Kukke Subrahamanya Temple

Lapped in the luxurious abundance of the beauty of the nature the village of Subramanya lies in the Sullia Taluk in south Kanara with a sanctity which very few places can boast of. The temple is situated in the heart of the village. Nature reveals herself in all her unhidden beauty in the rivers, forests and mountains which the temples is surrounded by. It is about a 100 KM from Mangalore and 386 Kms from Bangalore and can be easily reached by buses or taxis.

I had been here almost every year from my childhood. This place is called to be the “Moolastana” of Naga. So any Dosha related to Naga can be solved by doing the relevant ritual here in Adi Subramanya. So lot of people come here to get out of Naga Dosha every day. This place is close to Darmasthala, about 40Kms. There are few guest houses here which are affordable to stay and are maintained very well. Last time I went there I stayed in Temple’s guest house, I found it very good.

The Kumaradhara rivers flows close to the temple, devoties take bath in the river before visiting the temple. It’s said that this river’s water has medicinal values and all your skin diseases are cured if you take a dip in this river. Not to forget to visit the Ganesh temple close to the temple, where installed is the a big monolithic black Ganesh looks awesome in the night.
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The tirtha of is the abode of Karttikeya, the son of Lord Siva. It’s glories are described in the Sahyadri Khanda of the Skanda Purana wherein it is described how during the Satya-yuga Karttikeya was installed as the ‘senapati’ (commander-in-chief) of the demigods on the banks of the River Dhara (or ‘Kumaradhara’ as it is commonly known). Also, after killing the demon Tarakasura, he washed the demon’s blood from his spear in the River Dhara. Admiring the beauty of this place, Karttikeya decided to reside here. In the Treta-yuga, Lord Parasurama came to this place and bathed in the River Dhara in order to absolve himself of the sins of exterminating the ksatriya-race twenty one times over.

This place is also a good place for trekking, Kumara parvata is one the best place for trekking, and I always dreamed to go for a trekking here, we need to start the trekking for Subramanya, and there is a house on the way to the top of the hill where you can stay for the night. I wish to go there sometime soon.

Dharmastala Manjunateshwara Temple

Dharmasthala is the perfect embodiment of the word "Dharma" for it displays every shade of meaning with which the word is imbued. The greatness of Dharmasthala, however is the fact that it has added an active element to "Dharma", such that it touches the lives of people with a transformational directness that is unique.

To those that come for worship, Dharmasthala represents religious tolerance wherein caste, creed and faith of pilgrims are no bars. For here, the Jain Theerthankara is worshipped on the same consecrated grounds as the native Daivas and Lord Manjunatha (Lord Shiva). The priests are Vaishnavite Brahmins and the guardian of the temple is Heggade, a Jain by faith. Altogether forming a confluence of faiths that harmonize in belief of the omnipotent.

To those that come for justice, Dharmasthala is the scale that does not tip in favour of a lawyer's glib tongue. Here, without any legal formality or argument the Heggade dispenses justice, acting in the tradition of his ancestral role as the Heggade and representing the presiding deities.

The position of the Heggade of Dharmasthala is a unique one, unknown in any other religious center in India. In the tradition of this Kshetra, he represents Lord Manjunatha. He is a pious grahastha or householder with numerous religious, social and cultural responsibilities. Sri H.D.Veerendra Heggade is the present Heggade.

' Maatubida Manjunatha ', The name of the Lord Manunatha shall not be uttered in vain. So great is the belief of the people in Lord Manjunatha, that they invoke his name when they reach the end of their tether to find a solution to a dispute without remedy. At such times, the injured party literally throws up its arm and with closed eyes stops the opponent from going any further by invoking the name of Lord Manjunatha. The strange thing about this practice is that it is adopted by people of all faiths, all creeds. Once the affected party has uttered the Lord's name, both parties cease to make any contact with each other until they appear before the Heggade who settles the dispute acting as an emissary of Lord Manjunatha. The Heggade's decision is never questioned and is accepted with reverence.


The 600-year-old Pergade tradition of generous hospitality to all those who enter the portals of the Kshetra continue even today. Every one of the thousands of pilgrims who daily visit Dharmasthala is an honoured guest irrespective of caste, creed, culture or status. As always free food and shelter is provided to pilgrims who seek the blessings of Lord Manjunatha, the exponential growth in visitors notwithstanding.

The Yakshagana troupe of Dharmasthala has been performing for the last two centuries. And for Shri Heggade, yakshagana is specially close to his heart. He has been instrumental in bringing about a revival of this ethinic dance drama by starting a school for Yakshagana. Here budding artistes are trained in the intricacies of this highly demanding folk ballet. The most interesting part of this Yakshagana troupe is that its performances are booked by devotees as an expression of their thanks giving to the Lord Manjunatha for the favours the god has bestowed on them. And believe it or not, the troupe been booked for years in advance.

Send offerings by sms to Lord Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatha Swamy with your Airtel Mobile Phone SDM TO 54655