Despite my living in Bangalore for more than 2 decades from 1962 to 1987, I never took the opportunity of escorting my wife Mythili to important shrines in Karnataka. My prime life was spent in Bangalore and I derived maximum influence from my contacts and friends but still, it never came into my mind to visit these temples. The middle age also might have discouraged me to take the initiative.
After completing the pilgrimage to all the 106 divyadesams in vaishnavite cult, it was haunting in my mind that I should escort Mythili to UDIPI Krishna temple and she also expressed her desire to go and worship the deity there. I was wondering who would accompany us in this visit as we are hesitant to do it alone due to age factor. My former colleague Mural in Sundaram Finance assured me that he will make every arrangement for our visit from Mangalore and if need be, to provide an escort with us. The visit was pending for the last few Years.
My brother in law Gopalan evinced interest to visit these places and said he will gladly accompany us. Another brother in law Parthasarathy, though he has visited all these shrines, agreed to accompany us. Their brother Narasimhan suggested that we should go to Coorg and spend few days in HOME STAY guest houses. My daughter Bhooma also suggested the same as she had gone there with her family twice.
All the above factors encouraged me to make the trip. Parthasarathy took the initiative to arrange for the train tickets To and Fro Chennai. The program is finalized as follows:
Chennai- Mangalore, Udipi, Kollur, Sringeri, Dharmastala, Horanadu, Kukke Subramanya, Madigere (Home Stay) and return from Mysore by train to Chennai
We left Chennai on 2nd March 2014 and returned on 9th morning.
I have given below the legend and history of the temples that we have visited, details collected from the concerned sites in the Internet and nothing is of my own.
Gopalan’s friend in Dusseldorf, Germany is the owner of beach resorts in Mangalore and insisting him to visit and stay for few days as his guest and this was postponed by him for one reason or the other and now he has chosen to stay there. This resort named as VAZCO BEACH RESORT is situated in Someshwar, Uchil, Mangalore, 16 kilometers from the City. It has few independent Villas and guest rooms, equipped with well maintained kitchen and the servants. For those who are in search of a cozy atmosphere, peace, wellness, pleasure and long awaited break, a holiday in this report is suggested. Mr. Manohar, the Manager is an expert in hospitality and administers the resort in an excellent manner. He can be contacted by phone) 824-2281061/64 and mobile +91 9845207097. Their web site is www.vazcobeachresort.com. Make sure that you contact him and ascertain the availability of the guest rooms as they are in demand during the season. During the months of July to end of September, it is not desirable to visit as it will be the rainy season. The best period is between March and June.
After the breakfast on Monday the 3rd, we visited two temples in the vicinity of the resort.
1) Somantha Temple, located near Mangalore in Karnataka, is a very ancient temple and is also popular as one of the 12 sacred Shiva Kshetras. Dedicated to Hindu God Shiva, the temple is also known Rudrapada Kshetra, and is also an important temple for perform Shradh and Tarpan rituals dedicated to the dead. The temple is around 13 km south of Mangalore.
Legend has it that the temple was built by a relative of demon King Ravana, named Kharasura. Thus the temple exists from the Ramayana period.
Pandavas is believed to have visited the temple. A lake near the temple was created by Bhimasena, the second of the Pandava brothers.
Scenic beauty
Somantha Temple is situated on the shore of Arabian Sea and is built on an elevated spot and some parts of the temple are in the form of a fort. Another highlight is the beautiful view of the sunset from the temple.
Opening and Closing time of the temple:
5:00 AM to 1:00 PM
5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
To Reach
Someshwar is around 13 km from Mangalore and there are frequent buses from the city center.
SRI KSHETHRA KATEEL (SREE Durga Parameshwari Temple)
During the early part of Kaliyuga, the good earth was struck by famine and pestilence. It did not rain for years. Even Brahmins were constrained to eat meat and the people were on the verge of becoming cannibals. Jabali, the great sage was disturbed in his 'tapas' by these troubles. Through his 'Janna Drastic' he realized the root cause of all this. He found that Arunasura, the 'rakshasa' who escaped from death and fled when Goddess Durga slew Shambasura had increased his life span by following the teachings of his Guru. He had made the people stop all the yagas and yajnas as a revenge against the 'devas', and this had resulted in drought and scarcity for years.
Moved by compassion, jabali desired to alleviate man's sufferings and decided to perform a yajna to placate the devas. He approached Devendra in Heaven with a request to permit him to take Kamadhenu for the ritual. Devendra informed jabali that Kamadhenu was not available but he could take her daughter, Nandini instead. Jabali then went to Nandini who, however refused to accompany him to the sinful earth which had nourished such evil beings as Ravana and Karthivirya. Jabali countered this by saying that the same earth had also produced such saintly beings as Ahalya.
Nandini, however, was firm in her refusal. Jabali, in his anger, cursed that she be born as a river on earth. Nandini prayed for mercy. Relenting, Jabali advised her to pray to Goddess Durga to redeem her from the curse, Nandini appealed to Goddess Durga who appeared to her and informed her that though Nandini would be born as a river in fulfillment of the curse she, Durga, would be born as Nadine’s daughter at the centre of the river, and in the process, Nandini would attain purification. On Magma Shudda Poornima, Nandini emerged as a river from Kanakagiri. Jabali performed his yajna. The devas were pleased and the earth was once again green and smiling.
When Arunasura realized that the earth was flourishing once again, his anger knew no bounds. He sat in tapas and acquired a boon from Brahma that he would not suffer death from any two legged or four legged creature or any destructive weapon. Brahma also blessed him with the Gayatri Mantra, assuring him that as long as he recited the mantra he would be secured from death. Blessed with these powers, Arunasura defeated the devas and conquered Heaven. In their alarm, the devas implored Goddess Durga for help. Durga suggested that they should somehow prevent him from reciting the mantra and then she would find a way of destroying him. The devas sent Profit Brahaspathi to Arunasura Brahaspathi praised Arunasura's powers and questioned the necessity of his reciting a mantra to another god. When he himself had risen to the eminence of a god by his own exploits. Flattered by this praise. Arunasura gave up reciting the protective Mantra.
When Arunasura realized that the earth was flourishing once again, his anger knew no bounds. He sat in tapas and acquired a boon from Brahma that he would not suffer death from any two legged or four legged creature or any destructive weapon. Brahma also blessed him with the Gayatri Mantra, assuring him that as long as he recited the mantra he would be secured from death. Blessed with these powers, Arunasura defeated the devas and conquered Heaven. In their alarm, the devas implored Goddess Durga for help. Durga suggested that they should somehow prevent him from reciting the mantra and then she would find a way of destroying him. The devas sent Profit Brahaspathi to Arunasura Brahaspathi praised Arunasura's powers and questioned the necessity of his reciting a mantra to another god. When he himself had risen to the eminence of a god by his own exploits. Flattered by this praise. Arunasura gave up reciting the protective Mantra.
One day Goddess appeared in Arunasura's garden as a beautiful woman. Seeing this charming apparition, Arunasura inflamed with desire, approached her. The charming beauty reminded him that she was the same woman who had killed Shambasura and from whom Arunasura had escaped death. Conscious of and confident in his newly acquired powers, he rushed forward, sword in hand, to slay her: She disappeared into a stone. Arunasura slashed the stone with a sword, when a vast swarm of bees emerged from the stone and stung him.
The Queen of bees "Ugra Bramari" stung him repeatedly till his last breath. Devas led by Jabali performed abhishekam with tender coconut water and requested the Ugra Bramari to bless the world with her "Soumya Roopa" Goddess Durgaparameshwari then appeared in her "Soumya Roopa" in the middle of the river, where present structure of the temple imparts its glory to the world. 'Kati' being the word which means "center" (midway between the "Kanakagiri" the place where the river was born, and the end, parvanje, where the river joins the sea) and "lla" means area. Thus place is called "Kati+ lla" Kateel.
After the night halt at the Beach resort, we left for Udipi on the next morning. Due to examinations at the schools, we were told that the rush at the temples would be very less and we can have a good and easy darshan in all the shrines. Our visit to Udipi Krishna temples proved this point. It was our destiny that we had a very good darshan of the deity with deepa aaradhanai. We were present during the routine visit of the present head of the Mutt and received his blessings also.
(2) How Krishna Came to Udipi
The amazing account of how one of India’s greatest saints met a beguiling Krishna Deity of a bygone era.
The holy town of Udipi lies on the Arabian Sea in the South Indian state of Karnataka. The town is famous as a place of pilgrimage because of the temple Sri Krishna Matha. This temple was founded by Srila Madhvacharya (A.D. 1238-1317), one of the greatest saints, philosophers, and religious reformers of India. Udipi is said to have attained the status of Vaikuntha, the kingdom of God, because the Supreme Personality of Godhead came and stayed there in response to the desire of His pure devotee Srila Madhvacharya.
Even before Madhva’s time Udipi was renowned as a holy place. People throughout South India frequently went there on pilgrimage because it was a center of Vedic scholarship and the site of two ancient temples, Sri Ananteshvara and Sri Candramauleshvara. In the Sri Ananteshvara temple, the more famous of the two, Lord Vishnu and His personal expansion Lord Ananta-shesha are said to reside within the Siva-linga, the deity form of Lord Siva, who is the most powerful demigod and the greatest devotee of Lord Vishnu, or Krishna. Sri Candramauleshvara is a temple of Lord Siva, so named because he carries the crescent moon (candra) on his head. Not much else is known about Udipi prior to Madhva’s advent, except that the town is named after Lord Siva, “Udipi” being derived from “Udupa,” another name of Lord Siva meaning “he who carries the moon on his head.”
Srila Madhvacharya, in the years before he founded the Sri Krishna Matha, was affiliated with the Sri Ananteshvara temple. Here he used to hold audiences spellbound with his learned discourses on the science of Krishna consciousness. Within the temple compound he would regularly hold debates with scholars opposed to pure devotion to Lord Krishna as the ultimate end of Vedic knowledge. Madhva never lost a debate. After founding Sri Krishna Matha, Madhva made it the center for all his activities. Tradition still has it, however, that pilgrims go first to Candramauleshvara and offer their respects to Lord Siva, then to Ananteshvara to offer respects to Lord Vishnu, and finally go across the street to Sri Krishna Matha to worship Srila Madhvacharya original Deity of Lord Bala Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead as a young child.
The amazing story of how the Bala Krishna Deity crossed the ocean from faraway Dvaraka in Northwest India to Udipi in the south is told in Madhva-vijaya, the biography of Srila Madhvacharya. Madhva wanted to have a temple of Lord Krishna in Udipi; the devotees could then worship and serve the Lord and ennoble their souls. Well, it so happened that in Dvaraka, one of the main places of Krishna’s pastimes on earth five thousand years ago, a Deity lay concealed within a large mass of gopi-candana clay (the yellowish clay Vaishnavas use daily in marking their freshly bathed bodies as temples of Lord Vishnu). No one knew the Deity was there, but because the lump of clay was exceedingly heavy, some sailors loaded it onto their merchant ship as ballast. On the ship’s southward journey, just off the coast of Udipi, a tempest blew the ship aground on a sandbank.
On that very day, Srila Madhvacharya absorbed in composing Dvadasha-stotra, his famous twelve-part poem praising Lord Krishna, had gone to the beach to bathe or, as some say, to receive the Lord. Upon seeing the ship caught fast on the sandbank and hearing the cries of the sailors in distress, Srila Madhvacharya waved his cloth in their direction. This calmed the stormy seas, and the ship floated free. Madhva then guided the vessel to safety. Eager to show his appreciation, the captain offered Madhva whatever he wanted from the ship’s cargo. Madhva chose the heavy lump of gopi- candana clay.
Disciple attendants of Madhvacharya had just started back to Udipi with the large lump of clay when, but a short distance from the beach, the lump broke in two, revealing the handsome Deity of Lord Bala Krishna. But now the combined effort of thirty of Madhva’s disciples could not budge the Deity. Only when Madhvacharya himself embraced and lifted the Deity as if He were a child did the Deity consent to be moved. In great transcendental ecstasy Madhva carried the Lord the four miles back to Udipi. On the way he completed the remaining seven parts of Dvadasha-stotra, reciting the verses out loud. Back in Udipi, Madhva bathed the Lord in the lake known as Madhva-sarovara and enshrined Him in the Sri Krishna Matha. Srila Madhvacharya instituted rigorous standards for worshipping Sri Krishna, and whenever he was in Udipi he would personally perform the thirteen daily worship ceremonies for the Lord.
How the Deity of Bala Krishna had come to be buried in Dvaraka is told in Prameya-navamalika-tika, a work from the seventeenth century by Raghuvarya Tirtha, an acharya in succession from Srila Madhvacharya. Once, during the time of Lord Krishna’s manifest pastimes on earth, mother Devaki lamented to the Lord over her misfortune at never having witnessed the Lord’s childhood pastimes in Vrindavana. She entreated the Lord to make her happy and fortunate, like mother Yashoda, by showing some of His childhood feats and frolics.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, just to give pleasure to His pure devotee, at once assumed the form of a small child and clambered all over Devaki’s lap. Later, when Devaki went to churn butter, Krishna, acting like an ordinary mischievous child, broke the churn, ate the lumps of butter, and even smeared butter all over his transcendental body. He then snatched the churning rod and rope from Devaki’s hands. After sporting like this for some time, the Lord again assumed His usual form of eternal youth. Mother Devaki was thrilled beyond measure to see this childhood pastime of the Lord.
Queen Rukmini-devi, Lord Krishna’s consort, witnessed these pastimes, and the Lord’s mischievous behavior and childhood features enthralled her. To preserve the memory, she had a Deity made of child Krishna holding a churning rod and rope. Queen Rukmini began to worship this Deity regularly. Later, after the Lord returned to the spiritual sky with His retinue, Arjuna deposited the Deity in a place called Rukminivana. In the course of centuries the Deity became completely covered with clay, and it remained in that condition near Dvaraka until merchant sailors brought it to Madhvacharya at Udipi.
Before his departure from this world, Srila Madhvacharya appointed eight of his sanyasi disciples to take charge of the worship at Sri Krishna Matha and to continue propagating Krishna consciousness in the region. Today the responsibility for the worship is rotated in two-year periods called paryaya among eight sanyasi in disciple succession from the original eight. During the fourteen-year interim period between turns at paryaya, each sanyasi travels and preaches and raises funds for use when his turn for worship comes. During his paryaya,he personally performs the thirteen daily ritual services to the Deity.
Each sanyasi also heads his own Matha, where other Deities, ones given by Madhvacharya to the original eight sanyasis, are worshipped. These eight mathas are located along Car Street, a road that circles the Candramauleshvara and Ananteshvara temples and runs right past the main entrance to Sri Krishna Matha. Car Street is where parades such as the one pictured at the opening of this article are held. According to the significance of the festival being observed, sometimes only one cart and sometimes all three are used. A fourth cart, completely covered in silver, is used for special festivals.
Replete with a decorated elephant and a musical band, a parade on Car Street is an almost nightly event in Udipi. Residents and pilgrims alike turn out en masse to see the Lord riding high upon His cart and smiling beneficently upon the adoring devotees. The procession stops at intervals along the route, and the Lord is entertained by fireworks displays or worshiped by offerings from His many devotees. The parades start at eight and are usually over by nine-thirty.
Seeing the enthusiastic devotion of the residents of Udipi engladdens the heart of any devotee. Even a hardened non devotional heart would be touched. Udipi is one of the few places left in India where devotional, spiritual traditions, for which India is famous, are still practiced intact. Such a pure devotional atmosphere is the principal symptom of the spiritual world. Thus a fitting epithet for Udipi is “the Kingdom of God on Earth.”
Madhva
For twelve years Madhyageha Bhatta would regularly travel the eight miles north from his village of Belle to Udipi. There at the Ananteshvara temple he would pray for a son. One day a devotee in a trancelike state climbed the temple flagpole and announced that to reestablish the purest principles of religion, a male child, an incarnation of Vatu, the demigod in charge in air, would soon be born. Madhyageha understood within his heart that this would be his own child. Soon his wife, Vedavati, gave birth to a son. The happy couple named him Vasudeva.
From infancy Vasudeva showed extraordinary intellect; so much so that he was given brahminical initiation at age five, three years early. Whatever he heard of read, even just once, he could remember. His body was unusually strong, lustrous, and beautiful. At age eleven, Vasudeva left home for Udipi, to live with Acyutapreksha, an ascetic widely respected for his scholarship and saintly character. After one year, despite strong protest from his father, Vasudeva renounced the world. Acyutapreksha named him Purnaprajna.
Less than forty days after taking sannyasa, Purnaprajna defeated Vasudeva Pandita, a famous wandering scholar, in a public debate. The pandita was known for his hair-splitting dialectical ability, but he was no match for young Purnaprajna. The pandita spoke for three days and then dared anyone to refute his conclusions. Purnaprajna shocked the crowd when he accepted the issues, he repeated almost verbatim the pandita’s arguments. Then, one by one, he smashed them all. His victory was the talk of Udipi. Acyutapreksha gave him the title Anandatirtha, in recognition of his mastery of Vedanta.
Word spread far and wide about the debating skill of the young ascetic in Udipi. Challengers and admirers converged on the town. Buddhisagara and Vadisimha, two Buddhist monks who had converted many to their fold, challenged Anandatirtha. After a day-long skirmish, they promised to return the next day. That night, however, they secretly fled from Udipi.
Anandatirtha went on a tour of South India. The most notable events on this tour were two encounters with Vidyashankara Swami, the lineal successor to Sripada Sankaracharya, who was the original propounded of the monistic theory of the Absolute Truth. Some basic tenets of Sankaracharya’s philosophy are as follows: God and the soul are identical; the formless, senseless, impersonal Absolute is the only reality; all else is illusion; and the incarnations of God are all products of illusion. Anandatirtha was thoroughly familiar with this doctrine, so he knew all its weak points. With firmness and courage he challenged the venerated Vidyashankara, and a fierce debate ensued. Vidyashankara could not defeat his opponent, yet he refused to accept defeat. They met again, in Rameshvaram, during the monsoon season, at which time Vidyashankara taunted and harassed Anandatirtha. But the young saint tolerated the abuse.
On his return journey, while addressing an assembly of learned men, Anandatirtha stated that every Vedic utterance conveyed a triple meaning, that each verse of the Mahabharata had ten meanings, and that each of the thousand prominent names of Lord Vishnu had a hundred meanings. When the astonished assembly demanded he prove his statement, Anandatirtha explained a hundred meanings of Vishva, the first name of Vishnu. Before he could proceed further, however, they begged him to stop, admitting they didn’t have the intelligence to comprehend his elaborate explanations.
Back in Udipi, Anandatirtha, who was now known as Madhva, wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad-Gita and gave a copy to Acyutapreksha for his approval.
Madhva’s next tour was to Badarinatha, high in the Himalayas. In Badarinatha he met Srila Vyasadeva, the author of the four Vedas and their voluminous supplementary literature. In preparation for this meeting, Madhva had observed complete silence and complete fasting for forty-eight days. He learned the full meaning of the Vedanta- sutra, the distilled essence of Vedic wisdom, from the transcendental author himself and promised to write a commentary on the sutras, one that would be faithful to Srila Vyasadeva’s original intent and purport. By the time he came down from the Himalayas, his commentary, Sutra-bhashya, was completed. He sent a copy ahead to Udipi for Acyutapreksha’s approval.
On his return trip, Srila Madhvacharya converted Sobhana Bhatta and Sami Sastri to Vaishnavism. They later became successors to Madhva, as Padmanabha Tirtha and Narahari Tirtha. Madhva refused to let Narahari take sannyasa, ordering him to remain in his high governmental position, in return for which he was to obtain the Deities of Mula Rama and Sita, lying in the King of Kalinga’s treasury. For many years Narahari remained in that service, until finally, just three months before Madhva’s departure from this world, Narahari brought the ancient images of Sita-Rama to his guru. These were the original Deities of Rama and Sita, worshiped by Maharaja Ikshvaku and then by Maharaja Dasharatha, the father of Lord Rama. Then during the time of Lord Krishna’s advent, the Pandavas gave them to the Gajapati kings of Orissa. Eventually the Deities were kept in the king’s treasury.
While still in his twenties, Srila Madhvacharya undertook a second tour to Badarinatha, this one after he had founded Sri Krishna Matha in Udipi. On the way, a tyrannical king pressed Madhva’s party into digging a reservoir for the city of Devagiri. Madhva, however, persuaded the king himself to take part in the digging and then left with the party. The pilgrims had many other hardships and misadventures, but Madhva always saved them with his quick thinking and mystic powers. In Badarinatha, Madhva again heard from Vyasa, who gave him eight sacred Salagrama stones.
On his return trip Madhva stopped in Goa, where he enacted an amazing gastronomical feat. Previously he had eaten a thousand bananas in one sitting. But in Goa, he outdid his earlier record. He ate four thousand bananas and then drank thirty pots of milk. When asked to prove that plants indeed respond to music, Madhva took a few seeds in his palm and began singing in his melodious voice. The seeds sprouted. Madhva continued singing, and the plants grew, swaying to the melody. Madhva continued singing. The plants grew into full maturity and yielded the fruits and flowers. News of this feat spread everywhere.
From Udipi Madhva traveled south again. In Vishnumangalam he debated with Trivikramacharya, a logician and grammarian of remarkable skill, who was able to make the Sanskrit language convey any meaning that suited his purpose. The debate lasted fifteen days, and in the end Trivikrama surrendered at Madhva’s feet. A full account of that debate is given in the Madhva-vijaya,written by the son of Trivikramacharya. News of Trivikrama’s conversion brought hundreds more men and women into Madhva’s fold. His life’s mission thus became firmly rooted in India.
Srila Madhvacharya wrote thirty-nine books clarifying the tenets of Vaishnavism and showing Vaishnavism to be the true Vedic religion. In many of his works he attacked the monistic creed of Sankaracharya’s followers, exposing to impede Madhva’s mission by less honorable means. They tried to defame him, declaring him a heretic and all his followers outcasts. They even stole his writings and his valuable collection of ancient books, thinking that without literature his mission would be finished. Somehow, King Jaya Simha of Vishnumangalam acquired the books and returned them to Madhvacharya.
Madhva had appeared in two other incarnations. During the time of Lord Krishna’s appearance on earth he appeared as the warrior Bhima, one of the five Pandava brothers. During the time of Lord Rama, he incarnated as the beloved Hanuman, the ideal servant of the Supreme Lord. And, as in those incarnations, Madhva performed many feats of strength and displayed mystical perfections. As a child he would appear suddenly in one mighty leap from anywhere in mighty leap from anywhere in response to his mother’s call. In school he cured a friend’s headache by blowing in his ear. To help his father out of debt he turned tamarind seeds into money. On two occasions he made seeds sprout into plants by his singing. An enormous rock in Ambu Tirtha, requiring at least fifty men to move it, bears an inscription stating that Madhvacharya placed it there with one hand. Many times Madhva made small quantities of food increase for distribution to hundreds of people. At the age of seventy-nine, his mission well established, Srila Madhvacharya passed away. His devotees say he went to Badarinatha to join Srila Vyasadeva.
Note
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is in the sampradaya, or disciple line, from Madhvacharya by way of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas, the Bengali school of Krishna devotees. The members of ISKCON are connected to the Madhva-sampradaya through Lakshmipati Tirtha, A Madhvaite who initiated Srila Madhavendra Puri, the grand- spiritual-master of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Prabhupada, the founder and spiritual master of ISKCON, is eleventh in the disciple line from Lord Chaitanya. Because of this connection to Madhva, Udipi holds special interest for ISKCON members. It is the place where one of the predecessor acharya boldly preached Krishna consciousness, the Absolute Truth, and delivered many conditioned souls from illusion and ignorance.
After we had our break-fast, we proceeded to Kollur which is situated in the midst of Western Ghats/forest. Here also we had a good darshan of the Moogambigai Amman.
The history of Kollur Mookambika temple states that there lived a demon named Kaumasura who was unleashing a reign of terror upon all the gods with his special power given by Lord Shiva. When all the gods were trying their best to stay away from his vicinity, Guru Shukracharya brings good news to the gods that this demon would face death by a woman that is Parvathi Devi. Knowing this Kaumasura undertakes severe penance, Lord Shiva asks this demon to ask for the boon, sensing grave danger if he his offered the boon, this goddess of speech makes this demon dumb.
Hence this Kaumasura came to be known as Mookasura (mooka means to be dumb). Thereafter Devi mobilised all the powers of the gods and then this demon was killed by Kollur Devi Parvathi. She was hence forth called Mookambika. This place where Devi killed Mookasura is known as Marana Katte.
The Kollur Devi thereafter became the deity of this place offering her blessings to all who sought her. She poses with all her radiance along with the shank and chakra in both her hands sitting in the padmahasana posture.
Suyambulingam at Mookambika temple
The Suyambulingam at Sri Mookambika temple is said to have come into existence when Parameshwara drew the chakra with his toe. This chakra is believed to be the Udhbava linga which has drawn its strength due its proximity to all divine beings. It is also very sacred since Kollur Devi is supposed to be merged with this Suyambulinga and that has made her acquire great power.
Here she is said to have formed part of Lingam along with Lakshmi and Saraswathi on one side and Lord Brahma, Vishnu and Parameshwara on the other side. Apart from this there is also a carved image of Shiva said to be injured by during the clash with Arjuna known as Kiratharjuna and this is on the right side of this Suyambulinga.
Adhi Shankaracharya is believed to be instrumental in Devi Mookambika taking this place Kollur as her abode. It is this place near the bank of Souparnika River that Adhi Shankarar stopped to fix the Chakra and on above it placed the Devi and this forms the central idol behind the Linga. This temple has been patronized by many ancient kings who donated many precious jewels to Sri Kollur Devi and they are still adorned by her. Many other Hindu kings have also donated to this temple since it was believed to be the state temple in those days.
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Sanctum of Kollur Sri Mookambika Temple
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The history of idol installation at Kollur Mookambika temple is nearly 1200 years old. King Halugallu Veera Sangayya is said to have laid the valuable stone to cover the inside premises and this was done by him under the instructions of Rani Chennamaji. The temple comprises of the sanctorum, a hall and the Lakshmi Mantapa at the rear. This Lakshmi Mandapam has four pillars and it is about 135 feet long. These four pillars are adorned with splendidly carved images of Indian deities.
The beautiful sculptures are figurines of various Gods and Goddesses such as Vinayaka or Ganesh, Subrahmanya, Naga, Mahishasura Mardini and the mother goddess or Devi in various forms. The Garbagriha at this Kollur temple is contemporary and artistic in value. A huge deepasthambam stands tall with its base like a tortoise’s head. This Deepasthambam has 21 beautiful concentric circles which appear very divine and similar to that of Makara jothi when all the lamps are lit and viewed from distance.
The Navarathri festival begins with an invocation to Lord Ganesh who is on this pillar. As we move inside the corridor beyond the Garbagriha there are four types of idols of Ganapathi. Among them are Dasa bhuja Ganapathi and Balamuri Ganapathi which is beautifully sculpted using white marble. Then there is an image of a serpent that is worshipped by all Devi’s devotees in order to wade off the evil effects of Sarpodosa and other doshas. And it is believed that when touched while offering prayers, the devotees are said to be blessed with good fortune.
The outer side of the pradikshana we see the idol of Lord Muruga followed by the idol of Saraswathi, Pranalingeswara, Prartheshwar and Mukya Prana. This Mukya Prana is placed just opposite to Veerabadrasamy shrine to strike a balance for its dangerous appearance. This Veerabadrasamy is said to be the presiding deity here.
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From Kollur, we proceeded to Sringeri through the western gnat roads. We crossed the place called as
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Agumbe, one of the places that receive the heaviest rainfall in Southern India. It is known as the Cherrapunji of the South and the rains feed streams, rivers and the many waterfalls here. The dense rainforests of Agumbe are home to the only permanent Rainforest Research Station in India.
We reached Sringeri in the afternoon, just in time to have our lunch at the mutt itself and we stayed in their paid guest house.
SRINGERI SHARADA PEETAM
Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankara Bhagavatpada established the first of the four Amnaya Peethams1 at Sringeri more than twelve centuries ago to foster the sacred tradition of Sanatana Dharma.
Hallowed for all times by Sage Rishyashringa who stayed and performed Tapas here, Sringeri attracted the great Acharya with a remarkable sight.
Tradition has it that after the Acharya had dispersed all the non-Vedic creeds prevailing in the country; He was on the look-out for a convenient and holy place where he could establish an institution to spread the truths of Advaita Vedanta. When the Acharya came to Sringeri, he saw an unusual sight on the banks of the Tunga. A cobra was seen spreading out its hood over a frog in labor pains, to give it shadow from the scorching mid-day sun. Struck with the sanctity of the place, which could infuse love between natural adversaries, the Acharya chose this very location to establish His first Math.
Sri Kappa Shankara - A Shrine on the banks of the Holy Tunga River in memory to the
glorious sight witnessed by Sri Adi Shankaracharya; A serpent giving shade from the
scorching sun to a pregnant frog in labor pains
The Madhaviya Shankara Digvijayam describes that the Acharya came across many virtuous people at Sringeri and taught them the doctrine of Advaita. He then invoked the Divinity of Knowledge, Goddess Sharada and consecrated an icon of the Goddess. Thus the Perham He founded at Sringeri in South India for fostering the Vedas and the sacred tradition of Sanatana Dharma came to be known as the Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Perham.
The Acharya appointed his prime disciple, Sri Sureshwaracharya as the first Acharya of the Perham. Since then, the Perham has been blessed with an unbroken Guru Parampara, a garland of spiritual masters and Jivanmuktas representing Sri Adi Shankaracharya. The succeeding Acharya have led a life of such austere penance that it has led disciples to adore in them the radiance of Sri Adi Shankara Himself.
Besides being a centre of spiritual power, Sringeri also came to be known as a great place of traditional learning owing to the presence of Goddess Sharada and the erudition of the Acharya of the Perham. The Acharyas were instrumental in bringing forth commentaries on the Vedas and in further expounding the Bhashyas of Sri Adi Shankaracharya. The Acharyas also wrote a number of independent works related to Advaita besides producing a number of hymns underlining their ardent devotion to the non-dual Supreme worshipped in multifarious forms. The Peetham thus came to be regarded as the Vyakhyana Simhasana, The Throne of Transcendental Wisdom. Consequently, the Birudavali hails the Acharya as the occupier of this throne. Many regard Goddess Sharada Herself to be moving in the form of the presiding Acharya of the Peetham.
In the 14th century, royal patronage to the Peetham began with the founding of the famous Vijayanagar empire under the divine guidance of the 12th Acharya, Jagadguru Sri Vidyaranya. The austerity of the Acharya influenced the rulers to such an extent that they began ruling in the name of the Acharya and granted the Peetham the rights over secular administration of the land. At the rulers’ request, the Acharya began conducting a Durbar during the Navaratri festival - an occasion deemed by the rulers to honor their Guru. Subsequently, the Acharya came to be known as the Karnataka Simhasana Prathisthapanacharya and the Perham became a mighty institution - a Samsthanam and is known to this day as the Jagadguru Shankaracharya Mahasamsthanam, Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Perham at Sringeri. Over the succeeding centuries, a number of empires and rulers including the Mysore Maharajahs Hider Ali and Tip Sultan, the Noam of Hyderabad, the Pashas and the Kelda rulers and Travancore Rajas were drawn towards the Perham and respected the Acharya as their Guru.
Sri Vidyaranya Mahaswami being accorded royal honor in the Adda-Pallaki by the
Vijayanagara Emperors, Harihara and Bukkaraya. A 17th century painting based on the
mural at Virupaksha temple at Hampi. This tradition has continued since then and is followed even today.
In the recent past, the Sharada Peetham has shone through the lives of the Acharyas - Jagadguru Sri Sachidananda Shivabhinava Narasimhan Bahrain Maha swamigal, the re-discoverer of Sri Adi Shankara’s birthplace at Kalady and the founder of the famous Pathashala at Sringeri; followed by the renowned Jivanmukta, Jagadguru Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati Mahaswamigal; succeeded by the crest jewel of Yogis, Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswamigal. They have all left indelible impressions in the hearts of the disciples.
With such a rich history associated with Sri Adi Shankaracharya’s first and foremost Peetham, many wonder at the aptness of the Acharya’s choice of locating the Peetham at Sringeri, a spot replete with a hoary past, and bountiful with natural splendor and serenity.
Today, the Sringeri Sharada Peetham bedecked with an unbroken chain of Acharyas continues to uphold the principles of Sanatana Dharma with the 36th Acharya Jagadguru Shankaracharya Sri Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji acting as a treasure of spiritual wisdom and peace for all seekers.
HORANADU ANNAPOORNESHWARI TEMPLE
Horanadu is located in the Western Ghats of Karnataka, 100 kms south-west of Chikmagalur, located in the midst of thick forests and valleys.
Horanadu is a place of enchanting natural scenery, the ancient temple of Goddess Annapoorneshwari (Horanadu Annapoorneshwari Temple, Horanadu Annapurna Temple), here has been restored and renamed as the Adi-Shaktyatmaka Shree Annapoorneshwari. The single image depicts the Goddess Annapoorneshwari standing on a peeta with Shanku, Chakra, Sri Chakra and Devi Gayathri in her four hands.
The name "Annapoorneshwari" means "Feeding one and all". The uniqueness of this temple is everybody who visit this temple are provided with food including breakfast, lunch and dinner and place to sleep in the temple premises.
Horanadu is located in the Western Ghats of Karnataka, 100 kms south-west of Chikmagalur, located in the midst of thick forests and valleys.
Horanadu is a place of enchanting natural scenery, the ancient temple of Goddess Annapoorneshwari (Horanadu Annapoorneshwari Temple, Horanadu Annapurna Temple), here has been restored and renamed as the Adi-Shaktyatmaka Shree Annapoorneshwari. The single image depicts the Goddess Annapoorneshwari standing on a peeta with Shanku, Chakra, Sri Chakra and Devi Gayathri in her four hands.
The name "Annapoorneshwari" means "Feeding one and all". The uniqueness of this temple is everybody who visit this temple are provided with food including breakfast, lunch and dinner and place to sleep in the temple premises.
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Lapped in the luxurious abundance of the beauty of the nature the village of Subramanya lies in the Sullia Taluk in south Kanara with a sancity which very few places can boast of. The temple is situated in the heart of the village. Nature reveals herself in all her unhidden beauty in the rivers, forests and mountains which the temples is surrounded by. It is about a 100 KM from Mangalore and can be easily reached by buses or taxis.
From Sringeri, we went to Dharmastala after our lunch but the temple was closed at 2.30 itself and will open again at 7 PM only. We thought that due to large numbers of pilgrims visit this shrine continuously every day, the timings of the temple would be convenient but it is not. As it is not worthwhile to spend the time till 7 Pm for the worship and then to stay for the night, we decided to proceed to Kukke Subramanya which is just 90 minutes drive from Dharmastala. We reached there and stayed in a private lodge. Here also we were disappointed as we have been shunted between various centers of pilgrims centers and everyone were evasive to provide us a place for stay in their paid guest houses.
KUKKE SUBRAMANYA
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The main entrance to the temple lies to the east. The devotees will have to enter courtyard from behind and go before the idol. The sanctuary of Sri Subrahmanya Swami lies opposite to the main entrance. A Garuda pillar with silver covering towers high between the sanctuary and the newly constructed portico. It is said that the pillar was charmed and erected in order to shield the people from the flames of poison emanating from the breath of Vasuki residing inside. Devotees have to encircle round including this pillar too. Beyond this pillar the outer Mantapa and then the inner Mantapa and later the sanctuary of Sri Subrahmanya meet our eyes. There is a pedestal in the center of sanctuary. On the upper dais stands the idol of !Sri Shanmukha and then the idol of Vasuki and little lower the idol of Maha Shesha. Panchamrith Mahapooja and ‘Utsava’ of these deities take place daily. More details have already been given in the preceding chapters.
Kukkelinga : To the north of the sanctuary there is a cluster of lingas known as ‘Kukkelingas’. Some believe that the lingas got that name simply because people usetd to worship them together kept in a basket. Now of course they have been installed in the back portion of the sanctuary and are being worshipped there. Some argue that the place owes its name "Kukke Pattana" to the Kukke linga and they precede a step further and say that the epithet "Kukke" in ‘Kukke Subrahmanya Degaru’ owes its origin to the curious custom of worshipping images kept in the basket. Also there is a fanciful contention that Kukke must be the Halegannada form of the Sanskrit word "Kukshi" meaning "cave". As the image was installed by Vasuki in the cave it came to be called as Kukkelinga. Moreover as already been referred we come across the phrase ‘Subramanya Ahipeshwara’ in the Lalithagama. The car festival of Kukkelinga takes place every year on Makara Sankramana. At present many families, worship Kukkelinga as the titular deity of their families. According to the legendary history, Sri Shanmugaswamy installed Shiva Lingas in three places in order to get rid of the sin resulting from killing Tharakasura. Afterwards many Gods and sages installed many more Lingas and images. In course of time when the place was subjected to the vicissitudes of the ebb and flow of its fortune, people collected these images and Lingas and placed them in the temple. Further particulars of this can be seen in Subrahmanya Mahatma, the book published by the temple management.
Having come so far, we wanted to visit Dharmastala in the next morning, despite the fact of travelling again for 90 Kms to & fro as our route to Madigere is via Subramanya only. Gopalan was the motive behind our decision to go to this shrine and we left in the early morning of 6th March.
There were no rush in the temple and we could have a good darshan of the deity conveniently.
Legend and origin -Dharmsthala
800 years ago, Dharmasthala was known as Kuduma in Mallarmadi, then a village in Belthangady. Here lived the Jain Bunt chieftain Birmanna Pergade and his wife Ammu Ballalthi in a house called Nelliadi Beedu. According to the legend, the guardian angels of Dharma assumed human forms and arrived at Pergade's abode in search of a place where Dharma was being practised and could be continued and propagated. As was their habit, the couple hosted these illustrious visitors with all their wherewithal and great respect. Pleased by their sincerity and generosity, that night the Dharma Daivas appeared in the dreams of Pergade. They explained the purpose of their visit to him and instructed him to vacate his house for the worship of the Daivas and dedicate his life to the propagation of Dharma. Asking no questions, the Pergade built himself another house and began worshiping the Daivas at Nelliadi Beedu.This worship of daivas continues. The Dharma Daivas again appeared before Pergade to build separate shrines to consecrate the four Daivas — Kalarahu, Kalarkayi, Kumaraswamy and Kanyakumari. Also, Pergade was instructed to choose two persons of noble birth to act as the Daivas' oracles and four worthy persons to assist Pergade in his duties as the executive head of the shrines. In return, the Daivas promised Pergade protection for his family, abundance of charity and renowned for the 'Kshetra'. Pergade, as desired, built the shrines and invited Brahmin priests to perform the rituals. These priests requested Pergade to install a Shivalinga beside the native Daivas. The Daivas then sent their vassal Annappa Swamy to procure the lingam of Shiva from Kadri Sri Manjunatha Temple, near Mangalore. Subsequently, the Manjunatha temple was built around the linga.[2]
Pergade family
We reached Madigere well in time and took two auto rikshaws to reach our place of Home Stay. We dismissed the tourist car engaged in Kukke Subramanya.
Our home stay has been pre-arranged with COORG WOODSIDE owned by Mrs. Leena Prakash and located around 16 Kms from the main town. It is in Kattemadu Village, via Maragodu and Pin Code is 571252. Their contact numbers are:
Landline 08272 241683 and
Mobile numbers are +91 94493 39286 and 9900377659.
It was really a home stay with maximum comforts. The guest rooms were maintained in spic and span conditions. They provide break-fast (which is included in their tariff). We have to tell them in advance for the dinner. Lunch can be had when we visit the tourist spots in and around Madegere. Both Mrs. Leena and Mr. Prakash took care of us as if we are one of their family members. Their hospitality is superb.
On 7th morning we visited BAGEEDESHWARA TEMPLE, Triveni Sangamam and Thalai Cauvery.
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This temple at Bagamandala is considered to be a 'Triveni Sangam', as the rivers, Cauvery and Kannike meet the stream Sujyothi, thereby making the place one of the holiest spots in Coorg. A place filled with holiness and divinity, Bagamandala is a destination for those who are searching for peace and serenity in the lap of nature. This spot is also famous as a 'Triveni Sangam', as the rivers Cauvery and Kannike meet the stream Sujyothi, making the place sacred for Hindus, who come here from all around the world. There are four temples near this confluence, dedicated to the deities Subramanya, Ishwarya Ganapathy and Vishnu. This popular pilgrimage centre is also known as Bhagandeswhara Kshetra to many devotees. Apart from all these, the place is also of historical importance as it was once the site of a battle fought between Tipu Sultan and Dodda Virarajendra of the Coorg kingdom. It is believed that the roof of one of the temples was destroyed during the battle and Dodda Virarajendra replaced it with silver tiles. Take a dip in the Triveni Sangam or go temple-hopping here and take home memories filled with a spiritually uplifting experience.
Thalai Cauvery
The temple here is dedicated to Goddess Kaveriamma. Other deities worshipped here are Lord Agasthiswara, which denotes the link between Kaveri and Sage Agasthya and Maha Ganapathi.
The legend goes that the Kaveri river was held in a Kamandalu (a container of sacred water) by Sage Agasthya. Vinayaka (Lord Ganesha) took the form of a crow and perched on the kamandalu of Agasthya when Agasthya was meditating. When Agasthya realised this, he shooed away the crow. But the devine crow tipped the kamandalu and toppled it. Out poured Kaveri which started flowing. The crow disappeared and in its place stood a small boy. Agasthya thought that the boy was playing some prank and clenching both his fists, went to pound the head of the small boy. But the boy escaped and Agasthya gave chase. Finally the boy vanished and Lord Ganesha showed himself to Agasthya. Agasthya was aghast at the realisation that he had just tried to knock the head of Lord Ganesha himself. As atonement, he knocked his own head with both of his clenched fists.
The temple was renovated in the Year 2010 by the Government of Karnataka.
The link between Kaveri and Lord Ganesha also extends to Srirangam as well, in Lord Ganesha's role in setting up the Ranganatha temple there. The temple atTirumakudalu Narasipura (confluence of Kabini, Kaveri and the legendary Spatika Sarovara)) is also dedicated to Agasthiwara.
History of the temple priests of Talakavery
It is believed that Mayura Varma, and Narasimman the Kadamba King who ruled vast areas of southern and central India in the 4th Century A.D. brought Brahmins from Adhi Kshetra (or Ahichatra) and put them in-charge of various temples in Tulu Nadu. Adhi Kshetra is mentioned in the Mahabharata as lying north of the Ganges, and as being the capital of Northern Panchala. It is apparently the Adisadra of Ptolemy, and its remains are visible near Ramnagar in Tahsil Aonla in Bareilly district.[3]
The Brahmins who first landed in Shivalli in Tulunadu and then spread across 31 villages came to be known as Shivalli Brahmins or Tulu Brahmins. It is from Shivalli and Tulu Brahmins, that the priests of Talakaveri temple have come from.
Achar Family of Talacauvery
The beginning of the Achar family in Talakaveri starts ten generations or about 220 to 230 years ago. A Brahmin named Venkappayya and his two brothers, along with their families came to Talakaveri on a pilgrimage. Lingaraja the First was the ruler of Kodagu. One night God appeared in Lingaraja's dream and indicated that there was a Brahmin family currently visiting Talakaveri. God commanded Lingaraja to appoint this Brahmin to be the priest at the temple. After the king arose from his dream, he sent for this Brahmin family. The king's messengers found Venkappayya in Talakaveri and informed him about the king's desire. Venkappayya accompanied the king's messengers from Talakaveri to Madikeri, a distance of about 24 miles to meet the king
Lingaraja received Venkappayya and requested him to start daily puja at the temple. The king set up an endowment to pay Venkappayya for his services at the temple. This was the beginning of the Achar family of Talacauvery. The priesthood bestowed by Lingaraja upon Venkappayya has passed on through many generations to his heirs. It is hereditary as most priesthood is, and all male members of the family have the birthright to become priests at the temple. The current generation of Achar priests at the temple is the ninth from Venkappayya.[
Venkappayya came from Shivalli Halli (village) of South Canara district. The Brahmins here were called Putturayas, probably meaning priests from Puttur. This Puttur is near Udipi. Venkappayya Putturaya's descendants are the Achars. The current Achars are the ninth generation from Venkappayya. It is not known why the descendants of Venkappayya took on the surname of Achar. Although Venkappayya came to Talakaveri with his two brothers, only Venkappayya's descendants are documented.[
The next morning, after the break fats, we took leave of Mrs. Leena and Mr. Prakash and proceeded to Mysore for our return journey to Chennai by night train. On the way, we went to river side where the elephants used to be brought from the nearby forest for bath and we were told that it would be very interesting to see it. With great anxiety in our mind, we reached the place well in time and before 12 noon. But we were disappointed as we have been informed that mahouts have not brought the elephant this day, after we were charged Rs 50 per head to take across this small river by dinghy boats and only there we were told so. We have been told in confidence that there is a rift between the mahouts and the rafting club in the matter of mamools. The mamools have to be paid to the mahouts on a fixed basis irrespective of the rush of visitors.
Then we visited the Bamboo park, where there is shopping centre for all the produces of Madigere forests like Elachi, Clover, Coffee seeds and powder and other items.
