Maddur, Mandya


Maddur is a town in Mandya district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It lies on the banks of the river Shimsha. It is 82 kilometers from the state capital Bangalore and 60 kilometers from Mysore. Derived from Maddu a term referring to chemicals used for explosives.

Geography

Maddur is located at. It has an average elevation of 662 metres.

Demographics

India census, Maddur had a population of 28,754 of which 14,342 males and 14,412 females. Maddur has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 73%, and female literacy is 63%. In Maddur, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Crops

Maddur has been recently famous for its tender coconut cultivation. Nearly 300 trucks of nuts are daily sent to the other states of India such as Punjab, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Goa, Telangana and Gujrat. Small towns near Maddur consume more and more tender coconuts daily. Maddur has been recently named as Tender coconut capital of India.

Hindu Temples

Among the important temples here, thankfully still existing, is the Narasirnha temple of the Hoysala period whose 7 ft high image of Ugra Narasimha made of black stone is believed to be the best of its kind in the State.
Maddur's marvelous Varadaraja temple is an early Chola or pre-Chola structure. Its 12 ft high Alialanatha deity is elaborately carved both in front and on the back with unusual features which has led to the Kannada saying 'Ella Devara Munde Nodu Allalanathana hinde nodu' - 'All other idols are to be seen from the front but Allalanatha is to be seen from the back'. The temple was built by king Vishnuvardhana.
Maddur, incidentally, is also famous for the Maddur Vade – a delicious fried snack made of a variety of pulses.

Jain temple

A Jain temple dated 8th Century AD was discovered in Arathipura, Maddur by Archaeological Survey of India. The structure is built with bricks and stones and is 100 feet long and 40 feet wide. Shilabalikes, Dwarapalakas and a statue of Lord Bahubali were also discovered in the excavations..
In 2016, Archaeological Survey of India excavated another statue of Bahubali made in the 3rd - 9th centuries on another hillock located opposite the basadis in Arthipura. Excavation work is expected to be completed by 2018.