Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple
Coordinates: 12°39′36.8″N 76°38′51.1″E / 12.660222°N 76.647528°E
Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple ಚೆಲುವನಾರಾಯಣ ಸ್ವಾಮಿ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನ is located in Melkote in the Mandya District, Karnataka, India. The place is also known as Thirunarayanapura. It is built on rocky hills known as Yadavagiri or Yadugiri overlooking the Cauvery valley. It is about 30 miles (48 km) from Mysore and 97 miles (156 km) from Bangalore.
The temple is a square building of large dimensions but is very plain and only sparsely ornamented with carvings or sculptures. The presiding deity is Cheluva Narayana Swamy, also known as Tirunarayana ತಿರುನಾರಾಯಣ or Cheluvapille Raya ಚೆಲುವಪಿಲ್ಲೆ ರಾಯ, a form of Lord Vishnu. It appears from inscriptions that in the early centuries after the temple was built, the Lord was also known by the name Ramapriya, but this usage has now completely disappeared.
The utsavamurthi ಉತ್ಸವ ಮೂರ್ತಿ, which is a metallic idol used for processions and certain religious rituals, represents the deity 'Cheluvanarayana Swamy. According to a legend, this metallic image was once lost but was recovered by Sri Ramanujacharya. The annual report of the Mysore Archaeological Department states on the strength of epigraphic evidence, that the presiding deity of this temple was already a well known object of worship even before Sri Ramanujacharya worshipped at the shrine in December 1098 CE. and even before he came to the Mysore region and that very probably he used his influence to rebuild or renovate the temple. From the lithic records of the period, existence of Tamil influence and Vaishnava worship in the area are also evident.
...
Wikipedia