Temple

Horanadu Annapoorneshwari Temple

The goddess of food, who feeds every visitor

Kalasa taluk100 km from town 2h
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The Adi Shakti Annapoorneshwari temple at Horanadu sits on the Bhadra amid dense Ghats greenery. Annapoorneshwari is the goddess of nourishment, and by long tradition every pilgrim is served a free meal — no one leaves the temple hungry. The present standing gold-plated idol was consecrated in 1973.

What to do here

  • Take darshan of Annapoorneshwari
  • Share the temple's free meal
  • Continue on to Kalasa, 8 km away

A living centre of the district's tradition of annadana (feeding pilgrims).

History

The temple is centuries old; the current murti of the goddess, holding a vessel of food, was installed in 1973. It has long been a fixture of the Sringeri–Horanadu–Kalasa pilgrim circuit.

Travel tips

About 10 km from Kalasa and roughly 100 km from Chikmagalur town. The temple serves annadana — a free meal — to everyone who comes, all day; that is the tradition the place is built on. Free accommodation is available for pilgrims. It is busiest at Navaratri.

Please note

Do: take the annadana meal; refusing it misses the point of the shrine. Do: remove footwear and leather at the entrance and dress conservatively. Do: wash your own plate if asked. Don't: photograph inside the sanctum. Don't: arrive expecting a quick darshan during festival weeks.