Guddattu Vinayaka Temple

Guddattu Vinayaka is the only Jaladhivasa Ganapathi available in the country and is unique of its kind. The temple stands on the foot of a huge granitic rock, which itself looks like a sleeping elephant. On the eastern portion of the rock, at the ground level there exists a cave and the ‘swayombhi’ (emerged on its own) Ganesha with his legs folded, trunk twisted towards sight, is sun in a sitting posture. The cave will always be kept filled with water which submerges the emerged god up to neck level. The Idol of lord Ganesha is about 3 feet and is in black stone sculpture with little gap around it. The lord is visible through a hole when the Aarathi is preformed.

Even though the hole sanction sanctorum is natural one, Mukhamantapa, Thirthamantapa, Hebbagilu, Pauli etc were constructed with granitic structure as per temple vastu and is very attractive one. On both side of the rock there is forest and lush green paddy fields and the place is Arene and picturesque. Even though nobody knows as to when it came to existence, the temple is believed to be very ancient, I heard from my dad that, long back Ganesh came in the dream of someone and said that I have emerged out from the stone near that big rock, and asked him to build and small temple for him and continue worshipping him.

The special pooja here is a unique as the idol itself, called ‘Ayarakoda’ which means ‘Sahasrakumbabhisheka’ starts with draining the water from the cave and performing various such as Tailabhyanjana, Panchamrutha, Rudrabhisheka etc and aarathi to the idol inside the cave first section of the pooja contains abhisheka with water chanting ‘Paramana Sooktham” till the water overflows from the cave, that is up to neck level of the idol. All those performance requires about thousand pots of water and hence Pooja is called “Ayarakoda” (Ayara means thousand in Tamil & Malayalam). Then Mahamangalarathi will be performed and lunch will be served. This is very famous seva and devotees have to book their dates at least six months in advance apart from this, Ganahoma, Mudiakkikadabu, Kayi Moodaganapathi, Panchakajjaya etc will also be performed.

Guddattu Vinayaka Templle is about 35 k.m. from Udupi via Brahmavara - Barkur, Shiriyara, about 15 k.m. from Kundapur via Koteshwara - Hunsemakhi -Guddeangady, about 10 k.m. from Shankaranarayana via Halady - Bidkalkatte - Shiriyara.