Karighatta Temple

The temple at the top of the hill

Karighatta is a hill situated a few kilometres outside the 'island' town of Srirangapatna, 15 km before Mysore on the Bangalore-Mysore road. The name translates to "Black Hill" in Kannada. The hill has a temple devoted to a form of Lord Vishnu, called "Karigirivasa". The hill stands at a height of 2697 feet above sea level. It supports dry scrub jungle. A small river, the Lokapavani, a tributary of Kaveri flows by the hill.

The main entrance to the temple, with huge wooden doors opens into a large quadrangle, which is the main shrine for Vaikunta Srinivasa in black stone, flanked by Yoga Srinivasa (without his consort) and Bhoga Srinivasa idols. The temple of Goddess Padmavathi is on the western side. Facing the main temple is a statue of Garuda and a Garudastamba.

The winding road is in a state of disrepair. One can climb up the hill using the steps. A visit to the hillock in the night is recommended. The hillock has a nice view of Srirangapatna and Mysore, and one can also do some star gazing.