Himavad Gopalaswamy hill is located in Gundlupet taluk of Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka state. The hill is 1450 meters above sea level and is extensively trees. It is a beautiful hill station with a place of pilgrimage for Hindus.
It is about 231 km from Bangalore. distant and 80 km from Mysore, and 20 km from Gundlupet on the Mysore to Ooty road.
Himavad Gopalaswamy Hill can be visited only from 8.30 am to 4 pm.
It is the site where the traditional temple was built in 1315 by King Vira Balla during the Hoysala period. Later the descendants of Wodeyar of Mysore rebuilt the hill temple. It is dedicated to Gopalaswamy or Krishna founded by sage “Agastya”. Dense mist covers the hills throughout the year and Himavad means covered with mist.
It is also known as Dakshina Govardhanagiri. Himavad Gopalaswamy Temple is one of the many ancient temples with great architecture. Built in Dravidian style architecture. The temple epitomizes the architectural and artistic brilliance of the artisans of the period.
The temple tower is single stage and the enclosure rests on the enclosure wall. There is a flagpole and sacrificial pedestal in the front hall. The front wall of the mukha mantapa has a sculpture of Dashavatara and a central part of the sculpture depicting Krishnaavatara. There is a sikhara gopuram above the sanctum sanctorum.
