Melkote in Pandavapura taluk of Mandya district is one of the sacred places in Karnataka. The place is also known as Thirunarayanapuram. The name of the place is derived from the temple of Narayanaswamy which is built on the hillock, surrounded by a fort.

A garden is dedicated to Sri Narayanaswami and it covers 6.0 hectares. This garden has about 27 varieties of jasmine and a number of unusual plants. It is home to around 200 species of birds.