murudeshwar the land undiscovered
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THE ROAD TOMURUDESHWARRubina P. Banerjee recounts the sights, smells and tastes on herpilgrimage to the temple town of Murudeshwar, on a beautiful beach
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The car seemed stuck in an
impasse as we made our way
through the trac-logged streets
of Bangalore, yet today, nothing
seemed to matter and every aspect of the
journey the jams, the innumerable packets
of peanuts and the incessant chatter was
proof of the excitement that could scarcely
be repressed. Yes, we were on a long drive
to Murudeshwar, a beautiful beach in Uttar
Kannada.
Once the city limits receded, the drive was
a dream. Small villages seemed to melt away
as we passed Hassan, Kunigal, Sakleshpur,
and the names seemed to y by. At
Sakleshpur we noticed the signs indicating
that the Gomatheshwara statue was but afew kilometers away. A detour was in order.
Leaving the road to Bantwal we took the
road to Mudigere and from there to Karkala!
is is the beauty of a trip spurred by pure
wanderlust roads to be taken at will
without conforming to any plan or having to
meet a deadline.
Down the mud roads we went, leaving the
black asphalt roads to Karkala, and quaint
little villages unfolded with their open
skies, embracing the vast stretches of green.
Canopies of huge tamarind trees shielded
us from the midday sun and shimmering
lotus ponds beckoned as we turned into a
small red mud road, lined by humble huts
which skirted the monument. Karkala, the
name of the town derives from kari-kal,
meaning black stone in Tulu. Located in
the Udupi district of Karnataka, the town
is known for its black granite from which it
derives its name. Karkala or Pandya Nagari
as it was called, shot into prominence from
the time of the Hoysalas. Its history hails
back to antiquity, the Vijaynagara period.One of the eminent Kings of Karkala was
Veera Pandya, who built the famous single
stone 42-foot (13 mt) black granite statue
of Gomateshwara (Lord Bahubali), at the
insistence of his Jain guru in 1432. It was he
who installed the Brahmadeva Pillar in front
of the statue in 1436. e statue of Lord
Bahubali towered over us and gleamed in th
sun. It is second to only Shravanbelagolas
67- statue of Bahubali. From the base of
the hill, a slightly curving set of steep steps
leads to the top. Enroute to the top is the
Parshwanatha Padmavati Basadi, a Jain
shrine. e statue is enclosed by a square
compound in front of which stands the
Brahmadeva Pillar. e midday sun beating
down on our backs was reason enough
reason to beat a hasty retreat. is huge
exquisitely carved monolith seemed like
such a contradiction amongst the small huts
it stood amidst. It seemed like the past was
mocking the present! Shops selling Mogra
malas, kumkum, pujaware, lined the lane an
at one of these I found a beautiful Ganapati,carved out of a single black granite stone for
a mere hundred rupees.
e route from Karkala to Mangalore is
one of the most picturesque routes Ive ever
taken, surrounded by dense vegetation and
groups of monkeys, who sat on the skirting,
indierent to speeding cars. A slight nip
Statue of Lord Bahubali in Karkala
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in the air and the beautiful smell of foliage
announced our spectacular ascent into the
ghats! Little streams hidden in the dense
green, gleamed like strings of pearls, as the
road rose and fell, aording breathtaking
views that only the minds camera could click
and record for posterity. e drive lasted for
an hour and we found ourselves welcomed
by the smell of the sea in the coastal town of
Mangalore.
It was almost 3pm. e heat, the drive
and the salty sea air stirred up quite an
appetite. Food was the need of the hour!
Asking around at MG Road, we settled for
e Village restaurant on Bondel Road. e
ambience was in keeping with the name,
thatched roofs and a waterfall to boot!
Since we were the late lateefs we got a table
immediately, which only made us like theplace all the more. We wolfed down the
starters Prawn sukka and Kane fry and
were ready in a trice for the Mangalorean sh
curry with the traditional unpolished rice,
ghee roast crab, lobster Neeruli and some
so sannas, complimented by a spicy sambar
and some papad. e meal nally over, we
waddled out and the car groaned under our
collective bulk. Now we needed a break and
maybe a short siesta. It was almost evening
and the suns rays had mellowed when we
hit the Panambur beach. Picturesque is the
only apt word to describe the orange ball of
the sun as it emblazoned the waves with a
vermillion glow and the catamarans riding
the waves, framed by the silver sands of the
beach and a wisp of a sea breeze. Lying on
the sand was one of the the most beautiful
moments for me sun-warmed sand and
the so lapping of the waves and the feel of
freedom that only the sea can give. When
we woke, a sliver of moon had appeared in
the yet-to-darken skies. It was time to catch
the aarati at the famous Krishna temple in
Udupi. e drive to Udupi is only 58 kms,but the roads were narrow and crowded and
it took us some time.
What a wealth of myths surrounds the
town of Udupi. It derives its name from the
Tulu Odipu or alternately from the Sanskrit
words Udu and Pa, which means Lord
of the stars. Legend has it the the moons
light was once reduced due to a curse by
King Daksha, whose 27 daughters (the
27 stars), were married to the moon. e
moon prayed to Lord Shiva to get back his
original sheen and the Lord answered his
prayers. It is said that the moon and his
wives then oered salutations to the Lord at
the Chandramouleeshwara temple at Udupi,
which till today boasts of the Linga at which
the moon and the stars prayed. Hence, Udupi
means the land of the lord of the stars, the
moon. And indeed it was the moon and a
sprinkling of stars that lit our way to Udupi.e journey was a short one but we were
already late. ousands of people thronged
for the Darshan and we wandered from
one line to another. Whenever Im waiting
in a queue in a temple, my bhakti seems
to evaporate! I kept walking around the
temple and then I saw the Kanakana Kindi.
People jostled there too but I was able to
get a glimpse of the Lord. It is believed that
in the 16th century, Kanakadasa, an ardent
devotee, was turned away from the temple a
he was not a brahmin. He tried to see Lord
Krishna from a small window, but was only
able to see the back of the deity. It is believed
that Sri Krishna was won over by his bhakti
and turned to face the window. To this day,
the deity of Lord Krishna faces the back of
the Mutt towards the Kanakana Kindi and
while all Hindu temples have their Vigraha
(Deity) facing the entrance of the temple,the Krishna Mutt is the only exception. e
Kanakana Kindi is decorated with carvings
depicting the dasavatars of Vishnu. rough
one of its nine small holes, I saw the deity of
Sri Krishna. e statue was of Krishna as a
very young boy, holding a butter churning
rod in his right hand and a rope in his le,
Murudeswar Temple
Murudeswara Linga
An elephantblesses a tourist
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reminding us o his Makhan Chor days.
us, like Kanakadas, I was privileged to
see the Lord despite the milling crowds. I
felt blessed! Strains of Krishna nee begane
baro trijagavanne toro. Krishna nee begane
baro (Come soon Oh Krishna and show your
blessed face), seemed to ring around me as I
made my way out of the temple.
e town of Udupi is perhaps more
famous for its cuisine. Crisp masala dosas
with sambar and coconut chutney, so uy
idlis, tasty rawa upma, all these are what
make Udupi famous the world over. When
in Udupi, masala dosa is a must and what
a sumptuous dinner it makes. Checking in
to the Sai Vishram resort, we retired for the
night. A blissful sleep was the reward for our
weary bodies!
e sunrise was serene and the sands
were inviting. Walking on the beach, I wasdelighted to nd beautiful speckled shells
in the dew-drenched sand. What could be a
better memento than this! But there was little
time to linger as we had to start our drive to
our destination, Murudeshwar!
A short drive and we were in the small
town of Manipal, which sits majestically atop
a hill and is renowned as a seat of learning.
Home to the Manipal University, the town
houses 19 colleges, in the elds of business,
engineering and health sciences. Students
walking with headsets, internet cafes,
gleaming contemporary buildings, Manipal
seemed to be the perfect compromise
between open and urban living. It commands
a spectacular view of the Arabian Sea and is
named aer the 400 metre-lake (Mannu or
mud and Palla or lake) at its centre. It was
once a barren hill and was transformed into
this cosmopolitan university town with the
eorts of Dr TM A Pai in the 1950s. Leaving
the civilized streets of Manipal, we reached
End Point at Manipal, where a small cli
overlooks the Swarna River. e view of the
Arabian Sea from here is truly a sight to see!
From here our drive began along the
coast. e serene sea meeting the sky at thehorizon, the golden sands skirting the road
and the sea-kissed balmy breeze, what more
could we ask for. Before reaching Bhatkal we
came to a little village, where market day was
on in full swing. Women in large kumkum
bindis and the typical green or maroon
Karnataka weave saris, lined the little road
with their vegetables, fruits, rewood strewn
in piles on the dust road. Raw tamarind
was hard to resist and I picked up a few,
relishing it with a little salt, while I took
in the colours. At one end under a circle
of trees we chanced across a group of men
dancing. Later, we learnt this dance is know
as Kolata. Kolata or stick dance is a kind of
valour dance involving groups of people wh
indulge in bending, swaying and jumping to
the tune of rhythmic clashing of sticks. With
two sticks in hand, each dancer can strike in
various patterns and rhythms. Sticks clickin
ebony bodies move to the beat, all sweat and
smilestruly magical!
Leaving beautiful Bhatkal behind,
we nally catch sight of Murudeshwar!
Astoundingly beautiful is the initial
reactione vast expanse of the beach and
the blue skies, with only Lord Shiva lookingon! is statue of Shiva is the tallest in the
world (127)! Seated in the posture of the
ascetic, with his trishula and damaru, the
Lord looked a bit troubled. His eyes seemed
to express his displeasure at being drawn
away from his abode in Kailasa and the
beatic smile of Shiva was missing from his
Lord Shiva gazes down on his devotees on the beach Waterfall near
Murudeswar
Pilgrims in te
temple town
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Murudeswar beac
lips.e towering Raja gopuram (249 ) was
also visible. It has been built in recent times,
as testimony to our living heritage and cras.
Despite these new additions the town of
Murudeshwar is ancient, and nds mention
in the Ramayana as Mrideshwara .
An ancient myth surrounds the origins
of the temple. e demon king Ravana won
over the Atma Linga from Shiva with his
penance. Lord Shiva agreed to give him
a boon, with the condition that it should
never be placed on the ground, for if the
AtmaLinga was placed on the ground, all
the powers would return to Lord Shiva. Sage
Narada realised that with the Atma Linga,
Ravana may obtain immortality and create
havoc on earth. He approached Lord Ganesh
and requested him to prevent the Atma
Linga from reaching Lanka. Lord Ganeshwas well aware of the devotion of Ravana
and his ritualistic prayers every evening.
He came up with a plan to trick Ravana. As
Ravana was nearing Gokarna, Lord Vishnu
blotted out the sun to give the appearance
of dusk. Ravana was worried, because with
the AtmaLinga in his hands, he would not be
able to do his evening rituals. Lord Ganesh
arrived, disguised as a little Brahmin boy.
Ravana requested him to hold the Atma
Linga until he performed his rituals, and
asked him not to place it on the ground.
Ganesh struck a deal with him saying that
he would call Ravana thrice, and if Ravana
did not return, he would place the Atma
Linga on the ground. Before Ravana could
return, Ganesh had already placed the Atma
Linga on the ground aer calling out to
him. Ravana, realising he had been tricked,
tried to uproot and destroy the Atma Linga.
Due to the force exerted by him, one piece
fell in Surathkal. e famous Sadashiva
temple is said to be built there. He decided
to destroy the covering of the Atma Linga,
and threw the case covering it to a place
called Sajjeshwara, en he threw the lid ofthe case to Guneshwara (now Gunavanthe),
and Dhareshwara, 12 miles away. Finally, he
threw the cloth covering the Atma Linga to a
placed called Mrideshwara in Kanduka-Giri
(Kanduka Hill), and it became the Aghora
linga, later renamed as Murudeshwara.
Learning of the incident from Lord Vayu,
Lord Shiva, along with Goddess Parvathi
and Lord Ganesha, visited these places and
consecrated the lingas. He declared these
lingas as his pancha-khshetras and said tha
worshipping these idols can wash o the
sins of his devotees and free them from the
cyclical re-incarnation of the soul.
Inside, the temple was entirely
modernized with the exception of the
sanctum sanctorum which was still dark
and solemn. e main deity, Sri Mridesa
Linga, is about two feet below ground level.
e Lingam is essentially a rough rock
inside a hollowed spot in the ground ad is
illuminated by oil lamps. As devotees we
could only view the deity from the threshol
of the sanctum.
As we le the temple aer Darshan it
started raining torrentially and we werecompletely drenched. Taking refuge in the
RNS hotel, we sipped our steaming hot lte
coee, watching the rains lash the beach an
the waves crash against the rocks. Lord Shiv
seemed to be raining his blessings on us and
a silent prayer rose to my lips Om Namaha
Shivaye!
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APJSHIMLA
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