Bharat abounds in temples, monasteries, ashrams, saints, religious beliefs, diverse culture and piety. The southern part of Bharat is unique in its cultural heritage. The state of Kamataka leads the south in many spiritual and cultural aspects. Among the leading temples and Ashrams in Kamataka, Sri Rajarajeshwari temple and Sri Kailash Ashrama Mahasamsthana that are situated in Rajarajeshwari Nagar in Bangalore, the capital city of Karnataka, adorn the city as well as the state. The name of Bangalore has been derived from the word ‘Bendakaaluru’ which literally means boiled gram. The puranik background to this name is attributed to the Rishi Atri and his consort Anasuya who had their Ashram at this place where Sri Rajarajeshwari temple is situated today. It is stated that the consorts of the trinity, Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara, ie., Saraswathi, Lakshmi and Parvati, were jealous of any devout wife (pathivratha) in the Bhooloka. In order to establish the Paathivrathya of ‘Anasuya’ the wife of Sri Atri Rishi, a leela was enacted by the divine sage Narada.

He materialised some grams (kaalu} made of ‘iron’ and brought them to the wives of the trinity requesting them to have the grams boiled for him. All the three failed, stating that nobody could do it. Sage Narada belittled them by stating that they were unable to do what an ordinary mortal woman ‘Anasuya’ could do. Later, he approached Anasuya with the same request. The latter carried out the errand without delay by the power of her paathivrathya or devotion to her husband. Hence, the place where the grams were boiled was called as ‘Bendakaaluru’ which later became Bengaluru or Bangalore.

This region geographically lies on the east-west meridian of Karnataka and is also called as Kalyananagari. Sri Rajarajeshwari temple is situated in the south-west corner of the region between ‘Cauvery’ and ‘Vrishabhavati’ rivers called earlier as Kanchanagiri later as Kenchanahalli and also as Champakavana. It is said in the ‘Tantra Chudamani’ that this place forms the ‘karnabhaga’ or ‘ear’ of the numerous Shaktipeethas in Bharat. This Peetha has been called as Jaya Peetha and the presiding Bhairava is Abiru Bhairava. It is at this place that His Holiness Sri Sri Sri Tiruchi Mahaswamigal established Sri Kailash Ashrama Mahasamsthana and Sri Rajarajeshwari Temple. The presiding Deity ‘Sri Rajarajeshwari’ is seated on this Shakti Peetha called as Jaya Peetha in the magnificent temple precincts. It is said that in the remote past many devas, rishis, munis, siddhas including deva rishi Narada and others have propitiated the divine mother Sri Rajarajeshwari at this very place and obtained siddhi.