributed to Hyder too ( as per Mysore Gazetteer)! It is said and inscribed in the temple history that his favourite and beloved elephant was bestowed with eyesight by the Lord, after Tippu Sultan's vow with the local deity. The Sultan then had a Lingam
Lingam
The Lingam is a representation of the Hindu deity Shiva used for worship in temples....
made of jade
Jade
Jade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...
along with an emerald necklace and donated it to the temple. The Vaidya Nanjundeswara, even today is said to be a healer for his believers, and one can see even today worshippers doing Urulu seve, a ritualistic practice after taking bath in the Kapila river.
Twice every year thousands of worshippers gather for the famous Chariot
Temple car
Temple cars are chariots used to carry representations of Hindu gods. The car is usually used on festival days, when many people pull the cart....
Festival locally known as the Dodda Jathre and the Chikka Jathre. Idols of Lord Srikanteshwara, Goddess Parvathi, Lord Ganapathi, Lord Subramanya and Lord Chandikeshwara are kept in five separate chariots and a traditional puja is performed to the idols early in the morning on the Jathre day. After the puja chariots are flagged off. Thousands of devotees pull the Chariots carved out of wood, across the streets of the old town. The town remains immersed in festivities on the Jathre days.
The very famous Sree Srikanteshwara Suprabhata Stotram was composed by Veda Brahma. Turuvekere Subrahmanya Vishweshwara Dikshith also known as Sri. T. S. Vishweshwara Dikshith. Veda. Brahma. T. S. Vishweshwara Dikshith was born in Turuvekere
Turuvekere
Turuvekere is a panchayat town in Tumkur district in the Indian state of Karnataka.-Geography:Turuvekere is located at , about 12 km, South of the Banasandra railway station. It has an average elevation of 794 metres ....
, a small town in Tumkur district and was the Sanskrit professor in Maharaja Sanskrit College in the Royal Kingdom of Mysore
Kingdom of Mysore
The Kingdom of Mysore was a kingdom of southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. The kingdom, which was ruled by the Wodeyar family, initially served as a vassal state of the Vijayanagara Empire...
and resided at Mysore. He was also the Aasthana Vidwan of Alankaara Shasthra of King Jayachamaraja Wodeyar Bahadur
Jayachamaraja Wodeyar Bahadur
Jayachamaraja Wodeyar Bahadur was the 25th and the last Maharaja of the princely state of Mysore from 1940 to 1950. He was a noted philosopher, musicologist, political thinker and philanthropist.-Biography:...
. Sri. T. S. Vishweshwara Dikshith was a learned Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
scholar in several Vedas
Vedas
The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
(Yajur Veda in particular) and specialised in Ghana Krama - which is the essence of the Vedas
Vedas
The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
. He also composed the Sree Sharada Suprabhata and Sree Chandramoulishwara Suprabhata of Sri Sharada temple, Shringeri
Shringeri
Sringeri , also written as Sringeri, Śŗngeri and Śŗngagiri is a hill town and taluk headquarters located in Chikmagalur district in the Indian state of Karnataka, is the site of the first maţha established by Adi Shankaracharya, Hindu theologian and exponent of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy, in...
and Sri Chandramoulishwara temple in V. V. Mohalla, Mysore respectively. He was a Ghana Pati and had mastered several Shastras such as Alankara Shastra, Jyothishya Shastra (Astrology), Tarka, and Vyakarana
Vyakarana
The Sanskrit grammatical tradition of ' is one of the six Vedanga disciplines. It has its roots in late Vedic India, and includes the famous work, The Sanskrit grammatical tradition of ' is one of the six Vedanga disciplines. It has its roots in late Vedic India, and includes the famous work, ...
(Literature) to name a few. He received several awards and accolodates from the Maharaja of Mysore
Maharaja of Mysore
Maharaja of Mysore was the principal title of the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in India.The Wodeyar dynasty founded a feudatory principality in 1399, which grew into the Kingdom of Mysore...
, and their holiness the pointiffs' of Sringeri Sharada Peetham
Sringeri Sharada Peetham
Sringeri Sharada Peetham is the southern Advaita Vedanta matha. It is located in Shringeri. It is claimed that it is the first of the four original mathas established by Adi Shankara.-Location:...
and Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam respectively for his contributions made to Sanskrit Literature
Sanskrit literature
Literature in Sanskrit begins with the Vedas, and continues with the Sanskrit Epics of Iron Age India; the golden age of Classical Sanskrit literature dates to late Antiquity . Literary production saw a late bloom in the 11th century before declining after 1100 AD...
.
Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutt
There is the famous Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutt which is called Preteeka Sanidhi (one can find an idol of Sri Raghavendra Swamy instead of the usual Brindavana). Also we can find the Moola Brindavanas (mortal remains) of 5 saints Sri Subodhendra teertha, Sri Sujanendra teertha, Sri Sujnanedra teertha, Sri Suprajnendra teertha and Sri Sukruteendra teertha belonging to the Raghavendra Swamy Mutt lineage known as Pancha Brindavana.Pancha Brindavana at Nanjangud
The Idol of Sri Raghavendra Swamy at Nanjangu. This is the only Idol of Raghavendra Swamy.
History of Idol
During 1836-61 Sri Sujnanendra Teertharu adorned the Peeta of Sri Rayara Mutt, which is Srimadaachraya's Moola paramapare. This skilled ascetic and great genius, had aspirations to attain brindavana in the proximity of Sri Rayaru at Mantralaya Kshetra. As he neared his last days, Sri Gururajaru came in his dreams and instructed "You don't need to come all the way to Mantralaya. I myself would come to you. One Brahman would fetch my idol and hand it over to you. You can consecrate that at Nanjanagudu. You will get help from Maharaja, and you will be granted a day around my own".
There was a Brahman in Srirangapatna, who was suffering from multiple difficulties and had involved himself in the service of Sri Gururajaru. On an auspicious night, Rayaru came in his dreams and blessed him saying "a washerman would give my idol to you, you have to take it on foot to Nanjanagudu and hand it over to Sri Sujnanendra Teertharu who has a special affection towards me. Your difficulties would be resolved through Sujnanendra Teertharu". There was a washerman, washing clothes by beating them hard on a stone at the banks of River Kaveri at Srirangapattana. This was his usual every day work and nothing appeared to be special. But one day he observed that every beat of the cloth on the stone was producing a devine tune of 'AUM'. He then stopped using that stone to wash clothes. That same night, he witnessed Sri Rayaru in his dreams, who told him "Tomorrow a Brahman would come to you. You give him the stone, which you are using to wash the clothes. I myself am beneath it. Your days of suffering would end from tomorrow". He then disappeared.During those days, Krishnaraja Wodeyar III was the King of Mysore and he was known to be 'Rajarshi'. He had special blessings from Sri Subhodendra Teertharu and Sri Sujanendra Teertharu, pontiffs of Sri Raghavendra Teerethara Mutt. Because of them the King had a loyalty towards Madhwa Matha. He had a mrithika Brindavana of Sri Rayaru in his private space at the Palace and ensured daily pooja to the same and thus exhibiting his special devotion. One day Sri Rayaru appeared in King's dream and said "Sri Sujnanendra Teertharu is going to consecrate myself in the form of an idol at Nanjanagudu. You are to enable him for that by providing all support and get felicitated by him" . He then disappeared.
All these incidents had taken place simultaneously at once. The next day, as directed by Rayaru, Brahman collected the idol from the washer man set on foot towards Nanjanagudu with utmost cleanliness and devotion and offered the same to Sri Sujnanendra Teertharu. In an auspicious time, Sri Sujnanendra Teertharu consecrated the idol of Sri Rayaru at Nanjanagud. All the help on this were offered by Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, who was blessed. The Brahman and Washer man were provided with special facilities as appropriate.
After sometime, it was the aradhane of Sri Gururajaru and a day after the uttara aradhane, Sri Sujnanendra Teertharu attained the Lotus feet of Sri Hari. His poorva aradhane coincides with uttara aradhane of Sri Rayaru. Since Rayaru knew this beforehand, as promised, he came to Nanjanagudu and stayed along with Sri Sujnanendra Teertharu and blessed him by sharing the aradhane days with himself.
Parashurama Kshetra
Near Nanjangud is the sangam, where the Kapila and Kaundinya rivers meet. This place is termed as Parashurama Kshetra which is where the sage Parashurama is said to have cleansed himself from the sin of beheading his mother.It is said that Parashurama got immense peace of mind at this place which he did not get anywhere else. So he decided to make a penance at the place where Nanjundeshwara temple presently exists. At that time, only Adi Keshava Temple existed (which is now by the side of main-shrine). While cleaning up the place with his axe, he accidentally hit the head of Lord Shiva, who was performing penance underground. Blood started flowing and Parushurama was frightened to have committed another sin. Then Lord Shiva consoled him not to worry and build a temple of his, adjacent to Adi Keshava's. Lord Shiva also told Parashurama to perform penance at Nanjangud. Parashurama performed at the place where his temple presently is located. Lord Shiva was then immensely happy with it and gave blessings that those who visit Nanjangud should definitely visit Parashurama temple to complete their piligrimage effectively and fruitfully.
Other attractions
Scenic places within a 50 km radius of Nanjangud include Eproo Waterfalls, Bandipur National Park, Shivsamudram, Shrirangapattanam (capital of Tippu Sultan kingdom), and Kabini Reservoir.Ayurveda
Nanjangud is famous for the Ayurveda medicines manufactured by the Late Sri. B.V.Pandit. The Sadvaidyashala established by him serves people very successfully. Ayurvedic medicines produced here are marketed all over India. In earlier times (1950–70) a tooth powder brand made locally called 'Nanjangud Hallupudi' was also very famous all over Karnataka.Economy
Nanjangud is a home to many industries which are mainly located in the Nanjangud Industrial Area which is spread across 532 acres (2.2 km²). 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 Rs400 crore a year) taluk in the State after Bangalore. Some of the major businesses located in Nanjangud are:Nestle India Ltd
AT&S India Pvt Ltd.
TVS Motor Company
Bannari Amman Sugars Ltd
South India Paper Mills
S Kumars
Reid & Taylor
Raman Boards
Jubilant Life sciences limited
Brakes (India)
Bacardi RUM, Gemini Distilleries Pvt Ltd
Zenith Textiles
Kottakal Arya Vaidyasala
ITC (Tobacco Processing)