Continuing with my visit in the busy area of Malleswaram, I reached the temple of Kadu Malleswara after finishing the Gangamma and Nandi Temples located in the vicinity. A temple that is many centuries old, it is dedicated to Lord Shiva who is the lord of the forest as Kadu in Kannada means forest. This place should have been a forest full of trees once upon a time. Modernization and a teeming population should have shrunk these green areas and they would have become a part of the city at some point of time. The area Malleswaram gets its name because of this temple. One legend says Sage Gautama had performed penance in this forest, so the area is rich with spiritual vibrations. History says that this temple was consecrated in the seventeenth century by Venkoji, the step brother of Maratha ruler, Shivaji after he found a Swayambu linga in the place. The place is so vast and you can explore it at a leisurely pace.
I found the stone images of snakes so fascinating. The nagara kallu or snake in stone is installed in fulfillment of a vow according to locals. There are hundreds of such stones in the far end of the temple.
There is also an image of a seven-headed black snake in the premises.
It was really a blissful visit as I climbed the flight of steps and worshipped Lord Shiva, his consort Parvathi and also Lord Vishnu in the main shrine. There are other small shrines dedicated to Lord Dakshinamurthy, Hanuman and the Navagrahas.
A little farther from this temple is the Dodda Ganapathy Temple.
The evening wore on and I next went to the Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, this temple too seems to have had a connection with the Maratha rulers. The temple was consecrated by a kinsman of Chatrapathi Shivaji. Lakshmi Narasimha Temple. As it was the eve of Vaikunta Ekadashi the temple was getting ready for the stream of visitors the next day and decorations were on in full swing. I felt so fortunate to be in the presence of Lord Narasimha on such an auspicious occasion.
You can learn more about the Narasimhavtar if you follow this link on my website
http://www.indianscriptures.com/gods/avatars/vishnu-avatar/narsimhavtar