Bylakuppe: While there are many temples on the Mysuru-Kushalnagar route that attract hundreds of devotees, there is a Ranganathaswamy Temple built by the Hoysalas located on top of a hill amidst the thick jungle.

Though the Ranganathaswamy Temple or Lakshmi Ranganathaswamy Temple has a great historical value, it lies in a state of neglect. It is governed by the Muzrai Department and maintenance of Rs. 48,000 per year is paid to the temple every year. It has been classified as a Grade C temple. The temple is located at Chikkhonnur near Periyapatna Taluk and is locally known as Honnurayya. Idols of Ranganathaswamy, Lakshmi and Padmavathi are carved inside and pujas are held every day.

The Hoysalas built the temple roughly 900 years ago though there is no record of this in the form of inscriptions. Some historians say that this temple was built by Cholas and not Hoysalas. Legends say that rulers of the region used to climb the hillock on foot to visit the Temple wherever they won a war.

The hill temple is about 82 kms from Mysuru and there are only stone steps to reach the top of the hill. It is an ideal place for trekkers and photography enthusiasts. One can see footprints on the rocks that are surrounded by snake figurines and carvings. The local residents believe that the footprints are of Lord Ranganathaswamy.

The hill is located amidst jungle, a reserve forest, and has jaw-dropping views from the top. The trek usually takes about 45 minutes to one hour and the view gets better as the mountain is scaled. Below the hill, there is a lake filled with refreshingly fresh water and the locals call it Ingala Lake.

One can reach the base of the hill at Honnuru village and trek a height of 300 to 500 metres from the base to reach the temple. The Vaishnava Samaj has taken over the responsibility of performing the rituals at the temple and they have been doing this for many generations. The priests stay in Chikkhonnur. The temple gets many devotees from Kodagu, Mysuru, Mandya, Bengaluru, Tumakuru and Hassan.

The temple fair is held annually during Karthika Month. Special rituals are held every Saturday, during feast days and all days of Karthika month. Though the temple is steeped in history and though it is located on the Mysuru-Kodagu tourism belt, nothing much has been done to improve its condition.

Black stone boulders have been placed from the base to the Temple that act as steps. There is a need to construct concrete steps with railings so that devotees are not exhausted from climbing. Concrete steps can also act as a place to take some rest.

Temple priest Vittal said that the structure of the temple needs urgent repairs and the walls and ceiling have developed cracks due to rain and high-velocity wind.

There is also a demand from the villagers for a watchtower and a rest house to attract tourists. But as it is a reserve forest, the permission for any construction has to be accorded by the Forest Department.