Lingeshwara Temple Mylara

Lingeshwara Temple

The Lingeshwara Temple is dedicated to Mylara, an incarnation of Shiva. It is in Mylara village, Bellary district, Karnataka. The River Tungabhadra flows two kilometers away from the Lingeshwara Temple.

The Mylara temple is also known as Lingeshwara Temple and is managed by the Wodeyar family. They are called Guru or Swamy. These people are responsible for continuing the Poojas and traditions from past generations. The Lingeshwara Temple is renowned for its unique tradition of worship. Devotees offer prayers to a pair of snake statues that are believed to be the protectors of the temple.

Legend of the Lingeshwara Temple

A demon named Mallasura and his brother Manikasura performed a severe penance. They received blessings from Brahma that no human being can kill them. They became stronger and started to harm the sages and commoners. They prayed to Shiva to save their lives.

Accepting their prayers, Shiva took a new form called Mylara. He went along with seven crores of Goravas and had a war against the demons Mallasura and Manikasura. The fight went on for ten days. Shiva slew them using a bow. Veerabhadra helped Shiva during the war. When his long hair struck the earth, Panchaveeras (five warriors) emerged from the earth. They challenged the demon Mallasura and handed him over to Mylara. He eventually killed the demons and saved the sages.

After killing them, Mylara wore the intestines of the demons on his head like a turban, their sharp teeth as his necklace, skulls as meal bowls, mouth as the drums, and their skin as a long coat. He even used their fat as oil and nerves as lamp wicks.

The Architecture of the Lingeshwara Temple

The Lingeshwara Temple is believed to be 1500 years old. A three-tier Rajagopuram welcomes visitors to the temple. It has images of the deities and is colorfully painted.

A flagstaff is there before the sanctum. There is a main shrine for Shiva and a separate shrine for snake deities. There are several other smaller shrines in the temple. The sanctum sanctorum is an ancient structure built in the Dravidian architectural style, with intricate carvings and sculptures adorning the walls and pillars. The sanctum houses Shiva Lingam, a place of immense spiritual significance.

Mylara is the presiding deity of the Lingeshwara Temple, who is in a standing posture. Devotees consider that his supreme energy flows out in all directions from the Garbhagriha, and it is throughout the temple. The temple has complete granite marble flooring with sandstone pillars. On three sides, temples have blind doors that allow the deity's energy to leave the inner mandap of the temple.

Goravara Kunita

A Gorava dance, the dance of Shiva, is famous in Karnataka. The devotees worship Shiva in the Lingeshwara Temple and perform the dance wearing a black woolen rug made of animal skin. Traditionally, Goravas are devotees of Shiva who dance and even bark like dogs. They dance to the music, which is accompanied by percussion instruments like Damru, bell, etc.

Festivals in the Lingeshwara Temple

The Lingeshwara Temple attracts thousands of devotees during the annual Mylara Linga Jatra festival, celebrated with great pomp. The temple has colorful decorations, music, dance, and religious rituals.

Karnika Utsava and the Pavada are a part of the Mylara Jatra annual festival. Karnika Utsava is famous for bow climbing and the prophecy. Pavada is the ritual where the devotees do body piercing. Karnika Gorava community performs Karnika Utsava with 12-day fasting, bow climbing, and foretelling about politics, agriculture, and natural disasters.

The nearest tourist attractions are Nanjangud temple, Keshava temple in Somanathapura, Kolar, Hampi, Shivagange, and Bandipur National Park.