The hill is 3,489ft. above the sea levels and is 12 km from Mysore city. An energetic visitor will be well repaid by climbing up the 1000 steps, fashioned about 300 years ago, and a good motorable road leads to the top of the hill. The largest and the best know is the large Dravidian Temple, dedicates to Sri Chamundeshwari Devi, the tutelary deity of Mysore and here royal house, generally regarded as an incarnation of Parvati or Durga. One account claims that the Goddess slew two demons, Chanda and Munda , so winning for herself a name combined of both. But the more usually accepts version speaks of here as Chamundi – Mahishasura – Mardini, the slayer of minotaur.

She is therefore the household deity of the town named in (Maheshaputra) commemoration Maisa(baffalo),uru(town) her image on the hill bestrides a lion, and has twenty hands. It is said that Raja Wodeyar (about 1600 AD) intended to build a gopura, and for that purpose erected four large pillar posts, which were removed when the present gopura was built by Krishnaraja Wodeyar III. He built a gopura with golden finials, and set up statues of himself and his 3 queens in the presence of the Goddess. In 1827 he made arrangement for festivals and processions.  In 143 he presented the simhavahana and other cars.

Darshan Timings:

7:30am to 2:00pm, 3:30pm to 6:00pm, 7:30pm to 9:00pm

THE SACRED BULL

Half a top of the hill you may reachthe bull in a few minutes. Fashioned says legend, in one night, out of the basalt of the hill, this recumbent colossal Nandi (the vehicle of Shiva) was a gift of Dodda Deva Raja. Over 25 ft long and 4.8 mt high (16ft high), adorned with ropes, chains, bells and jewels of stone, the bull with half shut eyes, which seem, in yogic fashion.