Gowdagere Chamundeshwari Temple is in Gowdagere village, Channapatna Taluk, Ramanagara District, Karnataka. Many people come here to pray to Goddess Chamundeshwari, who is known for her strength to remove evil or bhoot. The temple started after a young boy saw a spiritual vision, and now it has the world’s tallest statue of Goddess Chamundeshwari.
Gowdagere chamundeshwari temple history
Many years ago, a small boy named Mallesh found a small metal idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari near a well in his farm. Along with his friends, he built a small temple there while playing. After some time, Mallesh started experiencing meditation-like states in which the goddess spoke through him. Once in a similar situation, the Goddess asked that a real temple be built at the same place. The villagers built a temple and made Mallesh its caretaker. Now that he is in his 20s, he still receives such meditations and helps people with problems such as health or misfortune.
60-Foot Statue of Chamundeshwari
The temple has a 60 feet high idol of Chamundeshwari Devi.
The main attraction of this temple is the 60 feet high idol of Chamundeshwari Devi with 18 arms, which is installed on a 24 feet high platform. This statue is made of five metals like gold and silver and is considered to be the tallest statue of its kind, whose name is recorded in the *India Book of Records*. It has been created by Muslim artists from Bengaluru, which is a symbol of unity between religions.
Basava (Basappa)
A special bull named Basava (or Basappa) lived in the temple. Mallesha found him while in a deep meditation, and people say the bull had the same powers as Mallesha — when Mallesha rested, Basava stayed active. Basava helped find hidden black magic. Once, he pulled out a magic pot from the field, which was shown on TV. He used to tell what would happen in the future by walking over people or the things they offered. Sadly, Basappa has died recently because he became very old.
Important Festivals
During Navratri, pujas and programs take place here for nine nights, so definitely visit. Special bath and free food is available on Chamundeshwari Jayanti. The winning of the Goddess over the Rakshas is celebrated on Vijayadashami. There are a lots of people visit here on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday for darshan.
Unlike most temples that focus only on one god, this temple honors both Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. There is a special shrine for Lord Vishnu, known as Govindaraja Perumal, inside the temple. This shows the harmony between two major traditions of Hinduism. Daily rituals include sacred bathing of the Nataraja statue, and during festivals like Maha Shivaratri and Arudra Darshanam, the temple comes alive with dance performances like Bharatanatyam.
How to Reach
From Bengaluru, you can travel a distance of 82 kilometers via Mysuru Road, reaching in approximately 1.5-2 hours. Channapatna Railway Station is 14 kilometers away. Bengaluru airport is 105 kilometers. Local buses stop at Gaudegere. The temple is in the area with fields and is open every day.
