Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple, Shoolagiri, Tamil Nadu. A very very old temple of immense importance near Bangalore.
Friends, if I tell you about a temple which is said to exist from the times of Dwapar Yuga, won’t you be interested? Well let me take you there today.
The temple I am talking about is Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple, Shoolagiri which is right on the national highway connecting Bangalre – Hosur – Salem.
The temple we are talking about today, Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple, is an ancient Vishnu temple. Located at the foothills of shoolgiri hills, this temple is said to exist from Dwapar Yuga.
Varadaraja Perumal Temple History
The temple history dates back to Mahabharata times ( which was in Dwapar Yuga).
The legend is that the Pandavas lost their kingdom to Duryodhan in the game of gambling and as per the terms set during the game, they were supposed to spent their time in exile. Most of us are quite aware of this incident of Mahabharata.
It is said that during their exile they wandered at many places and also came to shoolgiri. It is said that when they were here, Arjuna established this temple and worshipped Lord Vishnu.
This temple is called as ‘Dakshina Vaikuntam Hasthashyla Sree Kshethram’ (Vaikunatam of the South).
Here Lord Vishnu is know as Sri Varadaraja Perumal.
What is unique about Varadaraja Perumal Temple?
Being associated to Mahabharat times, this itself makes this temple a must visit, but few more important points to note is that
- Lord faces west in this temple
- Goddess Mahalakshmi faces east in a separate sanctum
- During Utharanyana period (mid jan to mid july), the sunrays falls on the feet of Lord Varadaraja Perumal during sunset.
Varadaraja Perumal Temple Timings
Please note that temple is open from 6.00 AM to 11.00 AM in morning time and 5.00 PM to 8.00 PM in evenings.
How to reach Varadaraja Perumal Temple Shoolgiri
The route is pretty straight forward.
- Bangalore = > Hosur => Shoolgiri
- Just 1.2 kms from National Highway 48
- Take the service road at the next left after crossing shoolgiri board
- Food options – lots on the way.
Please note that once you enter the village, the road is called as dam road, after around 1 kms , you will see a small road going in. The google map will ask you to turn right. But since there is no concrete road, we tend to get confused and miss that. If you miss this turn, then google will re-roue to another 2 kms. So please keep a note of this.
Alternatively you can take a bus from Bangalore or Hosur to reach Shoolgiri and then take an auto.
Conclusion
Overall , this is a temple worth visiting.
We were thrilled to visit a temple which is said to be associated to the great Arjuna and Pandavas.
However I was sad to see that the temple is not well maintained.
The approach to the temple is narrow and during festivals or special occasions parking can be an issue.
This is avery famous Vishnu temple as I mentioned before temple is also called as ‘Dakshina Vaikuntam.”
There are 2 more temples near by. Called as Kashi Vishwanath temple and Ayyappa Swamy temple.
You can also visit these temple during your visit.
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[…] have talked about Shri Varadaraja Perumal Temple in our previous post, which is a very very old and mythologically important temple of the […]