Mangaluru is a nice city. While it is spread over a large area of about 130 square kilometers, it still has a small-town flavor with less population leading to smaller buildings & less traffic. Given its excellent location and facilities, it has a lot of potential to grow in the coming years.
We
had our breakfast at the Sagar Ratna pure vegetarian hotel. As breakfast was complimentary
and there was no buffet here, we were allowed to order our choice of items from
the menu. We had a juice, some dosa & idlis and filter coffee.
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| Kadri Manjunath Temple |
We first
wanted to visit the Mangala Devi temple which gave the city its name. This
temple is famous for its Kerala-style architecture. However, their annual 9 day
Jathra Mahotsava (car festival) had just commenced which was expected to draw
huge crowds. Hence, we decided to skip this important temple visit.
Instead,
we went to the equally famous and beautiful Kadri Manjunath temple which was
located less than 3 kms from our hotel. Initially, we tried to book an Uber but
after multiple cancellations by the drivers, we took an autorickshaw. If it wasn’t
so warm, we would have even walked to the temple. The
main deity of Kadri Temple is Lord Manjunatha, a form of Lord Shiva. The idol
is believed to be Swayambhu or self-manifested. This temple, approximately 1100
years old, is one of the oldest and most revered Shiva temples in the region,
with its serene atmosphere and beautiful architecture.
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| Kadri Manjunath Temple |
Bhagawan Parashurama had undertaken intense
and severe penance to win the favour of Parameshwara (the Supreme Lord).
Pleased with his unparalleled devotion, Parameshwara said, “O Parashurama, I
reside eternally in the Rasakupa (sacred well) in Suvarna Kadalivana. Go there
and worship me.” However, at that time, Suvarna Kadalivana was located under
the sea. Therefore, Parashurama reclaimed this land from the ocean and began
worshiping the Rasakupa for a long period. Eventually, the sacred Trinity
(Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwara) manifested in the form of Shri Manjunatha
through the convergence of their divine powers to fulfil Parashurama’s desire.
We
first visited the beautiful Ganesh temple located on the left side after
entering. The idol was lovely and blissful. There weren’t many devotees present
at that time and that gave us ample time to have the darshan and recite a few
slokas. After this, we visited the main temple where we had the darshan of Manjunatha
(the usual Nandi in front of the sanctum seemed to be moved for some renovation
work). We then visited the Durga shrine. Later we came out and visited the Sastha
(Ayyappa temple) and the Naga shrine. Usually, temple ponds are at the same
level or below the level of the temple. In this temple, however, there are 7
ponds located about 25 feet above. We saw some people taking a dip here and we
were told that a dip here cures devotees of skin diseases and helps them wash
off their sins. Although we didn't go near the ponds, it is a must visit for all devotees who come here.
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| Anjaneya Swamy Temple |
After
climbing several steps in front of the main temple, we came to a lovely &
serene Anjaneya temple. The atmosphere here was so peaceful that we could have
spent hours here meditating & chanting. There was a huge Hanuman idol (approx.
30 feet tall) in green colour outside this temple. After we came out, we went
up further for a few hundred steps to reach the Bhairavnath temple.
Later
we returned and had a drink of tender coconut water to beat the heat before returning
to our hotel in an autorickshaw. We then had a light lunch at the same
restaurant where we had our breakfast. We came back to the room, rested a while
and then packed our bags for our return journey.
As
usual, we had some difficulty booking Uber cars. Each driver would call to know
our destination and ask for a higher fare to be paid and if we disagreed, they
would cancel the ride. This happened a couple of times. On the third attempt,
the driver tried the same technique. I didn’t tell him our destination but told
him that we can decide the fare after he drops us off. Luckily this driver, coincidentally
named Manjunath, agreed. After dropping us off, he asked for a tip of 20% over
the fare, which I gave him.
Our
flight back was uneventful and on time. We came back home after arriving at
Navi Mumbai airport and using the Atal Sethu bridge for the very first time.
Thus ended our short but memorable trip to Karnataka.
