Doranahalli

On the road from Yelvala of Mysore to K R Nagara at about 25 km away we find a village called Dodde Koppalu. Left side of this road falls to Hunsur taluk and the right side belongs to K R Nagara taluk. Take a right turn at this village and go ahead. After a hamlet and a grove you are able to see twin towers of a church at a distance. That is the famous Doranahalli (Dornahalli) Church located 3 km away.Doranahalli (Dornahalli), known locally as Christian Koppalu since it is dwelt by Christians only. As you walk along the road leading to the Church, on your left side before approaching the rivulet branched out of Cauvery, you can see a cluster of trees on an elevated land. This place was the erstwhile Doranahalli. After the turbulent strike of big famine and plague in the last century this village was abandoned and a new planned village was built at a new site by the efforts of Christian priests.Doranahalli is famous for the miracle man St. Anthony. The story of Doranahalli goes back to some 200 years. That day it is said, a peasant of Doranahalli was ploughing his fields with a pair of bullocks. To a surprise, something struck the plough and the farmer stopped his work to look at it. It was a human faced wooden doll. The farmer took it in his hands and closely examined it. To his surprise it was not eaten away by the termites being in the mud for several years. The farmer thought it a wonder. He kept it aside thinking that it could be a toy for his kids and continued his ploughing task. The doll went with him to his home in the evening and suffered torture at the hands of his innocent kids.