ANCIENT SHRINES OF KARNATAKA

ANCIENT SHRINES OF KARNATAKA

This essay attempts to provide a brief introduction to the important and ancient shrines of Karnataka. These temples are important, not because of their architectural or sculptural greatness but because they have been revered by pilgrims and devotees belonging to all sects irrespective of their caste/religion affiliations. The devotees of these temples have an implicit faith in the concerned divinity. However, these places are not introduced here from the perspective of tourism. The Hindu practice of discontinuing the worship of a deity if the idol is mutilated in any way has lead to an abandonment of many a temple, particularly in Hampi. However the Virupaksha temple is in tact and continues to attract any number of pilgrims.

1. Udupi: Udupi (uDupi) (ಉಡುಪಿ) is now the head quarters of a district known by the same name. It was known as ‘shivaLLi’ as early as the eighth century A.D. This coastal town at a distance of about 58 kilometers from Mangalore is well known for the Krishna temple, Anantheshvara temple, Chandramouleshvara temple and a cluster of eight maThas established by Sri Madhvacharya. Anatheshvara and Chandramouleshvara temples were built around the ninth century and they are among the most ancient temples of Karnataka.

The Krishna temple was established in the later half of the thirteenth century by Madhvacharya. The ancient idol is about 15 feet tall. There is another statue of ‘vENugOpAla krishNa’ of ninth century vintage, in the same premises. There is a pond called ‘madhva pushkariNi’ near the temple. Devotees are allowed to view the Krishna idol through an aperture in the wall called ‘kanakana kinDi’. The eight maThas mentioned earlier are called adamAru, PalimAru, kANeyUru, kriSNApura, sOde, shirUru, puttige and pEjAvara. The annual fairs and the ‘paryAya’ festival, which takes place once in two years, when the rights of worshipping the Krishna idol are transferred from one pontiff to another are important occasions in this temple town. BUta kOla, kambaLa, AaTi kaLenja, KarangOlu, and NAgArAdhane are some of the cultural traditions of Udupi.

2. Ulavi :( uLavi) (ಉಳವಿ) is an important place in the history of Veerashaivism. It is a small village in the Joida talluk of North Canara district at a distance of about 75 kilometers from Karwar. It is famous for the Chennabaasveshvara temple and the ‘samAdhi’ of cennabasavaNNa the Veerashaiva saint of the twelfth century. An idol of nandi is worshipped in the temple. The shivasharaNas of the twelfth century moved over to uLavi after the cataclysmic events at kalyANa along with the body of literature created by its seers. There are two caves called ‘akka nAgamma gavi’ and ‘uLaviya mahAmane gavi’ in the vicinity of this village. The ‘mahAmane’ contains the idols of worship. Places known as ‘virakta maTha’ and ‘gavi maTha’ vouch for the antiquity of uLavi. Many pilgrims congregate here during the annual fair held during shivarAtri festival. Rudra manTapa, vIraBadra tank, basavEshvara temple and bAburAyana kOte are other note worthy places in uLavi.

3. Dharmasthala (dharmasthaLa) (ಧರ್ಮಸ್ಥಳ) Dharmasthala is one of the most well known pilgrimage centres in Karnataka. It is known for the temple of ‘manjunAthaswAmi’ or ‘manjunAtha’. It is situated at a distance of 75 kilometers from and towards the East of Mangalore. It is located on the banks of the River Nethravati. It is a unique combination of Jaina, Vaidic and folk traditions. It was known earlier as ‘kuDuma’. The Jain Teerthankara is worshipped on the same consecrated grounds as the native Daivas and Lord Manjunatha (Lord Shiva).The temple was built by ammu ballAlti and bIrmaNa hegaDe in honor of folk deities called ‘dharma dEvataa’. It is said that the Vyaasaraaya swaami of sOde re-established the shivalinga in the manjunAtha temple in the 16^th century. Even today the temple has vaisnava priests and the hereditary trustee (hegaDe) belongs to the Jaina religion. Of course the pilgrims to this place belong to all religions, castes and sects. A statue of GommaTEshvara about 39 feet tall was installed here in 1979. Dharmasthala is one of the symbols of religious syncretism in Karnataka.

4. B.R. Hills (biLigirirangana beTTa) (ಬಿಳಿಗಿರಿರಂಗನಬೆಟ್ಟ): Biligiriranganabetta or B.R.Hills is a hill and a village situated atop that hill. It is located in YalandUru talluk of Chamarajanagara district at a distance of about 15 K.M. from yaLandUru. It is renowned for the temple of ‘biLigiri ranga’ a folk deity closely associated with the sOliga tribe who have their habitat here. There are many stories and legends that are woven around this God. Folk epics and ballads wax eloquent about him and record many episodes in his life.

The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Venkateshvara even though he is designated as that of biLigiriranga. It is an ancient temple built in the Dravida architectural style. Usual details such as mukhamantapa, navaranga etc are found here as well. The idol is about four and a half feet tall. The kanakadAsa cave, brindAvana and the big champak tree are among the other important places in the vicinity of the temple. Gangadhareshvara temple is also found atop the hill. The ruins of a fort (kanchu kOTe) allegedly built by the Ganga kings of shivanasamudra are found here. The temple is located in a place of great scenic beauty.

5. Melukote (mElukOte) (ಮೇಲುಕೋಟೆ): Melukote is a small town in Mandya district at a distance about 36 kilometers from Mandya. (Pandavapura talluk) This is a historically well known temple town its antiquity dating back at least to the twelfth century. Of course mythology and legends take it back further down the ages.

Melukote has played a crucial role in the history of the Sri Vaishnava religion. It became a safe haven to Sri Ramanuja who had to move over from Tamilnadu as a consequence of an on going tussle with the Shaiva cult. He stayed in Melukote for a number of years and established/renovated many temples and maThas. The temples had to be renovated again in 1460, by timmaNNa danDanAyaka a minister of mallikarjuna a king of the Vijayanagara dynasty. Many temples and religious established were ravaged again in the eighteenth century. It is now fully re established by bountiful grants given by the kings of the Wodeyar dynasty.

celuvanArAyaNa temple in the town and the yOgAnaarsimhaswAmi temple atop a hill are the better known temples of Melukote. AhObila maTha, parakAla maTha and vAnamAmalai maTha are the important Sri Vaishnava maThas in Melukote.

Celuvanarayana temple constitutes a huge building with a sanctum, navaranga, pAtALAnkaNa and other usual structures. Cheluvanaraya the main idol is separated from shelvapuLLe the icon which is taken in procession. shelvapuLLe is kept in a manTap located in the navaranga. Small shrines created for yadugiri amma and Sri RAmAnuja are also important. The pillars in the maTaps built by timmaNNa danDanAtaka contain exquisitely carved episodes from Ramayana and Mahabharata. The statue of a Muslim princess from the north called ‘bIbi nacciyAr’ is held in high esteem because of her devotion to celuvanArAyaNa. Many inscriptions found in the premises of the temple have documented the grants made by different kings. ‘VairamuDi’ festival conducted annually attracts many devotees.

The yOganarasimha temple at a height of 1177 ft. M.S.L. is another temple patronized by Tipu Sultan and kings from the Wodeyar dynasty. One gets a wonderful view of nature from this place.

6. Sringeri: Sringeri (shringEri) (ಶೃಂಗೇರಿ) is another important and ancient temple town in Karnataka. It is located in the Chikkamagalur district at a distance of about kilometers from the district head quarters. It is one of the four shrines established across the country by Sri Shankaracharya, the proponent of advaita philosophy. It contains the Sri Sharadamba temple, and the Vidyashankara temple well known for their antiquity and architectural/sculptural grandeur. DakshiNAmnAya Sri ShAradAdEvi pITham was established here in the eighth century by Sri Shankaracharya. Jainsim and the kApAlika cult had a big presence here before this event. Many ruined ‘basadi’s is including the Parsvanatha basadi at the centre of the town bear witness to this. Vidyashnakara temple is dedicated to Acharya Shankara and architecturally it is a synthesis of the Chalukya, Hoysala and Vijayanagara styles. The navaranga complex of this temple contains twelve pillars of astronomical significance. Mallikarjuna temple built on a small hillock contains an icon of Goddess Bhuvanesvari in addition to the main deity Mallikarjuna. The rishyasringEshvara temple in a village bearing the same name at a distance of 14 kilometers from Sringeri is built in the Dravidian style.

7. Gokarna: Gokarna (gOkarNa) (ಗೋಕರ್ಣ) is a coastal town and a pilgrimage centre in North Canara district. (kumaTA talluk) Recorded history of this place goes back to the early centuries of the Christian era and the town is associated with the Kadmba dynasty. Many inscriptions found here have documented events such as land grants made by different dynasties. Mahabaleshvara temple is the nucleus of Gokarna. The exact date of its building is not known. It has a sanctum, navaranga and a separate nandimanTapa. The shivalinga raises about two inches from the ground level and is slightly flat at the top. The tower is about 60 ft. high. It has a brass ‘kaLasha’ at the top and idols are carved on it. Gokarna is also known, for about thirty other shivalingas known by various names and more particularly a number of ponds which are scattered around the temple. ‘kOTitIrtha’ is the most celebrated ‘pushkariNi’ among them. The devotees are allowed to touch the shivalinga and worship it in Gokarna. The ‘ritual of balipAdyami’ in memory of the emperor bali, celebrated at Gokarna has unique features

1. Itagi: Itagi (iTagi) (ಇಟಗಿ) is a small village located in yalaburga talluk of Koppal district. It is famous for the Mahadeva or MahAlingEshvara temple built in 1162 A.D. by mahAdEva a military commander working under VikramAditya-6 the well known emperor belonging to the Kalyani Chalukya dynasty. This is celebrated as one of the most beautiful temples in Karnataka. Some inscriptions have called it ‘dEvAlaya cakravart’ meaning the emperor among temples. The temple is built in the ‘Vesara’ style which is a combination of the nAgara and drAviDa styles. The temple has a sanctum, a closed navaranga, (ante chamber) an open mahAmanTapa (a pillared hall originally supported by 68 pillars in all) and a tower which tapers upwards. Almost all parts of this temple such as walls, pillars, ceilings, corners and the tower contain beautifully carved sculptures. They are renowned for their finesse and intricate designs.