Duryodhan Temple in North India
One of the largest temples dedicated to Duryodhana in the Mahabharata is found at Oslo in Uttarkashi District in Uttarakhand. The popular belief is that the soldiers and people who supported Duryodhana escaped from the Kurukshetra and took refuge in this area of Uttarkashi. They built temples in memory of Duryodhana and Karna here. Today they are the protecting deities of the region.
Duryodhan Temple in South India
Malanda Means There is a Temple (Nada) on the Hill (Mala). Unlike other temples, It is believed that the ‘Sankalpa Moorthy ‘at Malanada is ‘Duryodhana’, the Great Epic Hero of Mahabharatham. The myth unravels: as part of his efforts to trace out the ‘Pandavas’ in exile, Duryodhan traversed the forests in the south and reached Malanada hill. By that time he was much tired and went to a nearby house on the northwest of Malanada and asked for drinking water. An elderly woman gave him toddy which was customary at that time as a mark of respect.
The king enjoyed the drink but realized after seeing the ‘Kurathali’ worn by the woman that she belonged to an untouchable lower cast. The king consoled himself and appreciated the divinity of the place and its people who possessed supernatural powers (Siddha). Thereafter, in furtherance of his ‘Rajadharma’, the king sat on the hill and worshipped Lord Siva, praying for the welfare of his people. As an act of charity, he gave away 100s of acres of agricultural land and paddy fields as freehold to the ‘Devasthanam’. Even now the land tax of the above property is being levied in the name of ‘Duryodhana’.