Horanadu

Horanadu (Kannada: ಹೊರನಾಡು) is a hindu holy city located in Chickmagalur district, Karnataka, India. The deity at the Annapoorneshwari Temple at Horanadu is Annapurneshwari. The idol of goddess Annapurneshwari was established in 1973 in the temple.

Horanadu lies amidst beautiful Malnad at a distance of 330 KM from Bengaluru. Distance from Sringeri is 75 Kilometers. Direct buses run from Bengaluru to Horanadu everyday. Bus services are provided by KSRTC and private companies.

Feature

Everyone who visits Horanadu Annapoorna temple is provided with a three course vegetarian meal (including a dessert made from Dhal or Lentils) irrespective of their religion, language, caste, or creed. Male visitors to the temple have to remove their shirts and banians and preferably cover their shoulders with a towel or a shawl as a symbol of respect and humility in front of god.

The main deity of Annapoorna is made of gold and she looks very beautiful. A sense of fulfilment is felt when a person visits this temple and it is said that a person who seeks the goddess' blessings would never have any scarcity for food in life. It is believed that lord Shiva once had a curse and that this curse was reversed when the lord visited Goddess Annapoorna and sought her blessings.

The route to the temple traverses ghats, amazingly dense forests and vegetation. It feels like the most beautiful route one can ever take, with nature in all Her resplendent glory. A trip to the Horanaadu Aadishaktiyatmaka Annapoorneshwari temple would be most fulfilling if all pilgrimage spots en route to the temple are also included in travel plans. Some of the places that will be encountered in that order would be Kukke Subrahmanya, Dharmasthala, Sringeri, Udupi Krishna temple and Kollooru Mookaambike, Kalaseswara temple in Kalasa, and then the Horanaadu Annapoorneshwari temple. Such a trip would be the most purifying and humbling experience of one's life. The tranquility, the warm and courteous people, the feeling of oneness with God, the peace of having God's food in the Kukke, Dharmasthala, Sringeri, Horanaadu Annapoorneeshwari temple halls is a blessing that each one of us can die for.

It is a great fortune indeed to be born an Indian, and to be blessed with the privilege of visiting these divine places on this great, hallowed land.