Sri Chamundeshwari Kshetra Development Authority
Development authority · Chamundi Hills, Mysuru
This authority was set up by a 2024 state law to manage the Sri Chamundeshwari temple and the other shrines on Chamundi Hills in Mysuru. Before that, the temple was handled by the state's Muzrai set-up. The temple is the focus of the Mysuru Dasara festival. The Mysuru royal family says the hill temples are its private property and has challenged the Act. Court orders in the case, most recently in April 2026, limit what the authority can change while the case is pending. For pilgrims, daily darshan and sevas continue at the temple.
How it is run
A Karnataka government authority. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah chaired its first meeting in September 2024, and a government-appointed Secretary runs it. The Act is under challenge in the Karnataka High Court by Pramoda Devi Wadiyar of the Mysuru royal family (WP 19807/2024). In April 2026 the court ordered a halt to construction at the temple site and kept in force an order barring changes to the temple's property and customs.
Tips for pilgrims
- Photography inside the Chamundeshwari temple is prohibited, and the authority has announced a plastic-free hill. Carry little and leave cameras in the vehicle.
- Dasara and the Ashada Fridays draw very large crowds at Chamundi Hills. Go early in the morning, or on a weekday outside those periods.
Temples it runs
- Sri Chamundeshwari Temple – Chamundi Hills, Mysuru