Chunchanakatte Kodandarama Temple
Chunchanakatte Kodandarama Temple
Sri Kodandarama Temple is located in the village of Chunchanakatte in K.R.Nagara taluk of Mysore district, Karnataka.The temple is situated just beside the Chunchanakatte falls.
The uniqueness of the idol installed here is that Sita Devi is standing to the right side of Sri Rama instead of the usual left.
Legend describes that Lord Rama during his tenure in the forests stayed in this place on the behest of the tribal couple Chuncha and Chunchi. It is said that Sita Mata wanted to take bath and Lakshman on the advice of Sri Ram fired an arrow into a rock. Three streams appeared from the rock – these are now known as Chunchanakatte falls. The three streams had different color – one in the color of turmeric, the other as oil and the third one as a shikakai (used to wash hair). The three different colors can be still seen near the temple. The place where Lakshman fired his arrow came to be known as Dhanushkoti.
Also in this forest Lord Rama met Agnatha Rishi (Unknown Sage) and was impressed by his devotion to lord Narayana, so Rama asked the Rishi to ask for a boon and the Rishi asked Lord Rama that he desired to see Lord Rama with Sita on his right side. The boon was granted and so was the idol installed in the same manner. There are two Hanuman temples, one at the entrance to the temple and the other after the temple near the river.
The most astonishing feature of this temple is that even though the falls beside the temple makes a deafening noise, inside the garbhagudi (Sanctum sanctorum) nothing of the roar can be heard. It is as though the falls does not exist.When Lakshmana uses the bow Dhanushkoti the rock splits and river Cauvery blew up profusely with huge noise. As Lord Rama listens to the thunderous roaring of river Cauvery, he curses her that “a woman should not have so much of raising voice” and so in the garbhagudi, the place where the idols of the lords are installed, we wouldn’t hear the noise of the falls which either wise is heard 10 kms away from the location.
RamaNavami, Brahma Rathostava held in January and cattle festival during August are important festivals of the temple.