MANJUNATH TEMPLE - KADRI

Temple of Manjunatheshwara which is on the hills of Kadri is a very beautiful and popular temple in Mangalore. It has been built during the 10th or 11th century. Later it was converted into a complete stone structure during the 14th century. The idol of Lord Manjunathaswamy of the temple is called as the oldest of the South Indian Temples.

Significance of the Temple

The legend here is believed that Parashurama who was then living in Sahyadri, killed the kshathriyas who were very much cruel and donated the lands to Kashyapa. He prayed to Lord Shiva for a place to live. Lord Shiva had assured Parashurama that if he performed a penance at Kadali kshethra, Lord Shiva would reincarnate as the Manjunatha for the betterment of the world. According to Lord Shiva's orders Parashurama threw his axe into the sea and created a place for his penance. Yielding to Parashurama's prayers Lord Shiva appeared to him as Manjunatha along with Goddess Parvathi and stayed at Kadri for the betterment of the world. As according to the orders of Manjunatha the sapthakoti manthras become the seven theerthas. In front of the temple at a height there are a number of water ponds. Then there's a garden surrounding the ponds. When one walks down from there in front of the temple there is a huge lightpole. During Karthika Maasa (month) a deepothsava is held here. There are statues of Machendranath, Gorakanath, Shringinath, Lokeshwara, Manjushri and Budha in the temple. The Padmasanastha Lokeshwara statue is very beautiful. Behind the temple of Manjunatha upto the west is the temple of Goddess Durga. To the Northern side is the temple of Lord Ganesha. Several festivals are being celebrated with devotion and joy at Kadri throughout the year. During Kadiruthsava of the Bhadrapada shuddha thadige, Ganesha chathurthi, Navarathri, Karthika Maasa and from Deepavali to Paththanaaje special poojas and religious ceremonies are held. Flag hoisting in Makara Sankranthi, nine days of annual fair and Rathothsava, Dhanurmaasa pooja, Shivarathri, Ugadi are meticulously and religiously celebrated. Every Monday Rudrabhisheka is held. In 1988 from dates of April 17th to 23rd BrahmaKalashothsava was held in great pomp and grandeur after a long time. It's a practice to hoist the 40 feet Garuda to the 62 feet tall flagpole during the annual fair. The other places to visit around the temple are Udhbhava Linga, Akshaya pond, the 5 feet tall statue of Thrilokeshwara and Deepasthamba. The Lord Kadri Manjunatha Temple is one of the famous and ancient temples located on Kadri hills in Mangalore city. It is believed that the temple has been built during the 10th century and it was converted to a complete stone structure during the 14th century. The Kadri Manjunatha temple was built with nine water tanks nestling at the foot of the highest hill at Kadri in Mangalore. This Temple on Kadri hills is dedicated to Lord Manjunatha, an incarnation of Lord Shiva. The idol of Lord Manjunatha is the oldest among the south Indian temples. The idol of Lord Manjunatha is made of bronze. The sub-deities in the temple here include Lord Ganesh, Lord Vishnu, Goddess Durgaparmeshwari, Lord Shasta, Vyasa Muni and Gomukha Ganpathi. The main unique attraction of Kadri are the temples, the seven sacred ponds, Jogi Mutt and caves of Pandavas. The Name - Kadri: The earliest orientation to it is in the epigraph dated 968 on the statue. It specially mentions that King Kundavarma Bupendra of the Alupas lineage caused the Lokeshwara statue to be installed in Kadarika Vihara. Kadarika is the earliest name of this place, and 'Vihara' is the name given to a Buddhist settlement. Buddhism flourished at Kadri till the 10th century. Even after its decline and with the beginning of the Natha Pantha, the name continued in practice. Hence, the name Kadri. Lord Shiva was pleased from Parashurama's penance and Lord had appeared to him as Manjunatha along with his wife Goddess Parvathi and resided at Kadri for the welfare of the world. Yielding to the Parashurama's prayers Lord Shiva appeared to him as Manjunatha along with Goddess Parvathi and stayed at Kadri for the betterment of the world. According to the instructions of Lord Manjunatha, the Sapthakoti manthras become the seven sacred ponds. In front of the temple, at a height there are 7 water ponds. There's a garden surrounding the ponds. There is a natural spring at an important location on the backside of the temple. It is called as Gomukha. The water from this spring is let into 7 ponds and devotees before entering the temple come here and wash themselves. Festivals like Lakshadeepotsava and Pattanaje are the main festivals celebrated here in a great devotion. The ancient Kadri Manjunatha Temple, dates back to 1068 A.D and is located 4 kms away from Nehru Maidan Bus Stand at the foot of the Kadri hill. Built in the Vijaynagar style of architecture with traces of Buddhist influence, this temple dedicated to Shree Manjunath (Lokeshwara, Lord Shiva) this is a square shrine with a pyramidal roof. The idol of the presiding deity, in the shape of Udbhava Linga is considered as the oldest of the south Indian temples. An interesting feature of this a natural stone slab found parallel to the level of the floor of the 'garbha griha' is that whatever amount of water poured on it will be disappear immediately. The temple also houses a 1.6m tall bronze statue of the main deity Lokeshwara in a seated position with three faces and six arms which is reputed to be one of the best bronze statues in India. Apart from the main deity, Durgaparmeshwari, Ganapathi, Shasta and Gomukha Vyasa Muni and Vishnu are the sub deities worshipped here. The temple complex contains seven water tanks surrounded by a beautiful garden. These ponds receive water from a natural spring known as Gomukha that flows the backside of the temple. The temple has also figures of Matsyendranatha with his palms held one over the other on his folded right leg which is located on southern side; a six feet high structure of Gorakhanath on the western side and the figure of Sringinatha, which is ornamented with three tiers in the midst. A tall wooden 'Deepa Sthamba’ (light pole) covered with bronze adorns the temple. Goddess Durga temple is situated to the west of main temple while a temple of Lord Ganesha is at the northern side. Timings : 5.30 am to 1 pm & 4 pm to 8 pm. How to Get to Kadri Manjunatha Temple This temple is situated right in Mangalore. Mangalore is a major city in Karnataka and it is well connected through air, rail and bus routes to all parts of Karnataka and India.