Gunja Narasimha Swamy Temple, Tirumakudal Narasipura

The Gunja Narasima Swamy Temple is a Hindu temple in Tirumakudal Narasipura, a town in the Mysore district, Karnataka state, India. The town is located 20 miles south east of the historically important city of Mysore. The temple dates back to about the 16th rule of the Vijayanagara empire and is built in typical dravidian style with an imposing gopura (tower) over the entrance gate that grows in the front of the main entrance. Sculptures in the temple include those of the Hindu god Narasimha and the demon King Hiranyakashipu. By virtue of its sanctity, the temple is often compared to Kashi, a sacred city for Hindus in northern India. According to the renowned British Raj era historian and epigraphist B. Lewis Rice, the temple was in the patronage of the Dalavoy of Mysore ("feudal lord") with an annual maintenance. Records indicate the temple underwent repairs and embellishments during this time. The temple is a protected monument under the Karnataka state division of the Archaeological Survey of India. There is another temple close by, called the "Agastyeshwara" temple, and both temples are the venue of a religious fair that is held annually attracting large number of devotees.