December 25, 2023
(1) Ghanta Ganapati (on the way to Dharmasthala from Mangalore)
- Ganesha is in the open, under an ashwattha vrksha, surrounded by bells!
(2) Dharmasthala
- Gopura darshanam alone
- We started at 5:30 am and reached before 7 am.
- Crowded beyond what we can imagine
- Special darshan queue was a wait of 7 hours. General darshan would extend till 2 am on the next day! It was Tirupati kind of crowd.
- After trying several options, we had to eventually give up.
- The route from Mangalore to Dharmasthala is scenic. The road is also comfortable.
(3) Kukke Subramanya
- Despite the setback at Dharmasthala, still proceeded to Kukke.
- You cross the "Kumaara dhaaraa" river (yes, with flowing water at this time of the year, and hills in the background). (The Netravati also flows in this region and eventually joins Kumara dhara and together, they reach the Arabian sea).
- Visited the "Adi Subramanya temple" at Kukke first. The main temple at Kukke comes after this visit.
- You can see the snake-hill (anthill?) and snake figurines in the sannidhi. Yes, everything associated with snake is Subramanya here (The reader can refresh lines like "vaasuki-takshakaadi sarpa swarupa dharaya" in the krti "sri-subramanyaaya namaste" by Dikshitar and the "bhujanga stotram" (snake like movement stotram) on subramanya.
- The crowd at Kukke was equally maddening. But through "anna daanam" donation, you can get a faster access. That helped! The wait was only about an hour.
- The main icon/idol has the naaga-hood, over which Subramanya is seated on a peacock. This insignia is seen everywhere at Kukke (including below the main temple gopuram). The darshan is quick- we can steal just those few seconds to see Subramanya with the above contours.
- There are other shrines like the shiva-linga at the back and an uma-maheshwara shrine.
- The mountains at the back of the temple are lofty and imposing. No photograph can do justice. You have to be there!
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(4) Abhaya Ganapati:
- On the way back from Kukke, saw a huge, gigantic Ganesha.
- It is a must see!
(5) Day-2: Evening: Kadri Manjunatha temple
- If the earlier temples were must see, this has to be worded as must-must see!
- Sprawling temple complex
- No crowd
- Lord Shiva as Manjunatha
- In the prakara, is "Trilokeshwara"- lord with 3 heads- crafted in 968 AD (reminds one of Chola bronzes, similar look and feel)
- Also, in the prakara, are saints "matyendranath", "gorakhnath" and "chowrangnath". Matyendranath and Gorakhnath figure in several stories centered on Mangalore. Apparently, they came from Nepal to Mangalore. Sometimes, Gorakhnath is also mentioned as Gorakshanath in these temples
- There are 2 sculptures of interest. It is labeled "Vishnu and Vyasa". While Vishnu's image is clear, Vyasa looks exactly like Buddha. This may need some more reading- how Buddha is associated with the temple.
- Durga is like a swayambhu image- the features are not delineated in full.
- You climb a flight of steps to reach "Bhaageerathi teertha". You collect water from a flowing spring and pour it on a shiva-linga still further up, and reached through another flight of steps.
- The temple has several elevations, (the lower-most, being the main temple complex in Kerala style). Further up, from Bhaageerathi teertha is a Hanuman temple. From the priest, we got to know there are temples further up.
- By now, it was well past sunset and dark. Another flight of steps takes you to Parashurama's shrine. This also houses the Gorakhnath matha (associated with yogi ji), a big complex with 12 jyotirlingas, navagraha (each deity with distinct vaahana) and the Parashurama shrine.
- Last but not the least, someone came out of the blue, and without context, told us, that this is the Manjunatha that must be seen, before even Dharmasthala! It made us feel good as though the advice was meant just for us, given the experience earlier in the day!
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