Aanakutte Vinayagar Koil - A temple tour to Mangalore

            

                       Actually this temple was not in our list to visit. We had a sudden plan to visit this place. Renovations were going on when we went there. This Pillayar (Vinayakar) temple was built good with lot of parking space. The cement carvings inside the temple were beautifully carved. When we went, they started the pooja which was really good as the pooja went for long time. There is a sivan parvathi statue with gangai from his head nearby. We started from there for lunch to a nearby hotel and had a good lunch... 

Kollur Mookambigai Temple - A temple tour to Mangalore

           Early morning we started and reached Kollur Mookambigai temple. It is the only temple that is dedicated to goddess Parvathi and believed to be created by Parashurama. Many lodges were there near to this temple. We were invited by a huge elephant near the temple gate. In the side of the temple some bidding of sarees was going on.

           Actually the bidding was on sarees and other things used for Lord Mookambigai. We just saw it for some time and entered inside the temple. A huge queue was maintained inside the temple. You can see a lot of pigeons inside the temple. Few monkeys were entertaining the queued devotees. A beautifully carved radham (ther) was kept inside the temple.

           

            The main deity in the temple is  Jyothirlinga (Shiva Linga). This Jyotirlinga is in front of the idol of the goddess Mookambika. A line of gold divides this Linga into two unequal parts and is only visible in the light reflected sunlight pointed at the Linga. The smallest portion of this right Linga he would represent Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva (as conscious principles static) and larger left part, Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess Saraswathi and Goddess Parvathi (like the creative energy principles).

How to reach the temple:

Distances from Kollur:
1. Kundapur: 40 Kms
2. Udupi: 80 Kms
3. Murudeshwar: 55 Kms
4. Mangalore: 140 kms
5. Bangalore: 405 Kms (via Shimoga)
6. Sringeri: 115 Kms

Kollur is well connected to Mangalore, Bangalore and Mysore. Regular buses ply from Udupi.

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Udipi Krishnan temple - A temple tour to Mangalore

                

                We reached the temple by night. This was the last schedule for that day. I was bit worried as we had only small amount of time left and many told this is one of the very famous temples. Even at that time we found a huge rush towards the temple. On the way to the temple, you can find the amazing radham (ther) fully made of bamboos. Near to it, we found some ducks & swans in the pond and there starts the rush and push.. 

               There was absolute "0" maintenance, and everyone started to push here and there even though they were not allowed inside. I came out of the rush with my wife and little girl.  My father and mother was in the mid and they were unable to come out and they were moved with the crowd. Few got hurt during the push. No security persons or the temple in charges were there to control the crowd. At last a security person came and he also started yelling and pushing. A lady became a victim to it and she fell down and her leg got hurt badly and that was a mistake of the security person. The security suddenly closed the iron gate and her leg just crossed, else it would have been worse. The lady told that she is going to raise a complaint.. don’t know what happened later.

            The main god is Krishna, who is bit different from other Krishna temples. The unique feature of Udipi Krishna temple is that the Lord is worshipped only through a window with nine holes called the Navagraha Kitiki. The window holes are silver plated and it’s a tradition to worship the lord through the window. There is a story behind the window worship . Kanakadasa was a great devotee of Lord Krishna. Once he was not allowed to see Krishna. But Kanakadasa was not upset, rather he started praying from the backside of the temple. On seeing this Krishna turned up and the wall was broken to Kanakadasa. That’s why, Krishna is still worshiped throught the window holes. The temple was good and we had a good dharshan with ultimate rush and push.

How to reach the temple:

Udupi railway station lies on the Konkan Railway line connecting Mangalore to Mumbai. It is well connected with all major cities in Konkan line, and also with other cities in India via Mangalore rail terminal.

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Karkala Jain temple - A temple tour to Mangalore

                          We went to this temple by dusk. It was a beautiful sunset. The temple was located in a hill top and we started climbing the steps. Old people found bit tough to climb the mountain. The beautiful scenic view made our evening very pleasant.

                          After reaching the top, you can see the whole scenic beauty around. I enjoyed the sunset a lot. The huge Buddha was standing erect which strained our necks to have a full view. We spent the whole evening there after worshipping the Lord. I liked this place a lot. The gigantic rock statue of the Gandharva remains a rarity and is one of the three such statues in the whole of India. Descending the mountain, you can find some snack shops with chat items and chai.

How to reach the temple:

It is 55 km north of the city of Mangalore. Travelers can reach Karkala from Mangalore by bus. The travel time from Mangalore to Karkala is about 2 hours.

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Kalasa Kaleeshwara Temple - A temple tour to Mangalore

                          

                         Actually the temple was closed when we went there.. we went up and saw the outside structures and came back. This temple has a history. During the wedding of Lord Shiva and Parvathi in Himalayas, all the God and Goddesses came to see the marriage. This caused the earth to be unbalanced. To balance that Shiva requested Agasthya to travel south. 

                        

                             Since Agasthya told that he needs to witness the wedding, Shiva gave him a divine vision, which made Agasthya to see the marriage being in any part of the world, and hence he travelled south to Kalasala.  The Girija Kalyana (marriage of Lord Shiva and Parvathi) is celebrated in Kalasa every year to commemorate this tradition

How to reach the temple:

           

Kalasa is located at a distance of about 300 km away from Bangalore. Busses operate from all over Mangalore.

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Horanadu Annapoorneshwari Temple - A temple tour to Mangalore

                

                               From Shringeri, we have to travel quite a long distance to reach Horanadu. Annapoorneshwari is the main Goddess here. As the name depicts, they provide food for one and all who come for the temple. We went to see how the food was. The food was served in a very descent manner. We had few varieties to taste. I did not like the taste much, but still I liked the way they served. The temple is situated in a raised position and hence you have to walk a few steps (around 50-60) to reach the temple. We saw a few tweeties around the temple and it was good to hear their tweeting sounds. The temple is surrounded by scenic beauty. We had tender coconuts outside the temple and we started your journey again.

How to reach the temple:

Horanadu is located in the picturesque surroundings of Western Ghats of Karnataka. The temple is surrounded by huge number of coconut trees. 

Horanadu is 100 kms south-west of Chikmagalur, located in the midst of thick forests and valleys.

Distances from Horanadu:

Horanadu is well connected by roads various KSRTC & Private Buses ply daily to Horanadu from various places.

1. Kalasa: 7 Kms
2. Chikmagalur: 100 Kms (District head quarters)
3. Sringeri: 80 Kms
4. Bangalore: 330 kms

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Shringeri Sharadamba Temple - A temple tour to Mangalore

                                       

                              From Polali, we started towards Shringeri. I still spell this word stuttering because of the chillness over there.  One of the excellent climate I have ever enjoyed was on that day at Shringeri. Since we did not get any lodges during that night, we got a rented house for a night’s stay. It was bit deep inside Shringeri. On reaching the place, we had a bad luck. Oops it’s a power failure in that area. After descending the bus when I looked up in the deep sky; I was amazed to see the sky full of stars... It may be simple to think about. But I have never seen such a beautiful sky in my entire life till now. Wow... I still feel the joy of enjoying the beauty. May be I was seeing a pollution less sky after a very long time. My retina gained more energy and finally the power came and we got settled in the room.

                              The next day our bus started towards Shringeri Sharada Peetam. It is a beautiful temple with Sharadamba as its main Goddess, the Goddess of learning and wisdom. The temples architectures attracted me a lot over there.  Before entering into the temple, you have a lot of shops to get the pooja items. Along with the shops, you have small shops selling fish foods (pori).. We just got one and went inside.

                       After worshipping the Goddess, we went near the pond to see the giant fishes marching one upon another. Yes I did a mistake, one fish food packet will be sufficient only for 4 or 5 fishes over there.  But there were hundreds and hundreds of huge fishes. The big fishes, I have seen in a temple pond ever. If you have little ones with you, try to get 2 or 3 fish food packets as they enjoy a lot seeing the fishes grabbing the food in water. You can click a lot of pictures here.

                 

                               The temple architecture is very great and I am sure you will be lost it its beauty. You have 2 singha statues there. The highlight is inside its mouth, you can find a round stone which cannot be taken outside.. Don’t know how they carved it on those days without any accurate machines or tools. After seeing everything we started to the hotels and had the breakfast there. It was good in a Mangalorian style. Many small hotels are available with hot foods.

                                 If you are about to go to Mangalore temples, do not miss this fabulous temple.

How to reach the temple:

The KSRTC  operates from all major cities to Shringeri.  There are also a good number of buses and private transport to Sringeri.

Distances from Sringeri:
Bangalore        : 340 Kms
Mangalore     : 120 Kms
Chikmagalur  : 103 Kms
Horanadu        : 80 Kms

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