Sri Vaidyanatheswara Temple, Talakadu

The Vaidyanatheswara temple is located in Talakad in Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka. It is a famous temple city of South India and is one of the Panchalinga Sthalas. The other four panchalinga sthalas are also in Talakadu.

Significance

It is believed that having the darshan of all the five lingas at a time will relieve devotees from sins. A monk or sage named Somadatta was on his way to this temple with his followers when they were killed by a herd of elephants. They were in turn reborn as elephants and continued to worship Lord Shiva in the form of a tree. Once the two hunters Tala and Kadu tried to cut down this tree which in result blood rushed out from it. They heard a voice stating that the tree was a form of the lord and asked them to stop trying to cut it down.

The Vaidyanatha temple was constructed by the Chola kings who ruled this part of Karnataka in 14 th century.  This temple was built in Dravidian style of architecture that include huge Dwarapalakas standing at the entrance. The doorways are carved and outer walls are covered in sculptures.There is also a idol of Lord Ganesha on his vahana (the mouse) along with a statue of Nandi at the entrance. The walls are covered with pictures of various forms of lord Shiva and Vishnu. 

How To Reach

Talakadu bus stop is located at a distance of around 1.9 KM from the temple. You can reach the temple by taking a local auto or taxi from bus stop.