The 1150meter Chamundi Hill is one of the landmark tourist attraction of Mysore. It is located about 13kms South east of Mysore.
The Chamundeswari temple on the top of the hill, dating back to the twelfth century, is dedicated to Durga Devi or goddess Chamundi (avatar of Parvathi, Shiva's consort) for celebrating her victory over the demon Mahishasura. The idol of goddess Chamundi inside the sanctorum sanctuary is in solid gold. The temple is a fine example of Dravidian temple architecture. The temple tower is 40m high with seven stories. Behind the main temple there is a small shrine dedicated to Mahabaleswara which is over a thousand years old. From the top of hill you can have a panoramic view of Mysore. There is a giant statue of Mahishasura, the demon who was killed by the goddess Chamundi (Durga Devi) near the temple. Halfway up the hill a ornamented monolithic statue of the Nandi Bull can be found. It is carved out of a single block of black granite.
