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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.
Home:
Click
here for the write up by Rashtrakavi Sri Manjeshwar Govinda Pai about
the Sahasra Kumbhabhishekam which was performed in the year 1920.
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Srimad
Anantheshwar Temple, Manjeshwar India