Dedicated to Sri Hanuman, the Mandir gets its name from the image of Hanuman placed inside a hexagonal amulet.
Sri Hanuman is pictured in a meditative state which is unlike other depictions of Hanuman Ji.
Some legends say that the mandir is built on the place where Hanuman and Sri Ram met for the first time. Others believe that Sri Vyasaraja used to pray to Hanuman here by drawing an image on the rocks.
By the time he finished his prayers, the picture would have disappeared.
When this happened for 12 days in a row, he prayed to Hanuman Ji to appear. Prabhu appeared and asked Sri Vyasaraja to constrain him in a 6-sided amulet and build a mandir in the area.
12 monkeys are carved around this amulet representing 12 days Sri Vyasaraja prayed to Hanuman.
The Yantrodharaka Hanuman Stotram was written here and it is believed that if bhaktas chant the sloka thrice a day for six months, their wishes would be fulfilled.
Nearby is a small mandir dedicated to Srinivasa where the murti was sculpted by Sri Vyasaraja himself.
Lord Anjaneyar is in a standing pose on a lotus peetam In a rectangular shape kavacham. He is with folded hands and the tail curved and raised behind the head. The tail has a bell in it. The lord is decked with ornaments all over the person to his sides are two pillars fully designed. There are decorated creepers around the legs.
Making of Silver Anjaneyar kavacham
The fully completed Anjaneyar Kavacham fitted to the Anjaneyar statue made of stone.
Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics by Hariharan. Famous singer Hariharan has sung this Hanuman Chalisa, while Goswami Tulsi Das has written the Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics, with Music given by Lalit Sen. Music Label by T-Series.
Hole in Kannada means river and mandir is situated along the banks of river Shimsa, hence the name.
This mandir is around 550 years old and is supposed to be constructed during the reign of Vijayanagara Kings.
Sri Hanuman holds a saugandhika flower in left hand (symbolising Bhima) but right hand held above his head has index and middle fingers longer than the rest of the fingers.
– this is supposed to symbolise the ‘Dwaita’ philosophy in the Vaishnavaite sect.
So the single image of Anjaneya represents 3 avatars-that of Anjaneya himself, Bhima and Acharya Madhvacharya.
There is a belief that if you put some money along with coins available here, your wish will be fulfilled. One can buy a yantra to tie here for health or any other issue.