Kukke Subramanya temple, Kukke Subramanya temple Karnataka in India, Kukke Subramanya temple travel guide

Sometimes, the calmest of places makes a memorable mark in our minds. The Kukke Subramanya temple is one such example. Set amidst the brilliant greenery of the South Kanara region in Karnataka, this temple is perhaps the best example of beauty with luxurious ambience in the Subramanya village here. Located in the middle of the village, the Kukke Subramanya temple unfolds Mother Nature in full bloom. The natural presence of rivers, mountains and forests here is what makes this a little religious paradise.

Earlier this region was known as the Kukke Pattana. It is believed that the Indian Guru Sri Sankaracharya stayed here for some days when he was on his religious travel. He called this area the “bhaji Kukke Lingam”

Those days the Kukke Subramanya temple region was believed to be on the banks of the River Dhara which finds its origin in the Kumara Mountain and then leads to the western sea.

There are many places to visit here. First head to the Subramanya Swami . The main entrance of this temple is on the eastern side. When I went there , I entered the courtyard from the back entrance and went in front of the idol. There was a sanctuary of the Lord Sri Subramanya Swamy in front of the main gate. There is a pillar in between the sanctuary and a portico. This pillar is the Garuda pillar and it has a coating of silver. Locals believe that this pillar was built to protect the people from the poisonous fumes of the Lord Vasuki who is inside the temple. We went round the pillar too as my friend whose uncle is the priest here told me to. Then we proceeded towards the temple. The temple had an outer mandapa and a mandapa inside. Then there was a sanctuary with a pedestal in the centre. There were the idols of Vasuki, Shanmukha and the Maha Shesha.

After a good darshan we went to the northern side of the sanctuary. Here there were many lingas called the “Kukkelingas”. It is believed that they are called so as they were kept in a basket and worshipped. In fact it is also believed that the Kukke Subramanya Devaru is called so , due to the custom of worshipping in a basket. Many say that Kukke could mean the Sanskrit world “ Kukshi” which means the cave. Since Vasuki installed the image, it is called the Kukke linga.

We were present at the time of the Car Festival which is a major function here. This is held annually during the Makara Sankranamana. Kukkelinga is the family deity for many today. Legend has it that Sri Shanmughaswamy killed Tharaksaura. He wanted to atone for his sins and thus installed Shiv lingas in three places. Following him, there were many who did this, then gradually due to the visccitude of the ebb, the lingas were brought to the temple and kept.

Then we went to the southern part of the sanctuary where we saw a temple for Lord Bhairava. Legend says that it was here that Shri Shanmugham Swamy installed the Kapaleshwara .

Having seen the beautiful architecture of the temple and the lovely interiors we proceeded to the north eastern side, where we had the Umamaheswara Devaru. There were many images on the inner side of the wall of the temple. Here lies the image of Umamaheswara Devaru besides, there were images of Vishnu, Soorya, Ganesh and Ambika. The Sunanda Ambika is the most ancient amongst all images. It is said that these images were installed by the Sage Narada. These powerful images with their ancient value exude the best vibrations here and the overall feeling here is superior. This temple apparently is very festive during the Shivratri festival and on Rathasaptamy.

After this we went to the south eastern side of the sanctuary. Sri Vedavyasa gave the Vedavyasa Samputa and an idol of Lakshmi Narasimha to Sri Madhavacharya. Earlier Lord Ganesh was worshipped here. Today the Ganesh idol is found in the inner mandapa of the Sri Subramanya temple. Then we also went to the Bhairava and Uma Maheshwara temple which lay to the south and north respectively. Narasimha Jayanti is important here and is celebrated in the Vaisakha Month. The Swamiars of the local mutt own this deity.

Then we saw the statue of the Ballala king. It is said that the Hoysala king Ballala ruled here and then was succeeded by the Ikkeri dynasty. Subramanya was once a Ballala capital. Today the place where there is a cattle fair is the place where the king stayed. It is said that once a Ballala King tried to destroy the Vedavyasa Samputa. Instead he felt a burning feeling all over his body and was soon brought to the court. Sri Subramanya ordered that the king be made into a statue and kept at the entrance. Cotton, pumpkin, and mustard are commonly offered here.