The Hasanamba Temple is one of the most famous and fascinating temples in Karnataka. The temple is dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Shakti or Amba. It is a temple that is filled with many mythological stories and mysteries. Maa Amba gives darshan to the devotees only around 12-14 days throughout the year. Further, this temple in Hassana City, Karnataka, stands as another example of the Hoysala tradition of temple architecture. Apart from these, a lot of mysteries await here to surprise you!
Date of Opening and Closing:
The Hasanamba temple opens each year during the Deepavali (Diwali) only, specifically on the first Thursday after the full moon in the month of Ashwayuja or Ashwin. Ahswayuja is a month of the lunisolar Hindu calendar that coincides with the October-November month of the Gregorian calendar. Further, the temple’s door closes on the day of Bali padyami. At this time, a special celebration named ‘Hasanamba Jathra Mahotsava’ also takes place.
This year (in 2023), the temple will kept open from 2nd November to 15th November. However, following the tradition, the temple premises do not permit devotees to enter on the inaugural and the last days. Thus, the devotees can have a darshan of Maa Amba from 3rd November to 14th November this year (2023).
Construction and Architecture:
Around the 12th century AD, the Hoysala dynasty constructed Hasanamba Temple following their cultural and architectural traditions. However, the main tower of Sri Hasanamba was built much later in Dravidian style. From the Archeologist’s point of view, this is a prime example of the temple architecture in Karnataka. It is considered an excellent representation of the Hoysala tradition of temple architecture.
Here is an ant hill that represents Maa Hasanamba. Apart from the Hasanamba temple, the premises consist of another two temples. Those are dedicated to Darbar Ganapati and Siddeshwara (Lord Shiva). Just after entering the temple premises, we can witness a beautiful view of Siddeshwara Swamy. Furthermore, it is not in the Shiva Linga form. In this temple, Lord Shiva is seen in the form of giving Pashupatastra to Arjuna. Apart from all these, the place also depicts an unusual image of demon-king Ravana. Here, Ravana has nine heads instead of ten, and he is playing the veena.
Mystery of Hasanamba Temple:
A lot mysterious events take place in this temple. Each shows the glory of Goddess Hasanamba. Before closing the temple door for a year, a ghee-lit lamp (Nandaa Deepa), along with some flowers, water, and two bags of cooked rice, is placed as an offering (Naivedya) before the deity. Surprisingly, after a year, when the door opens, all these offerings are still in good condition. The lamp stays lit throughout the year, and the ghee in it never seems to finish. Furthermore, the offering rice also remains warm and fresh.
Interesting Mythological Stories of Hasanamba Temple:
There are many mythological stories related to the deity and the temple. According to the Legends, once the seven Matrikas or Maa Durges (Brahmi, Maheshwari, Kaumari, Vaishnavi, Varahi, Indrani, and Chamundi) arrived in South India. Then, the beauty of Hassan impressed them in such a way that they decided to make Hassan their home. As a result, Devi Maheshwari, Devi Kaumari, and Devi Vaishnavi settled in the three anthills inside this temple, while others chose different places in Hassan.
The Mythological Stones:
According to the belief,the Goddess Hasanamba is generally very kind. But, she becomes harsh toward those who harm her devotees. Hindu mythology says that once Maa Amba turned a troublesome mother-in-law (who tortured her devotee) into a stone in front of her. The stone is still present there, and it moves an inch every year. People believe that when the stone reaches the Hasanamba’s icon, it will mark the end of the Kali Yuga.
Another story related to the four robbers is also popular. They attempted to rob the jewels of Maa Amba. That time, the Goddess turned them to stone. These four stones are still present in Kallappa Gudi.
During the season of Diwali, all the Hindus of South India eagerly wait for the opening of Hasanamba Temple. In this time, a huge number of devotees come here to experience the glory of the Goddess. People believe that, it is an auspicious time to receive blessings from Maa Hasanamba.