About Chamundi Hills:
- It is located in the city of Mysore, Karnataka.
- The average elevation is 1,060 meters.
- The famous Sri Chamundeshwari Temple dedicated to the Hindu goddess Chamundeshwari is situated on top of Chamundi hills.
- In the earlier days, the Hill was identified as ‘Mahabaladri’ in honour of God Shiva who resides in the ‘Mahabaleswara Temple’. This is the oldest temple on the hills.
- These hills have been mentioned in the ancient Hindu scriptures such as ‘Skanda Purana’.
Sri Chamundeshwari Temple:
- It is dedicated to the Goddess Chamundeshwari (Chamundi), deity of the Mysore Royal Family.
- This temple is about 1000 steps from the foot of the Chamundi hills.
- It is built in the Dravidian style of temple architecture.
- The temple has a quadrangular structure.
- It has an impressive seven-tier tower called ‘gopuram’ or ‘gopura’ and an equally imposing entrance which is known as ‘dwara’.
What is Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) Scheme?
- The Government of India launched the PRASHAD scheme in the year 2014-2015 under the Ministry of Tourism.
- Is a Central Sector Scheme with complete financial assistance by the Government of India.
- This scheme focuses on developing and identifying pilgrimage sites across India for enriching the religious tourism experience.
- It aims to integrate pilgrimage destinations in a prioritized, planned and sustainable manner to provide a complete religious tourism experience. The growth of domestic tourism hugely depends on pilgrimage tourism.
