Chowdeshwari is a manifestation of Devi Parvathi and her devotees spread far & wide across Karnataka. People believe that they can safeguard all their belongings by simply dedicating them to Devi. Vast stretches of paddy and arecanut plantations, a small hotel, an autorickshaw... it doesn't matter. Just notify that 'This property is protected by Sri Sigandooreshwari' and rest easy! At the temple, devotees approach a small enclosure outside the sanctum in a queue; they are allowed inside the enclosure in batches, made to sit down in front of the Devi and the pooja is performed exclusively for that batch. In this manner, every one gets an equal opportunity to witness the idol and its worship. The temple is maintained very neatly both inside and outside. Free meals are served as Prasada to all devotees. The journey, the temple experience and the surroundings collectively leave an indelible impression on every visitor. Some people visit the temple quite often.
Sigandooru is a pilgrimage center located 42 km from Saagara town, surrounded by the backwaters of Sharavathi. The reigning deity here is Shree Devi Chowdeshwari, also called as Sigandooreshwari. One has to alight at Aranabailu and travel by ferry across the backwaters to reach Holebagilu on the other side; the Temple is located a short distance away. In fact, the ferry is the only means to carry everything including people, vehicles and materials across the river.
These naked stems sticking out of water are the remains of a forest that once occupied these parts. Hirebhaskara Dam that came up in 1929 and the dam at Linganamakki in 1964 successively caused these parts to be submerged and become one with the vast backwaters area. Human & animal life had to withdraw to the newly defined boundaries. The large scale in which geography gets rewritten by human actions, can only be seen in places like these. The effect of such changes on ecology, which is not immediately obvious, is not easily imagined either, hence it disappears from human memory altogether.
When the water is full, visitors can see very little of the sand, though they can see ample green cover. When water level recedes in summer, stems & trunks of old trees show up in clusters, appearing like submerged haircombs from afar.
