Mysore Sri Svetha Varaha Swamy Temple

Inside the huge palace area the ancient kings of Mysore had many temple built for Lord Krishna and his different manifestations in all the famous Forms found all over asia. Also they have been great worshipper of Goddess Parvati on the hillock which is even today a very splendous temple complex with lot of riches and fantastic rituals to see. In ancient times the hill was used by great tapasvis to do severe yoga practise, and achieve great boons by this. The value of those sages was a spiritual upliftment of the whole country which is much more difficult to get, but it is lasting for generations. Therefore south india had been such a blessed place.
One of the Temple inside the huge palace complex area is the wonderful Sri Svetha Varaha Swamy temple. It is done in typical Hoyshala building style, with fantastic paintings from puranas and Ramayana from around the 17th century inside the main shrine. In the sanctum sanctorum is a very unusual form of Lord Sri Varaha, made from white Marble and not very big in size. His name is derived from that colour as he is worshipped as the ruling Avatara of that particular Kalpa were the 7. Vaivasvata Manvantara is running now (71 Caturyugas = 1 Manvantara and we have 14 Manvantaras in on Kalpa!). As Sri Varaha Swamy is coming in different colours to different Kalpas, like black, red (yajna Varaha) he had come now in this Kalpa in white. He`s purpose is to deminish hatred and greed and to establish Dharma, righteousness and care of mother earth.
The kings of Mysore were very pious once upon a time and did promote generiousity and religious freedom, they did know that the secret worship of Varaha brings prosperity, devotion and harmony to the land, and they supported the pancaratra study in that field with great efforts. The Sanskrit university and those Math`s which focussed on spiritual advancement, like Parakala Math (the great upasakas on Hayagriva), Sri Vyasaraya Math etc. got much support in those days. One secret is known to the Varaha upasakas once the King of Mysore established the Sri Sveta Varaha worship one of the gold mines near Mysore recieved the news that a big gold vein is found. It is well known that devotees who worship Varaha seriously get all blessings. He, as worshipped by Bhudevi, promise in the famous carama sloka from the Varaha Purana:

"sthite manasi susvasthe sarIre sati yo narah /
dhaatu saamye sthite smartaa visvarUpaM ca maam aham //
tatas thum mriyamaanaM tu kaashta-paashaana sannibham /
aham smaraami mad bhaktam nayaami paramaam gatim //"

Meaning:

"If a person, while having mind and body in good shape with all the natural elements in perfect harmony, thinks of me as the giver of Liberation when such a person reaches the time of death unable to think properly, I will remember that person at that time and take him to the highest state/abode."

This sloka talks about the final conclusion on sastra:
1. Time of saranagathi - Saranagathi must be done when one is young 
2. Who can do saranagathi - Anybody can do saranagathi
3. Way to do saranagathi - Just thinking (smarthaa) is sufficient, do not have to do physically strain even
4. What to contemplate on - Contemplate on him the remover of birth/death

BhuVaraha Swamy of SriMushnam and Mysore

But it is also known, especially by the Madhva Tradition secret Mantras on Varaha are only for Tapasvis, tyagis or ascetics and kept for those who want to follow the simple path of varaha upasana only. Therefore the tradition of Varaha upasana had been dried out fast. Few temples apart from this Sri Svetha Varaha Temple existing in south like the one in Sri Mushnam which is one of the 8 svayam avyakta Ksetras and a very similar Vigraha, except the colour, which is black. The entire kingdom of the Guptas were great worshippers of Lord Varaha, unfortunate only ruins of those temples and Murthys are found nowadays in Madhyapradesh. But to this place we will travel later!