Spiritual Getaway - Kaidala Sri Chennakeshava temple

Kaidala Sri Chennakeshava temple is in Tumakuru City of Karnataka state and around 68 Kilometers (1.25 hours’ drive) from Bangalore.

How to reach - We started from home (Bangalore) post lunch at around 2:30 PM. We drove on NICE road (to avoid city traffic) and took Tumakuru Road exit. After driving along Tumakuru Road for around 30 minutes we took right and drove on Tumakuru – Kunigal road for another 4 Kilometers until we reached Gulur Circle. We took left from Gulur circle and drove for another 1.5 kilometers. This drive is enthralling with some amazing views of the lush green vegetation on the right and lake on the left. Upon reaching Kaidala, we took right onto Kaidala road, and after driving around half a kilometer you will find a signboard leading to the temple parking lot.  

We parked our vehicle here. There is ample parking space here and its free of cost.


The temple is built in typical Dravidian style with the walls enclosing the temple complex like a fort.










We thought of clicking pictures of the temple premises later since the priest inside the temple was calling us to first pray to the lord. He was very enthusiastic to explain us every detailing behind the intricate carvings of the idol along with the history of this temple. 






History - This temple hosts the deity of Lord Chennakeshava which is intricately carved by the famous Amarashilpi Jakkanachari. Jakkanachari was the main architect to have carved out the beautiful Belur Chennakeshava temple. But back then the emperor did not want him to make another similar carving and hence asked him to cut his right-hand thumb. After this he came back to his birthplace Kaidala and one day in his dreams Lord Chennakeshava asks him to carve his idol in Kaidala. Since he had lost his thumb, it seems he carved out the entire idol with his elbow. Lord Chennakeshava was so impressed with his work that he restored his thumb back. Hence this place is named as “Kaidala” ( "Kai Kotta Dala" in Kannada means place which restored hand) and Jakkanachari became famous as Amarashilpi.

About Deity - Lord Chennakeshava (an avatar of Vishnu) is sculpted here in pure black stone and the statue is around 6 feet tall. The idol is installed on a 2-and-half feet pedestal which has beautiful carvings of the Trimurthi's - Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara. The idol has very intricate details carved along with a prabhavali with the ten incarnations of Vishnu (Dasha Avathara) on it – 5 on the left and 5 on the right. Alluring images of Sridevi and Bhoodevi are on either side of the main deity. There are gaps in 40 places in the idol so even if you switch off either of the front or tail lights in the sanctum, you can watch deity from front to back. On his right hand, there is a enough space to place one tiny twig in his fist. That shows the level of intricacy in Jakanachari's work. (Note:  Temple priest told us not to click pictures of the main deity inside the sanctum. Hence I don't have clear pictures of the same). 




After offering our prayers to Lord Chennakeshava when we came out, we saw small mantapams on either side of the temple. There were some carvings on the main gopuram also.














Looks like this temple doesn’t have many visitors. Hence it was very calm and peaceful. Lawn area inside the temple is well maintained with good seating areas. Hence after darshan you can sit back and relax.

Facilities: There are no rest room facilities available here. Also, no hotels/restaurants for food options. Ensure you plan to visit this place before having food or after visiting while returning you find many options on National Highway.

Overall, a good place to visit over the weekend to simply unplug from everyday life and unwind. 

You can club few places around this area and plan a half day drive from Bangalore. Our next plan was to visit a huge 161 feet tall standing Panchamukhi Anjaneya statue which was around 1 hour drive from Kaidala. So we set off from Kaidala to our next destination and I will be covering all the details about this temple in my next blog. 

Signing off now from Kaidala, Amarashilpi Jakkanachari's birthplace. 

Spiritual Getaway - Sri Satya Shaneshwara Temple, Bidanagere

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