Thripunithura Poornathrayisa temple.

Vamam padam prasarya shritha durithaharam

dakshinam kunchayithvaa

Janunyaadhaaya vaametharam ithara bhujam

sesha bhoge nidhaaya

Paschath panidvayena prathibhata samane

sankha chakre dadhana:

Devo bhooshadi yuktha:  thridasapathi nutha:

paadu Poornathrayisa: 

          Recently I had the fortune of visiting Thripunithura. I had heard a lot about Sri Poornathrayisa from some residents of Thripunithura with whom I have contacts. Just as I reached the city I dashed to the temple in time to have the divine darsan of the Lord. I was lucky since the doors closed as soon as I finished my darsan. Purely due to the Lord's and my guru's grace I could have that heart filling darsan. I couldn't make out His posture as the Lord was covered with flower garlands below His face.  The beauty of the smiling face will steal the hearts of everyone I must say! Oh Krishna! You are rightly called as 'Bhuvanasundara'! But then I noticed that the idol had no eyes marked, which was very strange. Coming out of the temple I asked my cousin who had taken me there about it. She gave me an abridged form of the history of the temple.

          During the time of Sri Krishna, Lord Vaikuntanatha wanted to see for Himself both Arjuna and Sri Krishna (Nara Narayana). According to His divine plans a brahmin belonging to Dwaraka lost his eight children at their birth itself. He blamed the Lord since the sin of the King reaches his citizens. Arjuna could no longer stand the brahmin's sprout of angry words. So he volunteered to save the brahmin's next child during its delivery time. But unfortunately Arjuna could not save that child too. Dejected he decided to commit suicide by jumping in to fire. Lord Krishna hearing this came at the right time to stop him from the disaster and took him to Vaikunta in search of the brahmin's children. 

       There on the divine bed of Anantha, they saw the kids playing along with the Lord and Goddess Lakshmi. Vaikuntanatha pleased by them gave them the brahmin's children to be taken back. But the children refused to leave Vaikunta their erstwhile home, and the divine couple who were their erstwhile parents! So it was decided that the form of the Lord of Vaikunta to be consecrated in the earth for the sake of the children. It is said that the Lord gave Arjuna an idol along the the children. There is another version that Lord Krishna presented Arjuna with the idol. 

         Arjuna placed the idol inside his 'pooni' or quiver (the basket of arrows) and carried the 10 children of the brahmin in both his hands. He returned the children to the brahmin and wanted to instal the deity somewhere for the kid's sake. He seeked Lord Ganesa's help in searching for a good place. Together they kept the idol in a palace half a kilometer west of the temple. It is popularly known as Poonithura kottaram. Then they found 'Poornavedapuram', perfect place. Lord Ganesa attracted by the holiness of the ancient village, Himself occupied the place. But Arjuna pushed Him to the southwest side and installed the deity there. This is the only place where we see Lord Ganesa facing the south. The place was surrounded by mustard fields. Arjuna crushed some mustard seeds to light a lamp. Even today we can see the 'valiya vilakku' in front of the idol. It is said that the burnt oil of the lamp is of medicinal value. 

      Poornathrayisa means the Lord of the three Vedas namely Rig, Yajur and Sama. As the Lord is supposed to be Santhana Gopala Murthy many childless couples come here seeking for children and many are blessed with children. The Lord has an unique posture here. Lord Vishnu, is in a sitting posture under the divine hoods of Lord Anantha, who serves as an umbrella, a throne, sandals, bed, etc. Here Anantha serves as a throne with the hoods as umbrella. We can have a closer look of Anantha through a hole at the backside of the sanctum. According to folklore the sculptor who was engaged in making the idol lost himself by its beauty that he merged in the idol before finishing it. So they say the eyes were not carved. If without the eyes being carved the Lord is so attractive then what to say if He were with those Lotus eyes! Nobody can stand His  beauty! So it must have been in the divine plan itself!

       It is also said that Lord Poornathrayisa is the elder brother of Goddesses of Chottanikkara and Pishari temples. He is also believed to have married a Nampoothiri girl 'Nangema' from Vadakkedathu mana. Blessed is the family who gave their daughter to the Lord Himself in marriage!   During the annual temple festival occasions, deities from Perumthiri kovil (Lord Siva) and Pishari kovil (Goddess Lakshmi) visit here for a combined procession. The processions are locally termed as Sankara Narayana Vilakku and Lakshmi Narayana Vilakku. The arattu or the holy bath of the deity during the uthsavam is conducted in the temple pond of Chakkamkulangara Siva temple.

       There is a big lamp which is said to be the first lamp lighted by Arjuna. Oil to this lamp is considered to be an important offering (vazhipadu). The present structure was reconstructed in the year 1921 since the entire structure was destroyed by a fire accident in the year 1920.These were the information my cousin passed on to me. As I had to return the same day itself I couldn't have darsan a second time. I pray Poornathrayisa to bless me more opportunities for the divine darsan! 

 Eranakulam Junction Railway Station, is just around 10 km from Thripunithura.
Thripunithura  is an important center between Cochin city and other places such as Kottayam, Muvattupuzha and Piravom. Frequent bus services are available to all the major places.
 Cochin International Airport is the nearest airport.
Radhekrishna Radhekrishna.

  

Guruvayur Mahathmyam

Guruvayur Mahathmyam

       Radhekrishna devotees! Guruvayur! – the ‘Bhooloka vaikunta’ where the Lord of the Universe Krishna resides showering his grace over all His bhakthas. Numerous are the bhakthas who have enjoyed Him as Unni Krishnan. Sri Poonthanam nampoothiri, Srimathi Kurooramma, Sri Narayana Bhattathiri, a little girl Manjula, Sri Vilvamangalam Swami are to name a few. Irrespective of period or time the flow of bhakthas for the Lord of Guruvayur never diminishes. Bhagavan is very much present here and is doing  innumerable leelas. Almost all who visit Guruvayur have to recount one experience or other. So powerful is the sanctity there that the whole area is full of His vibrations. Recently we had the fortune of  staying at Guruvayur for 4 days. Those 4 days we were altogether in a different world itself. We could feel Bhagavan spread around us everywhere. I take this opportunity to share some of the leelas of that great magician  with every one of  you.

       By His grace we happened to meet a lady devotee who belongs to the place. We saw her at the western side Seeveli pura of the temple sitting on a verandah. Seeing us that lady offered abhisheka milk and malar (fried paddy corns) prasadam. We were very much delighted to receive the prasadam unexpectedly. We used to meet her daily at the same place. Daily she would offer malar, plantain and milk to us. We came to know that one of her leg was artificial. Inspite of her predicament she will come to the temple daily and spend her time inside the temple. She has nobody else but her Unnikrishnan to support her. She shared with us some of her experiences.

      Once an abscess formed on her breast. She went to a local doctor who after check up referred her to Trichur Medical College saying that some surgery has to be done and that it is not very serious. She did not want to have surgery done as she had earlier experience in amputating her leg. Though the doctors said there is no problem she knew the practical difficulties involved in surgery. Moreover it meant expenditure of money too. So she was not at all in a mood to go to the doctor and decided to ignore it. But the abscess started giving pain to her. She as usual came to the temple daily and prayed to the Lord. She started applying butter which she got from the temple daily. One day she dreamt that a cute blue little baby came to her and started sucking at her breast. She was surprised to find milk flowing out of her breast. To her wonder the milk started flowing spontaneously that in a few minutes she found her dress soaked.

        Suddenly she woke up with a feeling of wetness around her. Her first thought was she had urinated in her sleep. But to her dismay she found the abscess had opened by itself and all the puss and bad blood was flowing out wetting her dress. She got up and cleaned the mess. The abscees had shrunk considerably. She continued applying the butter prasadam. In a few days it disappeared.

        This lady has a daughter studying for Bsc Maths in Eranakulam. She is staying in a hostel. Once it was her exam time and fees had to be remitted for the examination. She called her mother and asked her to send the money as early as possible as the last date was nearing. At that time the lady had not even a penny with her. She didnt know what to do then. She had nobody else to approach but Bhagavan. She as usual submitted the request to him. Nothing was happening. She started worrying. Now only 2 more days were left to submit the examination fee. In a fit of dejection as she was leaving the temple she told Bhagavan that she would hit her head here and die if He didnt do anything.  When she reached home a neighbourhood girl came and informed her that the postman enquired about her. She ignored it as she was not in a mood to see what it was about. Then the girl’s mother came and advised her to go and enquire at the post office. May be some important thing has come she said. An auto driver whom she knew offered to take her to the post office. He parked the vehicle and went into the post office and told the postman that the lady has come and as it was difficult for her to walk she is waiting in the vehicle. The post man came to her with a money order which had necessary money. To her dismay there was no from address, or signature or anything at all. She wondered how she could repay it. But to this day nobody has claimed the money. She knew very well that it was her Unni Krishnan who afraid of her threat had sent the money immediately. 

        With humble pranams at the lots feet of the Lord I would now share with you one of my experience too. When we were at Guruvayur we used to have our lunch from the Brahmana Samooha matom. Generally I avoid eating outside at commercial spots like restaurants, hotels etc. as far as possible. As Guruvayur Brahmana Samooham was giving lunch free of cost for pilgrims who come from far off  places I was relieved about the main meal of a day. For breakfast I could manage with bananas, and the malar prasadam which we got from the temple. We had sumptuous lunch served by the Brahmana Samooham. Once we enter the temple in the morning we used to spend the time there going out only for our meals. Afternoon when the temple closes we would also go to our rooms. Evening when the temple opens we would be ready there till dinner time. Most of the days there would be velakku with seeveli at 9-30pm.

      On the day of our arrival after athazha puja at the temple we walked out for dinner. While I planned to confine my dinner with banana, biscuits etc, my husband insisted that I should have some thing heavy lest I should feel tired. Reluctantly I agreed and went to a hotel. After having dosa for dinner as we came back to the temple I casually remarked to my husband that how good it was in Tamil Nadu where in some hotels they serve food in plantain leaf over a plate. I wondered why hotels in Kerala don't follow the system. I commented it would be more hygenic. “How I wish the hotels here also serve food in the same way” I said to my husband. He teased me We reached the temple in time for vilakku.

      That day we could light the lamps for the vilakku and also attend seeveli. We retired to bed with heart full of happiness. Next day also I followed the same pattern of my food. After 8pm both of us went out to the same hotel for dinner. We met a friend of us there and the three of us ordered our dinner. My husband and his friend ordered mini idlis while I ordered dosa the safe thing for me. The server brought them their idlis in plates and my dosa on a plantain leaf placed on a plate. I stared at it in disbelief. Myself and my husband exchanged meaningful glances. I looked around and nobody else in the hotel as far as I could see was served food on a plantain leaf. This was too much for me. Tears came to my eyes. I made a wow in my mind that I should never again tax my Krishna with my such silly problems. Knowing fully well that Bhagavan is doing only good for me shouldn't I accept whole heartedly what He gives me? Whatever he gives me is Krishnaprasadam only. I should never forget what my Guruji tells repeatedly. Anyway I take it that Bhagavan has beautifully taught me a lesson to accept Him smoothly.

Radhekrishna! Radhekrishna! Radhekrishna!

Thirunelli kshethram - 2

Thirunelli kshethram - 2

          Radhekrishna! Thirunelli derived its name from the presence of 'amla' trees all around the place. With the passing of time 'amla' trees also started disappearing. Now we cannot see even one tree in the vicinity. In the forest area many 'adivasi' groups live. Their main source of income is collecting forest products such as honey, medicinal herbs, roots, amla fruits, bamboo products etc and selling them. Rice collected from bamboo shrubs is an important commercial product here. The rice is said to be very good for blood pressure, sugar, and many other diseases. As this is a rare item in other towns, people who come here take back at least a packet of it with them.  In the local shops good honey is also sold. amla fruits collected from the forests are also available in plenty here. The climate is cold throughout the year.
       Long back when the caste system was prevalent among the people an adivasi old man had a thirst to see the Lord of Thirunelli. He was aware that he would not be allowed inside the temple compound. He had no one to help him in this matter. But his desire to see the Lord became stronger and stronger. His people teased and scolded him since he wanted to do the impossible. But he didn't pay heed to their sarcastic comments. Finally one day he gathered some courage and ventured near the temple. 
       By the Lord's grace nobody noticed a low caste man like him going towards the temple. Hesitatingly he stepped inside the courtyard. There he saw some high caste people who also saw him. They shouted at him as to why he came there. Trembling he told them about his unflinching desire to see the Lord. The Lord as antharyami came to his help through them. To his great surprise they allowed him to go to the eastern side, stand behind the 'balikkal' at the front of the temple. He could have a peep from there and go they said. 
         Immensely delighted he stood behind the 'dwajasthambha' and tried to look inside. From there he couldn't see anything properly as the huge 'balikkal' was hindering his vision and so cried to the Lord in despair. Suddenly to the surprise of everyone there the huge 'balikkal' on the front corridor moved to a side as far as a person could see and he had the divine darsan of the Lord. The lord shining, fully decorated, stood smiling at him.  The poor man shouted in ecstasy and the people  came running there surprised how he got the darsan. They were shocked to see the 'balikkal' moved to a side and realised the poor man's bhakthi and Bhagavan's kaarunyam.  They then with full respect let the man go.  Even today we can see the 'balikkal' moved to a side of the corridor.
       The temple opens for Nirmalya darsan at 5 a.m. After that abhisheka is done followed by alankara, nivedya and arathi. The temple. Here pithru puja is done in the temple. The temple closes at 1 p.m and opens by 5-30 p.m. After athazha puja and seeveli at 7-30 p.m. the temple closes by 8 p.m. No one can enter the temple wearing lungis, shirts, banyan etc. The temple conducts annadana daily at night. This is actually meant for the devotees who come and stay there for doing the shradha rituals. Coupons for dinner can be collected from the temple counter before evening. Food is prepared according to the number of coupons issued. 
      Ghee lamp, varieties of archanas, chandanam charthal, niramala are some of the offerings done here. Varieties of homams are also done here. One can get varieties of garland prepared in the temple itself and offer.  Vella nivedyam, Sarkara payasam, Thrimadhuram are some of the nivedyam offered to the Lord.
           Over the years the importance of the kshethra is diminished to a shradha kshethra.  Seldom are people who come here to see the Lord. All come for doing shradha karmas prescribed by some astrologer or so.  People should realise the divine presence of the Lord here. The Lord is waiting to see us and bless us. We must take efforts to go over there. The devaswom provides accommodation facilities for tourists. 
Panchatheertha vishrama mandiram - 04935-210201 
                                                              04935-210055
(Here no hot water is supplied for taking bath)
Pilgrims can contact this number and book their accommodation in advance.
Some private hotels are also available there. 
Hotel Vishnupadam:- 04935-210285
Udupi Hotel:-             04935-210250
Ruchi Hotel                04935-210046
(near old bus stand) :- 
One can reach the place from different routes.
 Bangalore -Mysore nanchangud--Gundalpet-Muthanga- Batheri-Thirunelli. 
Bangalore-Mysore-HD Kota-Baavali- Manathavadi
Bangalore-Mysore-Hunsur-Nagarhola-kutta-Mananthavadi.
Ooty-Gudalur-Pattavayal-Batheri-Thirunelli
Calicut-Thamarasseri-Vaithiri-Kalpetta-Mananthavadi-Thirunelli
Kannur-Mattanur-Peravur-Kottiyur-Palchuram-Mananthavadi
Thalaseri-Mahi-Nadapuram-Kutyadi-Korom-Mananthavadi.
Bus service is provided through these various routes. One can engage a car or van and reach the place. KSRTC buses come up to the temple. 
'Pakshipathalam' is 7 k.m. above Thirunelli temple. It is a trekking destination. Only efficient trekkers can go there. Those who are adventurous and are prepared to face any situations can learn nature's deep secrets, and be one with nature here. The path is very tough and without a guide one can never reach.(04935-210377)     District tourism department,(04935-204441, 202134 ) and District Forest department (04935-240284) have to be contacted to go to Pakshipathalam. They provide guide and necessary help. If one starts before 9 a.m. can reach by 3p.m.People with asthma, diabetes, blood pressure, cardiac complaints need not venture into this adventure. 
For viewing photos of Kumbala and Thirunelli visit this link:



http://s863.photobucket.com/albums/ab194/radhadasi/Kumbala%20to%20Thirunelli%20%5C/

Thirunelli kshethram - 1.

Thirunelli kshethram.

           Wayanad district is situated on the northern side of Kerala.  The place is mostly of mountains and thick forests. Rubber, cardamom, coffee. pepper and other high range products are the main crops here. Thirunelli temple is situated deep inside the forest in the midst of the wild life sanctuary. Except for lions almost all wild animals are found in the forests.  It is connected to the outside world only with a tar road. Thirunelli is a great temple of Lord Vishnu.  Nobody knows exactly its age. Researchers need to find out. It is supposed to be very old anyway. 

Thirunelli forests

            4 main factors of Papanashini, Pakshipathalam or Rishipathalam, Kalindi, Thrishileri constitute Thirunelli. Kalindi is said to be a branch of Kaveri and so derived this name. Papanashini stream mingles with Kalindi. Here in Papanashini the rituals for the deceased is done. People mostly come to this temple for that purpose only. Pakshipathalam is a chain of caves situated about 7 kms above Thirunelli temple. The caves are inhabited by numerous bats which hang upside down on the roof of the caves.  The birds are said to be some Rishis doing penance. Some say that the athmas which get relieved by the rituals done there reside in the caves happily. Thrishileri is a great Siva temple which was supposed to be in Thirunelli even before the Vishnu temple came into existence. When Vaishnavam started flourishing the temple of Thrishileri was shifted to its present location giving way for Lord Maha Vishnu. 

The eastern side of the temple.

       Legends say that once while Brahma was going around the world on his 'Hamsa vahana', he was very much attracted by the beauty of this place.  He wondered at the never before seen natural beauty of the place and landed on Brahmagiri peak. He sat there in meditation to find out the reason for the attraction this place had, and felt the powerful presence of Vaishnava chaithanyam all over there. He discovered a Vishnu deity in an 'amla' (goose berry) tree in a place surrounded by divine trees. He could hear an ashareeri telling him to install the deity in that place. Induced by the divine command Brahma installed the deity ritualistically. Many devas and Rishis like Narada witnessed that. Pleased with that Bhagavan appeared before Brahma and gave him a boon that He would be present in that place forever and there would be no place equal to this temple which was installed by Brahma himself.  He also promised that those who visit this place and worship will be benefited immensely. 

'shree sahyaamalaka kshethre sakrith pinda pradhaanena

gayaa shraadha phalam yathath, labhathe naanyathra samsayam.'

          According to another legend Sri Parasurama after killing his mother and brothers while roaming around came here to do pithru karmas and became free from sins. It is also said that Sri Rama during his vanavasa reached Brahmagiri in search of Seetha matha. He also did the shradha rituals for his father here. People do the shradha rituals at Papanashini. 

        (Papanashini where the shradha karmas are done)

Long flight of stairs lead to the temple from all sides. The bus stops at the western side of the temple where the devaswom building of accommodation is situated. From the north we have to climb down the steps and proceed towards Papanashini theertha. On the northern side also we can see a flight of steps leading down from the temple.

     Any temple will have a well of its own for its need of water. But Thirunelli temple is an exception in this matter. Water for abhisheka and puja needs are brought in to the temple from forest springs deep inside through stone pathways which are called 'kal pathis'.  It is a wonder even today water is brought in to the temple through these 'kal pathis'. The water tastes heavenly. 

 

(Kalpathis from the deep forests bringing water)

A pipe is connected to the end of the stone path way leading to the temple and water is collected through a tap inside the temple. Beautiful stone 'mandapams' are seen on the western side of the temple. They seem to be on the verge of destruction. 

 ( The beautiful stone mandapam )

     The deity is 'chaturbhuja maha Vishnu', holding  shankhu, chakram, gada, and padmam. The Lord is indeed very charming. He is mostly covered with garlands except His face. So it is a great feast to see Him during Nirmalya darsan and the abhishekam which follows. It is believed that since Brahma installed the deity, he comes daily to perform his Puja there. So when the Nampoothiri closes the sanctum at night he removes all the garlands on the deity and keeps a fresh set of flowers etc for Brahma. Usually in all other temples the 'alankaram' is left as such during night and is removed after 'nirmalya darsan'. Thirunelli is the only place where it is topsy turvy. We will be back with more news of Thirunelli soon. Radhekrishna!

Uduppi kshethram

  Uduppi kshethram

 Gopyadhadhe thvayi kruthagasi dhama thavadh

Ya they dhasasru kalilanchana sambhramaksham

Vakthram nineeya bhaya bhavanaya sthithasya

Saa maam vimohayathi bheerapi yadh bhibhedhi.

                              (Shrimad Bhagavatham)

           Radhekrishna! Krishna is very naughty. Yasoda became very upset when He broke the curd pot. To teach Him a lesson Yasoda decides to keep Him tied with a rope. As she came near Him with a knotted rope Krishna pretends fear and looks at Yasoda with a begging expression. Yasoda matha is overwhelmed with love her little Krishna and wants to hug Him. Sri Shuka depicts this bala leela of Bhagavan in Shrimad Bhagavatham beautifully.
       The gopis of Brindavan used to spread the Bala leelas of Little Krishna wherever they went. Rukmini was very much fascinated by these leelas and begged Bhagavan to show her His bala bhavam. Bhagavan appeared before her as a two year old cute child holding a churning rod in one hand. Rukmini lost herself in the beauty. On her request Bhagavan took the idol form to be worshipped by her. In the course of time Dwaraka was plunged into the sea and the everybody forgot about the deity. 

        It was Sri Madhvacharya who recovered the deity embedded in gopichandan from a ship, in Kaliyuga. He installed the deity in proper way in Udupi and we are all fortunate to see the same deity worshiped by Rukmini in Dwaparayuga. Bhagavan is a chubby cute toddler holding a churning rod in one hand and wears an extremely fascinating look. The Udupi temple is under the control of 8 Madhva Matadhipathis. They take turns in the running of the temple affairs.

          Udupi is situated near Manipal, a city of international educational hub, in Karnataka. The place is well connected by road and railway. The nearest airport is at Mangalore which is about 60 kms away. Accommodation is available in plenty in Manipal and Udupi. The temple opens at 5 a.m. followed by abhisheka alankaram. Darsan is mostly uninterrupted throughout the day here. Prasada lunch and dinner is served for the thousands of pilgrims who throng here. 

 

      Numerous bhakthas popularly known as dasas have sung many songs and slokas on Udupi Krishna. Kanakadasa, disciple of Sri Vadiraja was a great devotee, for whose sake the Lord turned around and put 9 holes in the wall through which only now we can see the Lord. Kanakadasa was of a lower caste and not allowed to enter the temple in those days. He used to stand outside the back wall of the temple and sing about the Lord. His heart ached for a darsan of the lord. His pangs of separation flowed out as songs which melted the Lord. Unable to bear the bhaktha's plea for darsan anymore, Bhagavan turned Himself around and with the help of the churning rod in His hand put 9 holes in the wall to give darsan to this great bhaktha. He remains the same way to this day and we can see the Lord through the 9 holes. The entrance through which Kanakadasa had the Lord's darsan is called 'Kanakana Kindi'. 

           On important days car festivals or Rathothsavams are conducted here which is a sight to see. The uthsava moorthy is taken out in a ratha or car in procession around the temple. Devotees pull the chariot with loud cries of 'Govinda! Gopala!' On the night we arrived we were unexpectedly blessed to attend a rathothsavam. 

 

    Afterward we had dinner at the temple and darsan after the dinner.  Morning at 5 a.m. we joined the small queue for darsan. The queue keeps moving and we have to keep circling the sanctum so that all can have repeated darsans. We could see the abhisheka and alankara very well.  We received theertha prasada and left the temple only halfheartedly  for our breakfast. After breakfast we left Udupi for Sringeri. Radhekrishna!

Mookambika kshethra

Mookambika kshethra

         Mookambika temple is situated above sea level surrounded by hills. The  climate is very pleasant. River Sauparnika flows through the village. We reached Mookambika temple by around 7-15. We hurriedly checked into our rooms which we had booked earlier. 

Bhagirthi Tourist Home
Gopalakrishna Temple Road
Kollur - 576220 U.D.
Ph: 08254 - 258290 , 09449269420
e-mail : bhagirthitouristhome@yahoo.com

      The lodge is situated very near to the temple. We freshened up immediately and rushed to the temple. We joined the que that was moving. Within 5mts we moved to the sanctum. We had a wonderful darsan of Mookambika matha. As there was somebody known to us we were allowed to break into the que again and have a second darsan. The darsan was heart filling. The mother was looking at her children with love. We got out, went around the temple and we were taken into the dining hall. We had our prasada meals there and came out.  Sri Parameshwara Adiga was waiting for us at the prasada counter. He gave us Kashaya - the medicinal decoction offered to the deity at night and distributed to every devotees who have gathered at the temple. We felt blessed indeed to receive the mother's grace. The climate was cold and we walked back to our rooms. The location of the room is very attractive. We had a balcony which opened to a small stream which was flowing outside our balcony. We could see the ranges of mountains circling the place. Altogether the view was breathtaking. 
        We were tired due the travel throughout the day and so retired to our comfortable beds early itself. Morning we got up early, got ready and were at the temple door by 5 a.m.  We were blessed to have the Nirmalya darsan. After offering puja etc, and collecting the prasadams we reached our lodge. They have a convenient canteen in the lodge itself. All of us had our  breakfast of idlis and doasas and started for Udupi. 
      On the way we got down at river Sowparnika took bath and spent some time there. The driver took us to  Siddhivinayaka temple in Anegudde, and Mahaganapathy temple in Hathiyangadi. After having our darsan in those temples we reached Udupi by 1p.m.

Murudeshvara

Murudeshvara

         We reached Murudeshvara by 4pm. Murudeshvara is a coastal village near Bhakthakal. The world's second largest statue of Lord Shiva is seen here. The Gopuram is also very huge. They are providing lift facility for visitors to go to the top most floor of the gopuram and see around. The temple is on the sea shore and commands a beautiful view. This place is more of a tourist centre. By 5 pm we started for our next destiny.

Gokarna kshethra

Gokarna kshethra

I

        Recently we had an opportunity to visit South Karnataka. We started from Gokarna. Gokarna is a village situated on the sea shore. It is well known as a pilgrimage centre as well as a tourist spot. The temple is dedicated to lord Mahabaleshwara a form of lord Shiva. According to legends in this place, Lord Shiva emerged out of the ear of Mother earth who took the form of a cow.
       It is also said that Lord Parasurama who came from the north reclaimed from the sea the land starting from Gokarna upto Kerala. It is also said that Ravana got the Atma linga from Lord Shiva. The devas who feared Ravana sent Lord Ganesa in the form of a boy to Ravana. Ravana who wanted to do his evening oblations handed over the linga to the boy and instructed him not to keep the linga down. The boy in turn warned Ravana that if the weight of the linga became unbearable for him he would call out to him 3 times for Ravana and if he didnt turn up by then he would keep it down. When Ravana was away Lord Ganesha promptly called out to Ravana 3 times and kept the linga down. The linga immediately rooted there itself. Ravana disappointed went away.
      We can reach Gokarna by bus, train and cabs from Mangalore easily. We took a cab from Manipal and started for Gokarna at 6-30 am. The road is not good at all. We reached Gokarna by 11am. We went inside took tickets for abhisheka and did abhisheka for the lingam with milk and water. The lingam cannot be seen outside. It keeps hidden inside a small hole in the middle of a big square Saligrama peetam. The peetam they say keeps the rock in the shape of a cow's ear. The hole in the cow's ear which is covered with a small linga is supposed to be the one through which Lord Shiva emerged outside. We can put our hands inside the hole in the peeta and feel the linga.
       After receiving prasada we came out and learnt that lunch is being served inside the temple for the devotees. So stood in the que and had our prasada lunch. We visited the beach and then proceeded towards Murudeshwara.