Legend Of Naryana Temple Melkote
The presiding and processional deities were given to Brahma by Lord Vishnu Himself. Brahma gave one idol to Sanatkumara, who installed it in Bhooloka for the benefit of Mankind. The processional deity, Sampatkumara or Ramapriya, was worshipped by Sri Rama and His son Kusha. In the Dwaapara Yuga, this deity came to Lord Krishna in Dwaraka. Later on a pilgrimage to south he installed the image of Ramapriya also in the shrine of Melkote along with Narayana.
Sri Ramanuja, the Vaishnavite saint of the 11th century, earned the patronage of Jain King Bittideva. The Saint had cured King Bittidevas daughter of her mental illness. Subsequently the ruler embraced Vaishnavism and changed his name to Vishnuvardhana. The king built five shrines known as Panchanarayana temples. At that time, Narayanapuram was in ruins, devastated by the invasion of Muslim rulers. Both the idols of Narayana and Ramapriya were lost.
Sri Ramanuja had a vision in which Lord Visnhu revealed to him the place where the idol of Narayana was hidden. He found the image among Tulsi shrubs in an ant-hill in Yadavagiri and installed the deity again in the temple. The Lord is also known as Badrinarayana since His image was found under a Badri tree. Sri Ramanuja also brought back the processional deity of Ramapriya from the court of a Muslim ruler, whose daughter was keeping the idol in her custody. The princess, an ardent devotee of Ramapriya, also reached Melkote and attained mukti. She is known as Beebi Nachiyar, whose image is installed near the Lord.
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