Adi Subramanya Temple

Introduction about the Subramanya Swamy Temple

Subramanya Swamy temple is located in Subramanya village, Sullia District. The district is near Mangalore and Karnataka. The prime deity here is Subramanya or Karthikeya, the son of Lord Shiva. The presiding Lord here is considered the master of all serpents; it is one of the untouched shrines in India.

The Legend

Shankara Vijay's summary said that this is where Shree Adi Shankaracharya stayed for some time. Shankara also refers this place as “Subrahmanya Bhujangaprayata Stotram” as 'Bhaje Kukke Lingam exits here. The Skanda Purana has also mentioned this place as having the spiritual significance of this place.

There are many legends associated. According to one, Shurapadmasura killed the ruler of demons with the army. The Lord, with his brother Ganesha, visited Kumara parvatha, where Indra welcomed them. Indra then requested to Lord to marry his little princess Devasena.

The Lord agreed, and the heavenly wedding took place at Kumara parvatha. Gods involved, such as Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, along with many other Gods. The rich waters were connected with various other important streams, which then connected with Mahabhisheka. These waters then fell at a place that constructed a lake called Kumaradhara.

About the Temple

In the olden days, there was no structure, only a solitary frame standing against the Shesha Parvata. This seemed like a cobra's hood gave the deity a place.

The temple was then built, and the deity was correctly installed. Here the deity, also called Shanmukha, is Kuldevata to many locals. They worship the deity and chant his name before initiating any important rite or puja.

This temple is one of the seven temples constructed by Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Vishnu. The rest of the temples are the Krishna temple in Udupi, the Shiva temple in Gokarna, the Kollur Mookambika temple, the Anegudde Vinayaka temple in Kumbhashi, the temple of Shiva and Vishnu in Shankarnarayana, and the Shiva temple of Koteshwara.

These seven temples are also called Parashurama's Mukti Kshetras and are important in Karnataka as a pilgrimage. Many important pujas take place here, such as Sarpa Samskara, Sarpa Dosha, Ashlesha Bali Pooja, etc.

The temple's main door exits in the east, but the devotees enter through the west door. They first take the holy bath in the Dhara river and then enter the Gopuram. Here the beam of Garuda is also present. There is a pillar that is believed to protect the devotees from the fires of Vasuki.

There is a hallway on the external side, and then there is another hallway. There is a stage in the sanctum; on the upper side of it, the deity connects to Sri Subrahmanya. In the mid-section, the deity connects to Vasuki and then to Shesha.

There are many lingas called Kukke Lingas; these exist in the west of the sanctum. The shrine is also connected to Lord Bhairava.

Festivals

Maha Shivaratri and Shri Krishna Janmashtami are the two major festivals celebrated here annually. Other important days, such as Ekadashi, Ashlesha Nakshathra, and Shuddha Shashti, are celebrated.

Nearby Places To Visit

Biladwara

It is a cave that also leads to the Kumaradhara river. The place is about 850 kilometers from the main temple. People believe that this is the place where Vasuki, the serpent, meditated and was hiding from Garuda, the mount of Lord Vishnu. Lord Shiva and Subrahmanya then assured Vasuki of their protection against Garuda.

Kashikatte Ganapathi

This is one of the ancient temples of Lord Ganesha. People believe that the celestial sage, Narada, made this. This one is near Biladwara.

Kukke Shree Abhaya Mahaganapathi

Once you reach the Kumaradhara river, you can see the temple Abhaya Mahaganapathi. Here the deity is Lord Ganesha and made from black monolithic rock. This temple also has Nepali architecture for which many people come here.

Kumaradhara River

You can visit the sacred Kumaradhara river itself. Taking a bath is considered pious; devotees often take a bath here before visiting the temple of the Lord Subrahmanya. This water has such properties that provide relief to skin diseases. This river also meets the Netravathi, which merges with the Arabian Sea.

Darpana Theertha

There is a stream near the temple; the legends say that once a mirror and a patra or container full of gold and jewels came floating here that temple authorities collected.

The temple is 271 kilometers from Bangalore and 106 kilometers from Mangalore.