Srimad Anantheshwar Temple, Manjeshwar
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History of the Temple
MANJESHWAR or
Manjulakshetra with its puranic background is celebrated for its
Temple dedicated to Srimad Anantheshwara, that is Shri Shiva
accompanied by Shesha or Anantha. Evidently, the town
derives its name from the presiding Deity Srimad Anantheshwar changed
into "Madanantheshwar" and then into Manjeshwar
by efflux of time and long usage. The image of Lord Shiva
is believed to be an "Udbhava" or "Swayambhoo"
(Self emergent). Besides the image of Shiva, there are in the
temple images of Lord Narasimha and Subramanya, the
latter Deity rarely worshipped in South Canara. Originally in the Madras
State but now in Kerala, Manjeshwar is situated 17 Kilometers
south of Mangalore on the Cochin - Mangalore section of the Southern
Railway, the Temple is about a Kilometer and a half from the Railway
Station, being easily accessible by metalled road.
The origin of the Temple: The origin of the
Temple dates more than a thousand years back with many puranic
legends and anecdotes woven round it. Perhaps, the first reference to it
is in connection with the visit to the place by Shri Matsyendranatha,
the founder of the Nath cult of North India, which flourished in
the eight century A.D. Mention is made also in "Manjula
Mahathmya" of the "Sahyadri-Khand" in the "Skanda
Purana", of Shri Shiva Himself having installed the
image of Shri Narasimha here for the worship of mortals in Kaliyuga.
A chapter in the Purana is devoted to the pilgrimage of a saint
called Virupaksha, of the Gowda Saraswat Community to the
holy shrines in the South "Inter alia", it says that the saint
settled down in Manjeshwar and spent his last days there
worshipping the image of Lord Shiva and finally attaining "Moksha".
For long years since then, nothing is on record about the Temple (for as
can be gathered from the sequel, the Temple fell in ruins), until
according to the "Sthalapurana", one Ranga Sharma,
a Gowda Saraswat Brahmin hailing from Kusasthali in Goa,
on his way to Rameshwaram, halted at Manjeshwar. In one of
his rambles in the nearby woods called "Sankamalae",
the Purana says, he accidentally came upon a ruins of a Temple
which must have been those of the Manjeshwar Temple, and that he
had a dream one night, in which Shri Shiva enjoined him to
rebuild the Temple and install the image of "Shesha"
which he (Ranga Sharma) had brought with him from Goa, the "Shesha"
to be a companion and ornament to Him (Shri Shiva). Ranga Sharma
did as he was instructed, and the Temple rose phoenix - like from its
ashes. Again in Madhwavijaya, there is a reference to Shri
Madhwacharya having spent, in the course of his tour, one of his
"Chaturmasas" (period of retreat and meditation) at Kanwathirtha,
a sea side hamlet near Manjeshwar. Before resuming his tour, he
is said to have taken a bath in a sea during a Solar Eclipse and
worshipped Shri Narasimha at the Manjeshwar Temple.
The image of Shri Narasimha in the Temple as it exists today is
made of "Panchaloha" (Five Metals) and has been
installed in the place of the old one, in the Twelfth Century A.D., and
this marked the change of creed of the Gowda Saraswat Brahmins
from "Shaivism" to "Vaishnavism" of Shri
Madhwa. The "Pancha Ratra" mode of religious
service, one of the prescribed "Agamas" now observed in
the Temple was introduced by Shri Raghavendra Thirtha the
spiritual head of Gowda Saraswat Community. There is a belief
that Shri Narasimha gave "Darshan" to the
Swamiji. Today, there is a Mutt belonging to Kashi Mutt
Samsthan adjacent to the Temple.
The Temple like many other ancient Temples fell a prey to the ravages of
man and nature. In 1677, a cyclone devastated certain portions of the
Temple. It was looted by one Muhamed Ali, the ruler of Cannanore
and immediately after by a Maharatha pirate, Angira in about 1755
A.D. In 1799, after the fall of Tippu Sulthan who had held sway
over South Canara and with the consequent coming into power of the Ruler
of Vittal, the latter plundered it and carried away a large booty
including a Temple - Chariot. However as a result of the representations
made by the Gowda Saraswaths to the British authorities,
the ruler of Vittal was captured and the properties looted by him
were restored to the Temple. In 1804, it was renovated by the Gowda
Saraswath Brahmins and a new image of Shri Narasimha known as
Shri Bhadra Narasimha was installed by Srimad Vibhudendra
Thirtha, the then head of the Kashi Mutt.
The image of Shri Subramanya is installed in a declivity
considerably lower than the surrounding area and full of serpent holes.
The panoramic view of the shrine with hills on three sides and river Manjeshwar
flowing by, is really fascinating.
Of the many festivals in the Temple, the annual Car festival which falls
on the sixth day of the bright half of the month of "Margshirsha"
(November / December) is the most important. The day is know in popular
parlance as the "Manjeshwar Shasti" and
coincides with "Skhanda Shasti" in other parts
of South India. On that day, the six - wheeled chariot called "Brahma
Ratha" is pulled along the Car Street so-called from its
use, by thousands of votaries coming from far and near. The "Ratha"
has a base 17 feet square, a height of 17 feet in raw and a maximum
girth of 53 feet. But when decked for the occasion with all its
decorative appurtenances, it rises to a height of 71 feet, and affords
an unforgettable experience of solemnity and grandeur as it moves admist
a soothing mass of human heads. The Ratha
was built in 1834 A.D.
Another special feature is the DARSHAN reminiscent of the Greek
Oracle, when it is believed, the Shesha reveals Himself to
His devotees in the person of a priest who is the eldest surviving
descendant of Ranga Sharma, referred to above, and solves
the knotty problems and prophesies the future, of the devotees and
sometimes bestows boons on them. No wonder, the Temple has gained wide
popularity not only among the Gowda Saraswaths, but among other
Hindus also, as is evidenced by the fact that of the three thousand and
odd permanent endowments to the Temple, nearly three hundred are by non
Gowda Saraswaths. Some of the old inscriptions in the Temple bear
testimony to the several benefactions made to the Temple by Muslims
too.
Besides being a religious center, the Temple has proved itself a beacon
light of learning and social welfare. It runs a full - fledged high
school, an elementary school, a nursery school, a free boarding house. A
library containing books on religion and philosophy, a choultry with all
amenities for pilgrims and a hall called Ananda-Kalyanamantapam
for conducting Marriages, Upanayanams, Annaprasanam and
other Socio-religious functions. In addition, it provides scholarships
for school and university education. Special mention has to be made for
free distribution of rice to Harijans on Saturdays. Protection
and welfare of Cattle also comes under its purview. Today, it is the
richest Gowda Saraswath Temple in the erstwhile South
Canara District attracting pilgrims especially from the area extending
from Goa to Cape Comrin.
BY N PURUSHOTHAMA MALLAYA, COCHIN
Shri N Purushothama Mallaya Secretary, Konkani Basha Prachar Sabha,
Cochin is also a personality to be remembered for his unstinted efforts
in getting recognition for Konkani Language by the Sahitya Academy.
Srimad
Anantheshwar Temple, Manjeshwar India