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
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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 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.
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.
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