South India · Karnataka
Dharmasthala, Karnataka
Sources: open-meteo, wikimedia
Before you go
A Shaiva temple administered by a Jain family, feeding tens of thousands daily; often paired with Kukke Subramanya.
About Dharmasthala
- Hills
- Riverside
Where it is
Dharmasthala is a temple town on the Netravati river in Belthangady taluk of Dakshina Kannada in Karnataka, in the forested foothills of the Western Ghats about 75 km east of Mangaluru.
History
Local tradition says the Heggade family, Jains of the Bunt community, founded the shrine around 800 years ago at the command of guardian spirits, and in the 16th century the Madhva saint Vadiraja Tirtha reconsecrated its image of Shiva as Manjunatha. The Heggades have administered the temple and its charities ever since.
People
Dharmasthala's people speak Tulu and Kannada, and the town lives from the temple and the schools, colleges and hospitals linked to it. Its kitchens feed thousands of pilgrims every day, and the Lakshadeepotsava lights the town with lamps in the month of Kartika.
Known for
- The Sri Manjunatha Temple
- The Bahubali statue
- The Manjusha Museum
- Lakshadeepotsava, the festival of lamps
- Community meals for pilgrims
Did you know?
Dharmasthala's Manjunatha temple is a Shiva shrine whose priests are Madhva Vaishnavas and whose hereditary administrators are a Jain family.
Shrines and sites
- Sri Manjunatha Temple
- Bahubali statue
- Manjusha Museum
- Kukke Subramanya
Traditions
- Hindu
- Jain
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