Nimishamba Temple, Srirangapatna

Nimishamba temple is located near the historical town of Srirangapatna en route to Mysore from Bangalore. Srirangapatna is of great religious, cultural and historic importance. Those of you who recall a television serial called ‘The Sword of Tipu Sultan’ on Doordarshan will be able to co-relate this place well since Srirangapatna was Tipu’s capital. There are a number of places around Srirangapatna which are of interest for tourists. During the week long vacation over the year end eve, visited a number of places including this place since it is just 130 kms from Bangalore and ideal for a day trip. Instead of writing about all the places in one article, I wish to provide a detailed info on each place separately. Let me start with Nimishamba temple :)

This temple is about 2 kms from Srirangapatna town and on the river banks of Kaveri aka Cauvery. Soon after passing the town, a road towards left leads to many places including this Nimishamba temple. Other places on this route include Tipu’s summer palace, Gumbaz and Paschima Vahini (Sangama). The road to reach this temple after deviating from Bangalore-Mysore highway is not so great, nevertheless it is just 2 kms! There is ample parking space for vehicles including buses. Also, a number of road side hawkers do sell pooja material. Head over to the flowing river if you wish to! The two kids in the pic are my nephews. Click on the images above to see it bigger. The temple tower is maintained well with some good painting work which you can witness in the pic.

Nimishamba is another name of goddess Parvati, the name Nimishamba seem to have come from the fact that the goddess grants the wishes of its divotees in a minute! (‘nimisha’ means a minute in local language Kannada). Inside the sanctum there is an idol of the goddess along with ‘Sri Chakra‘ carved out of stones. This Sri Chakra is believed to be inscribed by a king called as Muktharaja on a stone and then went into self-mortification. Later on this Sri Chakra was installed along with the Goddess idol by the succeeding rulers of this place by then. When you go there for a visit, forget not to carry a couple of lemons which the priests over there keep it on ‘Sri Chakra’ and perform pooja. Then they will return it back to you, which is believed to bring in good things to a devotee’s life. It is suggested by priests that you can either keep those lemons in the praying room of your home for certain number of days and then drop them in flowing fresh water or consume the lemons as juice.

Along with Goddess Nimishamba, there are other idols too inside the temple including ‘Mukthikeshwara’ (Lord Shiva), Ganesha, Surya Narayana and Hanuman. The cement sculptures of goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati can be seen at the entrance on either side of the main tower. Most of the time, the temple will not be crowded unless some local school kids come here on an excursion. On the way back to the parking lot, there are a number of stalls to buy some fancy stuff at a cheaper price (told by my better half, so it got to be true!). One thing you shouldn’t miss while returning back to main road is ‘Tender Coconuts’ :) It is my favorite drink and I m sure you will enjoy the freshness with sweet taste!

More places around Srirangapatna will be covered in upcoming posts.

Update : After a much struggle to find the contact number/details of the Nimishamba temple authorities, here it is for you: +91-8236-252640, Ask for Krishnappa for any Sevas. Also there is an accommodation facility at a walkable distance from the temple.