Etymology of Mysore: The city of buffalo demon

Mahishasura, a buffalo-headed creature that served as the demon king of Mysore, ruled over that city. As a result, this location was given the name Mahishuru, the city of the demon Mahisha. The Goddess Chamundeshwari, whose temple is located atop the Chamundi Hills, destroyed the demon. Mahishuru then changed its name to Mahisuru and then, finally, to Maisuru, which is how it is known now in Kannada. The name is pronounced Mysore in English.

Statue of Mahishasura on the Chamundi Hills. Source: Flickr

Mysore is named after a demon named Mahisha Asura. Mahisha's City was the original name of the city, which is "Mahishuru." It began to be known as Mysuru over time, which was later anglicized to Mysore.

In Sanskrit, 'Asura' is a kind of monster, while 'Mahisha' is a buffalo. The demon, Mahisha Asura had the power to switch between a buffalo and a human. It is believed that he was the child of Rambha, the king of the asuras who consummated his love with the buffalo. Mahisha Asura, the offspring, was a changeling with the ability to transform between human and animal forms, including a buffalo and other beasts.

Mahishasura, as an asura, waged war against the devas, as the devas and asuras were constantly at odds. He terrorized the devas, who begged the trimurti of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva to intervene on their behalf. In the battles between the devas and the asuras, Mahishasura defeated the devas under the leadership of Indra. After being defeated, the devas gathered in the mountains, where goddess Durga was formed from the combination of their own divine forces. Devi came forth to right the wrongs because Mahish Asura had a blessing that shielded him from being killed by a man. Mahisha was actually so fascinated by Devi's beauty that he desperately wanted to marry her, but she was not interested. She just wanted his blood during the war. Devi, armed with the trimurti weaponry and riding a lion, single-handedly slaughtered all of Mahisha Asura's servants and, finally, cut off his head after an epic battle.

There are numerous variations of this tale in the Puranas. Both Devi and the demons she comes down to kill have countless names. These can be found in numerous sources, including the Devi Bhagavatam, the Lalita Sahasranama of Brahmanda Purana, and the Devi Mahatmya from the Markandeya Purana. Adi Shankaracharya's "Mahishasura Mardini Stotram" contains one of the most exquisite depictions of Mahishasura's killing. Although the specifics of the story vary, the core remains consistent—divine virtues triumph over demonic. (Fact: Tamas, which is the attribute of dullness, lethargy, and gloom, is represented by buffalos.)

Mysore, according to legend, was the capital of Mahisha Asura, who was killed by Devi near the peak of a hill named Chamundi. Thus, Devi is referred to as Chamunda Isvari [The Goddess of Chamunda] and Mahisha Asura Mardini [The Slayer of Mahisha Asura]. One may locate the Chamundeswari Temple at the top of Chamundi Hill, as well as a huge statue of Mahisha Asura, who is holding a snake in one hand and a dagger in the other. A 15-foot tall by 24-foot long granite statue of Nandi, the faithful bull that Lord Shiva rides, can also be seen at the 800th step.