Devarayanadurga is perfect as a summer retreat. But it is more popular as a religious site in Karnataka. Being home to a number of Hindu temples it is frequented by devotees throughout the year. This town is surrounded by rugged hills on all sides. Within the town temples are scattered all over the place. Temples of gods and goddesses are to be found at an altitude of 3940 feet. Yoganarasimha and Bhoganarasimha temples are the most popular ones. Besides these one can also drop in at Mahalakshmi Temple at Goravanahalli. This shrine too lies nearby.
Such temples throw abundant light on the lifestyle and beliefs of the era long gone by. Gods like Shiva, Vishnu and Ganesha were widely revered. Yoganarasimha and Bhoganarasimha are incarnations of Lord Vishnu. This place has a natural spring, which is said to be the origin of Jayamangali River.
Earlier the place was known as Anebiddasari. Then it was named after a chief and was called Jadakana Durga. It was finally under the reign of the Wodeyar kingdom that it was named Devarayana Durga. The reference of this place can be found in the Sthala Purana. According to the Purana an elephant, Gandharva, appeared in the town and created havoc. While fleeing away it tried to climb the steep mountain, Karigiri. It, however, falls and died.
Laksminrayanswami temple is reminiscent of the Dravidian style of architecture. Presumably constructed by Kanthirava Narasaraja I the temples face east. This was renovated by the Mysore king Krishnaraja Wodeyar III. Another attraction at this place is the temple of Kumbhi. This is also a Narasimha temple. It consists of navagriha, garbhagriha, sukanasi and mukhamantapa. All the Narsimha temples have been built similarly. There are also three holy ponds below the temple named Pada teertha, Narasimha teertha and Parasara teertha.
Other than these shrines there are various other temples that will keep one busy. The number of temples reflects the spiritual bent of mind of the ancient inhabitants of Devarayanadurga. Temples dedicated to lord Hanuman and Garuda are also found in here.
There are several festivals that will be interesting to watch out for. One of them is the Sri Bhoga Narasimhaswamy jathra. The idol is placed on a chariot and a procession is taken out on the streets of the town. Devotees from Bangalore and Tumkur gather in this town to witness this grand ceremony. Another festivity that is celebrated with much zest is the Lakshminarasimhaswamy`s Narasimha jayanthi. This celebration takes place during Chaitra Shudha Chathurdashi in the month of May. Bamboo enclosures called pandals are built to feed the devotees with phalamruth, panakam and buttermilk.
