Rayagopura,Melkote

                    Melkote is located on a rocky hill named Yadavagiri or Yadugiri, overlooking the Moti Talab and Kaveri valley. Melkote (high fort or superior fort) is an important religious and learning center.

                There are two famous temples- Yoganarasimha on the top of a small hill and Chaluvanarayana Swamy down below. Early in the 12th Century saint Ramanujacharya stayed here for about 12 years and spread the Vaishnava sidhanta. Melkote is also home for the Academy of Sanskrit research which has collections of thousands of talegari manuscripts. 

                   Rayagopura is at about 15 min walk from Cheluvanaraynaswamy temple. Local folklore says that, it was built in a night.  Chola kings/ Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana wanted to build a tall temple overnight so as to view Srirangapatna from here. The work went on briskly through the night, but when a cock crowed, they left the temple thinking it was already dawn.Unfinished but interesting structure of large and heavy stone blocks appears to be the entrance to the temple centuries ago. It is a cluster of very tall pillars with carvings of beautiful damsels at the base. Carvings of temple, elephants and the statue of Yoga Narasimha can also be seen on one of the granite pillars.