Devarayanadurga, Tumkur, Karnataka.

Devarayanadurga, Tumkur, Karnataka.

Devarayanadurga is a hill station near Tumkur in the state of Karnataka in India. The rocky hills are surrounded by forest and the hilltops are dotted with several temples including the Yoganarasimha and the Bhoganarasimha temples and an altitude of 3940 feet. It is also famous for Namada Chilume, a natural spring considered sacred and is also considered the origin of the Jayamangali and Shimsha rivers. Another famous temple in the area is the Mahalakshmi Temple at Goravanahalli.

On the last elevation tourists will find the temple of Lord Narasimha; this temple is also known as Kumbhi. This Narasimha Temple has within it a sanctum sanctorum a Sukanasi, a Navagraha Mantapa and Mukhamantapa. Apart from the temple there are three sacred ponds which are called Narasimha Teertha, Parasara Teertha and Pada Teertha.

According to local belief devotees used to perform the ritual of circling the hills on which the temples were situated, so that their wishes would be fulfilled. As an effort to revive the practice, a large number of devotees are now performing the Giri-Pradakshina (circambulating the hills).