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Many devotees visit the temple each year to witness its height.
Ganesha, the son of Lord Shiva, led the gods in their battle against demons during the four Yugas.
Our culture is rich in folklore and mythology and almost every temple in the country has a significance or depicts some important element from Hindu mythology. Some temples have distinct features and the Kurudumale Sri Vinayaka Temple in Mulbagal, Kolar is one of them. Its distinctive feature is that the deity here appears to grow larger as you move further away from the sanctum. This monolithic statue said to remain untouched by rain, even during downpours, astonished kings and royals. The temple is built from Saligrama stone.
According to legend, Ganesha, the first son of Lord Shiva, who led the gods in their battle against demons during the four Yugas, resided at Kurudumale. The temple is believed to have been constructed around 400 years ago. The Ganesha idol here is a monolithic statue made from Saligrama black stone, which is said to increase in height every hundred years. Interestingly, the farther you move from the sanctum, the taller the statue appears. The idol, made of black stone, has a robust form and still shines brilliantly. Many devotees visit the temple each year just to witness its height. Standing at 10 feet tall, the statue is quite striking. It is believed that Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwara installed this Ganesha idol for the welfare of the world.
The statue’s ability to stay dry during heavy rains astonished the rulers of the Vijayanagara Empire, leading King Krishnadevaraya to construct this grand temple around 400 years ago. To reach Kurudumale Vinayaka Temple, take National Highway 75 to Mulbagal, then travel 30 kilometres along the Srinivaspur road to Kurudumale village, which is 6 kilometres away. The temple is open for darshan from 6 AM to 8 PM, with weekends attracting more devotees.
Festivals and weekends are the main times when crowds of people throng the premises of this beautiful temple. Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the grandest festivals celebrated in the Kurudumale Ganesha Temple.