On the bank of the Kapila river near Mysore in Karnataka stands the great Nanjundeshwara temple of Nanjangud, revered as a Dakshina Kashi, a Kashi of the South. Here Shiva is worshipped as Nanjundeshwara — the one who swallowed the poison — recalling the churning of the ocean, when the Lord drank the halahala to save creation, and so is honoured as a healer of afflictions.
One of the largest temples in Karnataka, with a towering gopuram, it draws pilgrims seeking health and relief from suffering; a beloved tradition even holds that a ruler once gave thanks here when his ailing elephant was cured by the Lord's grace. Nanjangud is among the most venerable Shiva shrines of the Kannada land, thronged especially at its grand car festival.
