SREE MANJUNATHA TEMPLE, DHARMATHSTHALA

Dharmathsthala is at a distance of 310 Kms from Bangalore and 75 Kms from Mangalore.
It forms part of Belthangady taluk of South Kanara of Karnataka.    River Netravati flows through the town.

I had darshan at the Sree Manjunatha Swamy Temple of Dharmathsthala on 01 04 22.   
It was a family tour in our car from Bangalore and during our first leg, we were in Dharmathsthala and reached there around 12 Noon.  Our travel was quite comfortable
upto Hassan and later on the mountainous road it was difficult to maintain speed. 
We had taken a special darshan ticket as we wanted to save time and to reach Hornadu
the same evening. We were in the Queue for 40 Minutes and had darshan of Sree
Manjunatha  without the Mukha shield and in the linga form.

Legend has it that 800 years ago, Dharmasthala was known as Kuduma in Mallarmadi,
a then village in South Kanara. Here lived the Jain Chieftain Birmanna Pergade and
his wife Ammu Ballalthi in a house called Nelyadi Beedu. Simple, pious and affectionate people, the Pergade family was known for its generosity and hospitality to all.

According to legend, the guardian angels of Dharma assumed human forms and
arrived at Birmanna Pergade’s abode in search of a place where Dharma was being
practiced and could be continued and propagated.  The couple Pergade and Ammu
Ballalthi, though they were following Jainism at that time, treated the guests well.   
Pleased by the generosity and sincerity of the couple, the Dharma Devatas appeared
in the dreams of  Birmanna Pergade and let known the purpose of their visit to him
and instructed him to allow them to stay there itself.  They also said for worship of
them and to dedicate the couple’s life in the propagation of Dharma.   Asking no
questions, Pergade built himself another house and began worshipping the Devatas
at Nelyadi Beedu.  

The Devatas again appeared in his dream and asked for building a temple for them
and to get help of two noble persons to act as Oracles of the Devatas and also four
worthy persons to help Pergade in the administration of the temple.  Later when the
temple was to be consecrated, the Brahmins advised Pergade to have Lord Shiva too
in the temple.  Thus SreeManjunatha became the main deity and with sannidhis
for the four Dharma Devatas - 
namely Kalarahu, Kalarkai, Kumaraswamy and Kanyakumari.  When the temple
came into being, Pergade was the Executive Head and the Devatas in return assured
of the abundance of charity and the place also was renowned as “Shri Kshetra”.   The
hereditary control of the temple was followed since then and those running them were
called Heggades. 

Thus, the roots of charity and religious tolerance established by the Pergades 800
years ago have been nurtured and strengthened by twenty one generations of the
Heggade family, (Heggade being a derivative from Pergade). Today’s Dharmasthala
blossoms with the fruit of this selfless dedication.

 

Every one of the thousands of pilgrims, who enter the portals of
Dharmasthala to seek the blessings of Lord Manjunatha, is offered
free food and known as Anna Prasadham.  Annapoorna kitchen is
equipped with modern, hygienic, automated Kitchen to feed around
30000 to 40,000 people a day. 

 

The temple which has a square layout has a pyramidal vimana and the 
steep roof is made up of wood and covered with gold plated copper
sheets which help to withstand the monsoon seasons of the Western
Ghats.

Ugadi, Annual Jathre (Car festival in April), Ganesh Chathurthi, Navarathri, Deepavali
and Mahasivarathri are celebrated with large number devotees attending them.

Temple Timings:
05.00 AM - 01.30 PM
03.30 PM - 09.30 PM