Hindu temple in Mysore
Shri Shvethavaraha Swami Gudi
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The story of Shri Shvethavaraha Swami Gudi
You’re standing at a shrine whose best-known feature is a rare white idol of Lord Varaha, the boar incarnation of Vishnu. Britannica describes Varaha as the form that rescued the Earth from the demon Hiranyaksha, and here that deity is worshipped in a temple setting rather than in a museum display.
The temple you see is Shri Shvethavaraha Swami Gudi, and the place is tied to a long Wodeyar history. The idol was originally consecrated in Srirangapatna by Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar between 1672 and 1704, then moved to its current location in 1809. A later layer was added in 1829, when Krishnaraja Wodeyar III gifted images of Srivaishnava Acharyas, Desikar, and Jiyar.
Temple in Karnataka describes this as a site with numerous inscriptions from different periods, including one on the southern wall of the shrine that dates to the early 13th century. It also places the temple at the southern entrance of Mysore Fort and notes the Hoysala style of architecture.
Inside, look for the sanctum with the white Varaha idol and the gifted images. The temple is open every day from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
In brief
Mysore Palace, also known as Amba Vilas Palace, is a historic palace and royal residence located in Mysore, Karnataka, India. It served as the official residence of the Wadiyar dynasty and the seat of the Kingdom of Mysore, and was commissioned by Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV in August 1897 following the destruction of the previous structure in a fire. The design of the palace is attributed to Henry Irwin, a British architect who had earlier designed the Madras High Court, and Edwin Wolleston Fritchley, who would later design the Lalitha Mahal. Construction of the current structure began in 1897 and was completed in 1912. It is the largest of the seven palaces in the city of Mysore and is a prominent example of Indo-Saracenic architecture, combining Indo-Islamic, Rajput, Hoysala and Gothic architectural styles.
The land on which the palace now stands was recorded as the site of a small fort in the late 14th century. The first palace to occupy the location was built in the 17th century during the reign of Kanthirava Narasaraja I, and was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times. Since the early 19th century, the Mysore Dasara festival has been annually held on the palace grounds, culminating in an elephant procession on Vijayadashami. In 1998, the Karnataka state government enacted the Mysore Palace Acquisition Act, acquiring ownership of the palace from the Wadiyar family; the act was subsequently challenged in court, and is the subject of an ongoing legal dispute.
The main palace houses a public museum alongside the living quarters of Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the current ceremonial head of the Wadiyar dynasty. In addition to the palace, the overall complex encompasses multiple gardens, several Hindu temples (some of which predate the current palace itself), and the old walls of the original fort. As of 2024, Mysore Palace is one of the most famous tourist attractions in India, with more than four million annual visitors.
Before you go
- Open today
- 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
- Time to allow
- 30-60 min
- Address
- 8M34+G87, Agrahara, Chamrajpura, Mysuru, Karnataka 570001, India