Atop the Chamundi Hills overlooking Mysore stands the temple of Chamundeshwari, the fierce and protective form of the Goddess counted among the eighteen Maha Shakti Peethas of Adi Shankaracharya's stotram. She is revered as Mahishasura Mardini — the slayer of the buffalo-demon Mahishasura, whose defeat, celebrated in the Devi Mahatmya, gives Mysore (Mahishuru) its very name.
As Chamunda, the form who vanquished the demons Chanda and Munda, she is the tutelary deity of the former royal house of Mysore, whose Wadiyar kings honoured her for centuries; the temple's tall gopuram, and the great stone Nandi and Mahishasura statue on the hill, are among its landmarks. The annual Mysore Dasara, one of India's most magnificent festivals, celebrates the Goddess's victory of good over evil.
Reached by a climb of a thousand steps or a winding hill road, Chamundeshwari draws pilgrims to the summit for darshan of the Mother in her most triumphant, guardian form.
