Sri Vyasarajaru, a great Madhva saint and guru of Vijayanagara Empire, used to bathe at Chakratirtha at Hampi, meditate, and perform daily rituals. One night, he had a divine dream in which Mukhyaprana (Hanuman/ Vayu Deva) appeared and said:
"We are pleased with you. In our first avatar as Hanuman, we were born on this sacred land. Install our idol on the banks of Chakratirtha. We will support your work and bless the Kannada land with prosperity."
Inspired, Vyasarajaru visited Chakratirtha the next morning. While meditating, a divine light appeared. In it, he saw Mukhyaprana holding a mace and water pot, wearing jewel-studded sandals. As the light faded, Vyasarajaru noticed a monkey sitting on a black rock, realizing it was the same deity.
He drew an image of Hanuman on the rock using sacred ash, but miraculously, it disappeared. He repeated this twelve times, and each time it vanished. Finally, he drew a sacred Yantra (mystical diagram) on the rock, surrounded it with twelve images of Hanuman, linked their tails, and placed powerful bija mantras.
He prayed:
“O Lord, why do you vanish every time I draw you? Please accept this form within the Yantra and grant blessings to this land and its devotees.”
This time, the image remained visible and became a divine icon. Thus, the deity became known as Sri Yantroddaraka Pranadevaru.
The Vision to Install 732 Hanuman Idols
That evening, Vyasaraja told Narasanaayaka (a royal administrator):
“I have a vision to install 732 Hanuman idols across the empire to symbolize protection and prosperity. Sri Pranadeva has appeared here—let us install him as Yantroddaraka Pranadevaru this Saturday.”
Narasanaayaka joyfully agreed. A grand celebration was organized at Chakratirtha, where thousands witnessed the Pratishtapana Mahotsava (installation festival) with traditional Vedic rituals.
Vyasarajaru offered Panchamrita, fruits, and performed Mahamangalarati. The crowd enthusiastically chanted:
"Jaya Jaya Yantroddaraka Pranadeva!"