This temple is said to be more than 2500 years old. This region is said to be a ‘punyakshetra’ or a holy region where the great sage Gautam performed penance. It was the maharishi who worshipped the saligrama here. Many years later, according to legend, king Veera Ballala got lost in these forests during one of his hunting trips. When he was resting under the shade of a huge tree he saw a hunting dog chasing a rabbit. When they reached a particular spot, the rabbit turned back and started to chase the ferocious dog. Noticing this strange turn of events, the king was convinced of some unseen powers in that place. He dug up the whole area and found the deity of Pralaya Varahaswamy hidden under the layers of earth. The king then installed it in the temple and offered regular prayers. The temple that we see today is the remains of what the king had built. It has weathered severe floods and stood to tell the tale. Even today, right in front of the temple is the stone slab with Devanagiri inscriptions on it, telling us the story of the place.

It was undiscovered and unprotected until a few years back. It must be either a divine intervention or that we Indians have started tracing back our rich heritage and culture that has bought this temple to its present light and glory.

It was undiscovered and unprotected until a few years back. It must be either a divine intervention or that we Indians have started tracing back our rich heritage and culture that has bought this temple to its present light and glory.
Our search for Kallahalli Bhoo Varahaswamy temple ended on a weekend reserved exclusively to follow a direction board that I had glanced briefly when we had visited the Gopalakrishna temple near the back waters of KRS

The temple has survived several floods. The temple is built in a rectangular shape using grey stones and looks plain from outside, but the idol inside is breathtaking. The temple is divided into two portions: garba griha / sanctum sanctorum and a outer hall.

It is also known as Pralaya Varaha Swami and Adi Varaha Mahishi. In this avatar Lord Vishnu appeared as a boar to rescue Goddess Bhoodevi / Mother Earth from the demon Hiranyaksha.

one leg touching the ground and the other leg folded carved in saligrama shila / black stone found in Gandaki River. Varaha means boar and the horns of the deity is lighter in color than the face and the eyes are red. On the thigh of the folded leg is seated goddess Bhoodevi (Lakshmi) holding a lotus flower in one hand and the other arm is around the waist of the lord. Bhoodevi idol is 3.5 feet tall.

Also a Sudarshana chakra is carved on the back of the idol. The left lower hand of Lord Varaha is embracing the goddess and the right lower hand is in Abhaya Mudra. Lord Varaha is wearing a Kiritamukhuta (crown) and Bhoo Devi a Karanda Mukhuta. The knowledge of the sculptor regarding the proportions and the rules of sculpting gods and goddesses are commendable and deserves a huge acknowledgment.

Though the idol is huge and majestic, the energy emanating from it is gentle, warm, and reassuring. The deity’s birth star is Ravathi and on Varaha Jayanthi in the month of Thai the major festival 1008 Kalasa Abhishekam is held. An idol of Hanuman is also sculpted under the main idol.

Sri Venkataramaiah a resident of this place took interest in this abandoned temple and requested the Parakala Mutt Swamy to visit the place. When the Parakala Swamiji visited the temple, he was overcome with emotion and took interest in promoting and improving the temple. Now, a full time priest performs abhisheka and pooja daily. A new gopura (tower) is being built and the surrounding walls are strengthened and beatified.