01The saint on the tiger
The folk epic of Male Mahadeshwara, sung for nights together by the Kamsale singers of the region, tells of a saint of the Veerashaiva tradition who came to these hills around the 15th century, rode a tiger, worked wonders, defeated a cruel local chief and protected the forest people. At last he entered into a linga in the cave where the temple now stands, and he is worshipped as Shiva himself. Male means hill in Kannada; the region is counted as seventy-seven hills.
02Jatras in the forest
The temple stands inside the Male Mahadeshwara wildlife sanctuary. Mahashivaratri, Deepavali and Ugadi bring the great jatras, with the chariot drawn round the temple and many pilgrims walking up the hill paths from Tamil Nadu and the Mysuru plains. The Veerashaiva priests keep a daily abhisheka of the linga, and the temple runs free meals.
About 150 km from Mysuru via Kollegal; the last stretch climbs through forest, so avoid driving after dark.
