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.

How to reach

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.

Annapoorneshwari Temple

The Annapoorneshwari Temple is located at Horanadu India 100 km from Chikmagalur in the thick forests and valleys of the Western Ghats of Karnataka. Also called "Sri Kshethra Horanadu", it is situated on the banks of river Bhadra in a remote corner of Chikmaglur district of Karnataka, surrounded by the natural vegitation, forest, green lands, and natural beauty of the Western Ghats. This ancient Hindu temple of Goddess Annapoorneshwari has been restored and renamed as the Adi-Shaktyatmaka Shree Annapoorneshwari. The single image is of the Goddess Annapoorneshwari standing on a peeta with Shanku, Chakra, Sri Chakra and Devi Gayathri in her four hands.

The great diety of Adishakthyathmaka Sri Annap00rneshwari's prathistapana was done by His Holiness Agasthya Maharishi several centuries back. The hereditary dharmakartharu of our family started 400 years back. Till the 5th Dharmakartharu, the temple was having a very small structure surrounded by full of natural vegitation and forest. Even then at least one or more people used to visit the temple, have pooja and were provided with free food (annaprasadam) and shelter and it is continued till date.

The name Annapoorneshwari means "Feeding one and all". All who visit this temple are provided with breakfast, lunch and dinner and place to sleep on the temple premises.

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Courtesy: Wikipedia