Sri Kshethra Dharmasthala Sri Manjunatha Swamy Temple,
Dharmasthala
Not very far Mangalore is Dharmasthala, a temple town on the banks of
the river Nethravati, in Belthangady taluk of South Kanara district. The town
is famous for its Dharmastala temple which house the shrine of Shiva, Manjunatha,
Ammanavaru, Chandranath and the Dharma Daivas (guardian spirit of Dharma) –
Kalarahu, Kalarkayi, Kumaraswamy and Kanyakumari....
Mangalore is known for the many ancient temples in
and around the city. There are some prominent old temples on the outskirts of
Mangalore – Kateel, Dharmasthala, Subbramanya, Bappanadu and other temples.
These are like pilgrimage centres for devotees coming from far. Devotees throng
these temples with great hope and prayer. And the gods bless them too. This
reaffirms the faith of the devotees to visit these temples with their families
from time to time, to thank the gods or pray to help them or seek divine help
to solve some unforeseen problems. Visitors and tourists visiting Mangalore
make it a point to visit these temples and fulfill their wishes. It’s an
experience in itself, a spiritual journey and a mental satisfaction.
Not very far Mangalore is Dharmasthala, a temple
town on the banks of the river Nethravathi, in Belthangady taluk of South
Kanara district. The town is famous for its Dharmastala temple which house the
shrine of Shiva, Manjunatha, Ammanavaru, Chandranath and the Dharma Daivas
(guardian spirit of Dharma) – Kalarahu, Kalarkayi, Kumaraswamy and Kanyakumari.
Dharmasthala is a town in the southwest Indian state
of Karnataka. The centuries-old Sri Manjunatha Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva,
is a place of Hindu pilgrimage known for its large statue of the revered figure
Bahubali. The temple is run by a Jain administration and the pooja’s are
conducted by Hindu priests of the Madava order. Dharmastala represents
religious tolerance. A Jain Tirthankara is worshipped besides Daivas and Lord
Manjunath. The priests are Vaishnavite Brahmins and the guardian of the temple,
a Heggade (Jain). Many ardent devotees come here to settle family, property and
other disputes. Heggade dispenses judgement that are said to represent the will
of the diety; and the decisions are strictly adhered to without malice.
Sri Manjunatheshwara Cultural and Research
foundation, started by the Temple committee, is engaged in preserving ancient
manuscripts and paintings. A museum of antique objects has been
established called Manjusha Museum. The Manjusha Museum's rare collection
include manuscripts and early wooden chariots. Nearby, the Car Museum features
vintage automobiles, including a 1920s Studebaker used by Mahatma Gandhi.
The temple management run educational institutions
and are also involved in social and charitable activities. Shri Kshetra
Dharmasthala by the SDMCET Society manages a 25 institutions ranging
from primary schools, Gurukula to teach yoga, Sanskrit, and professional
courses in engineering, medicine, and dental sciences in Dharmasthala, Ujire,
Mangalore, Udupi, Dharwad, Hassan, Mysore and other places of Karnataka
state.
Lakshadeepa, the festival of lights is the annual
festival of lights, is the annual festival of Dharmastala in the month of November-December.
On an average over ten thousand people a day participate in the celebrations. A
mechanised kitchen provides free hygienic, hot and tasty meal as prasad for all
pilgrims. There are guest houses with modern amenities for devotees coming from
outside.
In 1973 a statue of Lord Bahubali, carved out
of a single rock, was installed at Dharmasthala on a low hill near the
Manjunatha temple. It is about 39 feet (12 m) high with a pedestal of 13 feet
and weighs about 175 tonnes. This is one of the five stone statues of Bahubali
in Karnataka.
Many devotees on fulfillment of their wishes,
donate in cash and kind, like jewellery, foodgrains, vegetables, pulses, eatables
and other agriculture produce which helps in providing free meals to all the
devotees visiting the temple daily from far and wide.
Around eight years ago, Dharmasthala was known as
Kuduma in Mallarmadi, then a village in Belthangady. And here lived the
Jain chieftain Birmanna Pergade and his wife Ammu Ballathi in a house called
Nelliadi Beedu. Pergade and the local chieftains built several shrines and
invited Brahmin priests to perform the rituals. These priests requested Pergade
to install a Shiva linga beside the native Daivas. The Daivas then sent Annappa
Swamy to procure the linga of Lord Manjunatheshwara from Kadri, in Mangalore.
Subsequently, the Manjunatha temple was built around the linga.
Around the 16th century, Shri Devaraja Heggade
invited Shri Vadiraja Swami of Udupi to visit the place. The swamiji
gladly came but refused to accept bhiksha (food offering) because the idol of
Lord Manjunatha had not been consecrated according to the vedic rites. Shri
Heggade then requested the Swamiji to reconsecrate the Shiva linga himself.
Pleased by the observance of the vedic rites and Heggade's charity to all, the
Swamiji named the place Dharmasthala, the abode of religion and charity. Thus,
the roots of charity and religious tolerance established by the Pergades 800
years ago have been nurtured and strengthened by 21 generations of the Heggade
family of Tulu lineage (Heggade being a derivative from Tulu word
Pergade). Today's Dharmasthala showcases this tradition, the fruit of this
selfless dedication generation after generation.
Prominent historian Dr. Padoor Gururaj Bhat in his
book Thulunadu in a chapter (page no 88 to 96),
has recorded the true history of Dharmasthala temple and its management.
According to him, Britishers handed over the management of this temple from
Sthanik brahmins to Kumara Heggade who supported the British against Tippu Sultan.
Then the name of this place was Kuduma. And Heggades managed this temple only
after around 1795; not 800 years as claimed by Heggade family.
The present head of Dharmasthala, Padma Vibhushan
Dr D Veerendra Heggade, the 21st in succession to the Dharmadhikari
Peetha, has launched several socio-economic programmes such as free mass
weddings which were started in 1973. Dharmasthala is among the few pilgrim
centers in India that provides boarding and lodging to all the visiting
devotees at a minimum cost.
Dharmasthala is well connected by road. State-owned
KSRTC and private transporters provide bus service from several centers
of Karnataka. Mangalore Railway Station is the nearest railway junction to
Dharmasthala, situated at a distance of about 74 km. The railway station is
well connected to all the major cities and towns in India. Travellers can hire
taxis/cabs or take buses to reach Dharmasthala from Mangalore. Devotees should try to reach as early as possible in the morning to avoid the crowd and heat and be at the right time to partake the delicious free meal as the prasad. A clean and well laid out dinning area can serve meals to a large number of devotees.
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MyPost
The Sun you
don’t know!
The sun has a diameter of about 1.4 million
kilometers (870,000 miles). To put this in perspective, this is almost 110
times the diameter of the Earth. What this means is that about one million
Earth’s could be inside the sun. The sun accounts for 99.86 per cent of mass in
the solar system. It is three quarters hydrogen and most of the remaining mass
is helium. The sun will continue to burn for 130 million years and after it
burns through all of its Hydrogen, instead burning helium. During this time it
will expand to such a size that it will engulf Mercury, Venus and Earth. When
it reaches this point, it will have become a red giant star.
The average distance from sun to the Earth is about
150 million km. Light travels at 300,000 km per second so dividing one by the
other gives you 500 seconds – eight minutes and 20 seconds. This energy can
reach Earth in mere minutes, but it takes millions of years to travel from
sun’s core to its surface.
Picture Post
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| Marcela with a cluster of temples, Goa, India |
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