About Shweta Varahaswamy Temple:
The Shweta Varahaswamy temple is also known as the Varahaswamy temple. This temple is located at the southern entrance of the Fort. The temple is built in the architectural style followed by the Hoysalas. The shrine of the Goddess has an elegantly carved doorway and intricately carved pillars and tower. The Navaranga has stucco niches at the sides of the entrance. The Navaranga has beautiful mural paintings on its walls. These paintings depict incidents from the Ramayana and the Bhagavata. These paintings especially pay attention to the exploits of Lord Krishna. The temple has images with inscriptions on their pedestals. There is an inscription on a processional image that records that its donor was Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar (1672-1704). It is said that Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar obtained the stone image of Shweta Varahaswamy from Srimushnam, a city in what is the present day Tamil Nadu and consecrated it at the new temple built in Srirnagapatna, the then capital of Mysore State. After the defeat of Tippu Sultan the capital was shifted back to Mysore city and the idol too was shifted from there and installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the present temple in 1809. It is claimed that Dewan Purnaiya had this temple built with materials of a Hoysala building in Shimoga district according to the wishes of Krishnaraja Wodeyar III. There are two inscribed images of Srivaishnava Acharyas, Desikar and Jiyar, in the temple. Desikar also known as Vedanthacharya was a popular Sri Vaishnava teacher and author in the 13th and 14the centuries. These statues have inscriptions on them that indicate that Krishnaraja Wodeyar III presented them to the temple at Mysore that he built in 1829. The temple structure has a number of masons’ marks and letters in several places. There is an inscription Maya Bhadra in characters if the 12th or 13th century on the southern outer wall of the shrine of the goddess. It is not clear what the expression means and whether it refers to the artist or to the niche itself. The temple is enclosed within high walls. The southeastern wall has a mural representing Rama Pattabhisheka or the coronation of Lord Rama. The painted inscription under the painted panel states that the painting was made on Monday the second of the bright half of the month Magaha in the cyclic year Bhava of Saka era 1797.
General Information about Shweta Varahaswamy Temple:
Location: Mysore
State: Karnataka
Capital: Bangalore
Language: Kannada, Malayalam, English
Temperature: Max 30˚C, Min 21˚C (summer), Max 21˚C, Min 11˚C (winter)
Best Season: November to April
How to Reach Shweta Varahaswamy Temple:
By Air:
The nearest airport to Mysore is Bangalore (139 km). All the domestic airlines in the country operate their flights to Bangalore from all the major cities in the country. Some international airlines too have flights to Bangalore. Bangalore is to have an international airport shortly.
By Rail:
Mysore is connected with a number of trains to Bangalore. The super fast luxury train the Shatabdi Express connects Mysore to Madras. The quickest and most comfortable way to reach Mysore is via Bangalore.
By Road:
Mysore is 139kms to the south west of Bangalore. The state highway that connects these two cities is very well maintained. Travelling from Bangalore to Mysore by road is a pleasant experience and will take about 3hrs. The Karnataka Road Transport Corporation has excellent bus service to Mysore. There are ordinary buses, semi-luxury buses and luxury buses operated by the Government of Karnataka. Every half an hour there is a non-stop bus to Mysore from Bangalore Bus Station. Corporations of other states and private tour operators have buses plying to Mysore as well. All these facilities have made Mysore extremely accessible by road.