Chamundi Hill is one of the landmark tourist attractions of Mysore, in the state of Karnataka in India and it never fails to fall on the itinerary of those visiting Mysore.
The Chamundeshwari Temple is located on a hill in the vicinity of Mysore and is accessed through a motorable road.
Legend has it that that the demon Mahishasura, the king of the area that is currently Mysore, was killed by the Goddess Chamundeshwari (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 Mahishasura Mardini meaning 'She who slayed Mahishasura'.
The temple has a very beautiful idol of the goddess wearing a garland of skulls and has always been patronized by the rulers Mysore. In earlier days, the Maharajas of Mysore would ride the ceremonial Dussera elephant during the annual festival but after India gained independence, the idol of Goddess Chamundi is taken on an elephant.
A flight of one thousand steps built by the Maharaja Dodda Devaraja in 1659 also leads up to the summit of the hill which is at a height of about 3000 feet. Chamraja Woodeyar IV is said to have worshipped here in 1573 and was miraculously saved from a bolt of lightning. Krishnaraja III (late 18th century) built the temple tower and presented the Nakshatramalika jewel with Sanskrit verses inscribed on it.
The current temple is the result of renovation efforts carried out in early nineteenth century, although the original shrine is much older. Chamundi Hill has been associated with the Hoysala ruler Vishnu Vardhana (12th century) and with the Vijayanagar rulers of the 17th century.
Also on this temple are several images of Nandi (the bull mount of Shiva). The best known of these is the colossal Nandi on the 800th step on the hill. This Nandi is over 15 feet tall and 24 feet long. There are also shrines dedicated to Shiva - Mahabaleshwar (attributed to Vishnu Vardhana the Hoysala ruler of the 12th century CE) and Lakshmi Narayana - Vishnu on this hill.
