Kukke Subramanya (

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...

: ''Kukke Subrahmaṇya'') is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hind ...

located in the village Subramanya, of Kadaba taluk (Earlier in Sullia taluk) in

Dakshina Kannada Dakshina Kannada district is a district of Karnataka state in India, with its headquarters in the coastal city of Mangalore. It is part of the larger Tulu Nadu region. The district covers an area nestled in between the Western Ghats to its east ...

district,

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

, India. In this temple

Kartikeya Kartikeya ( sa, कार्त्तिकेय, Kārttikeya), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha (), and Murugan ( ta, முருகன்), is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Parvati and Shiva, the brother of Ganesha ...

is worshipped as Subramanya, lord of all serpents. The epics relate that the divine serpent

Vasuki Vasuki (IAST: ) is the second king of the nagas in Hinduism. He is described as having a gem called ''Nagamani'' (serpent's ornament) on his head. Adishesha, the first king of the serpents and the mount of Narayana, is his elder brother, and ...

and other serpents found refuge under Subramanya when threatened by the

Garuda Garuda (Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garuda is a ...

. The priests in the temple are Shivalli Madhva Brahmins. The poojas and other daily rituals in the temple are performed as per

Madhvacharya Madhvacharya (; ; CE 1199-1278 or CE 1238–1317), sometimes Anglicisation, anglicised as Madhva Acharya, and also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the ''Dvaita'' ...

's ''Tantra Sara Sangraha''.

River infront of kukke subramanya swamy temple

Geography

The Kukke Subramanya Temple is located in the Western Ghats range of

. Overlooking the temple is the famous mountain of

Kumara Parvatha Pushpagiri (Kumara Parvatha), at ft, is the highest peak in Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. It is located in the Somwarpet Taluk, from Somwarpet in the northern part of Kodagu district on the border betwe ...

, a popular hiking destination for trekkers from across South India. Kumara Parvatha forms a picture-perfect backdrop to the temple entrance and the Shesha Parvatha (a mountain shaped like a six-headed mythological serpent, adjacent to Kumara Parvatha) looks like a cobra with its open hood, as if protecting the temple shrine of Lord Subramanya. The temple is situated on the western slopes of the Ghats and is covered with dense evergreen forests.

About

Kukke lapped in the luxurious abundance of the beauty of the nature the village of Subramanya lies in the Kadaba Taluk in

with a sanctity which very few places can boast of. The temple is situated in the heart of the village. Nature reveals herself in all her unhidden beauty in the rivers, forests and mountains which the temples is surrounded by. It is about a 105 km from

Mangalore Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ker ...

and can be easily reached by train, buses or taxis. Subramanya used to be called as Kukke Pattana in the past. Mahimanipurana' chapter of the Sahyadrikhanda comprised in the Sanatkumara Samhita of

Skanda Purana The ''Skanda Purana'' (IAST: Skanda Purāṇa) is the largest ''Puranas#Mahapuranas, Mukyapurana'', a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text contains over 81,000 verses, and is of Kaumaram, Kaumara literature, titled after Kartikeya ...

. This kshetra is situated in the banks of the river 'Dhara' which originates in the Kumara mountain and proceeds to the western sea.

Temple

Pilgrims going to the temple have to cross the

Kumaradhara River The Kumaradhara River is an Indian river, in the southwestern India state of Karnataka. One of the two major rivers of Sullia, it merges with the Netravati River at Uppinangadi before flowing to the Arabian Sea. The merging of the rivers is a majo ...

and take a holy dip in the river before entering the temple for their darshan holy viewing of the Lord. The devotees enter the courtyard from the doorway at the back, and circumambulate the

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

. Between the sanctorum and the

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

entrance, there is the

pillar covered with silver. Devotees circumambulate this pillar. It is believed that this pillar was enchanted and planted there to shield devotees from the poisonous flames arising from the breath of

, who resides inside. Beyond the pillar is the outer hall, the inner hall, and then the sanctorum of Sri Subrahmanya. At the centre of sanctorum is a pedestal. On the upper

dais A dais or daïs ( or , American English also but sometimes considered nonstandard)dais
in the Random House Dictionary< ...

stands the deity of Sri Subrahmanya and the deity of Vasuki and, at a somewhat lower level, the deity of

Shesha Shesha (Sanskrit: शेष; ) , also known as Sheshanaga (Sanskrit: शेषनाग; ) or Adishesha (), is a serpentine demigod (Naga) and Nagaraja (King of all serpents), as well as a primordial being of creation in Hinduism. In the Puran ...

. Ritual worship is offered to these deities every day. The temple is slowly increasing in popularity, owing to its religious significance and importance.

History translation

According to one belief, after killing the demon rulers Tharaka, Shurapadmasura and their followers in a war, Lord Shanmukha reached Kumara Parvatha with his brother

Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu d ...

and others. He was received by

Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...

and his followers. Indra being very happy prayed Lord Kumara Swamy to accept and marry his daughter

Devasena Devasena (, ) is a Hindu goddess of aspiration, and the consort of the war god Kartikeya (Murugan). She is also known as Devayanai, Deivanai, and Deivayanai in Tamil texts. Her name is also spelled as Teyvanai or Tevayanai (). Devasena is ...

for which the Lord readily agreed. The divine marriage took place on Margashira shudha shashti at Kumara Parvatha. Gods like

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

Rudra Rudra (; sa, रुद्र) is a Rigvedic deity associated with Shiva, the wind or storms, Vayu, medicine, and the hunt. One translation of the name is 'the roarer'. In the Rigveda, Rudra is praised as the 'mightiest of the mighty'. Rud ...

and many other deities assembled for the marriage and coronation ceremony of Shanmukha for which waters of several holy rivers were brought. With these waters of Mahabhisheka fell down to form a river which was later known by the popular name Kumaradhara. The great Shiva Bhakta and Serpent king Vasuki was performing tapas for years in the Biladwara caves of Kukke Subrahmanya to avoid the attack of Garuda. Following Lord Shiva's assurance Shanmuka gave darshan to Vasuki and blessed him that he would stay as his parama bhakta in this place forever. Hence the poojas offered to Vasuki or Nagaraja are nothing but the poojas to Lord Subrahmanya.

Puja activities

Ashlesha Bali ceremonies & Sarpa Samskara are two important Sarpa Dosha ceremonies are also done at Kukke Subramanya Temple apart from

Kudupu Kudupu, also known as Kudpi is a town in the indian state of Karnataka, situated about 10 km from Mangalore city center, on the Mangalore-Moodabidri-Karkala route (NH#13). Kudupu derives its name from a Tulu word 'Kudupu' meaning a bas ...

, Mangaluru and Katukukke, Dakshina Kannada. Since 700 years, the poojas and daily rituals in the temple are carried out by

Madhva Brahmins Madhva Brahmins (also often referred as Madhvas or Sadh-Vaishnavas), are Hindu Brahmin communities in India, who follow Sadh Vaishnavism and Dvaita philosophy propounded by Madhvacharya. They are found mostly in the Indian states of Karnataka, Ma ...

as per "Tantra Sara Sangraha" of

Ashlesha Bali

Ashlesha Bali or Ashlesha Bali is one of the important Kaalasarpa dosha ceremonies performed at Kukke Subramanya temple. Lord Subramanya is known as the protector from Kaalasarpa dosha and Kuja dosha. Kukke Sri Kshetra temple is the most popular for Sarpadosha. Aslesha Bali is performed on Aslesha nakshatra in each month. Aslesha Bali in Kukke Subramaya temple will be performed in two shifts – 7:00 am and 9.15 am. Those who want to perform this ceremony need to report for sankalpa with Purohita inside the temple either at 7:00 am or 9.15 am. After the completion of Homa Poornahuthi, devotees will get prasada. Devotees believe

Shravana masa Śrāvaṇa ( sa, श्रावण) is the fifth month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Śrāvaṇa is the fifth month of the year, beginning on July 23 and ending on August 22. In the Tamil calendar, it is known ...

, Karthika masa, and Margashira masa are the most auspicious months to perform Aslesha bali at Kukke temple.

Sarpa Samskara / Sarpa Dosha

Sarpa Samskara / Sarpa Dosha is one of the ceremonies performed by devotees at this temple to get rid of the Sarpa Dosha (according to belief, a person, either in this birth or in any of his previous births, could be afflicted by the Sarpa (serpent) Dosha (curse) either knowingly or unknowingly, through many ways). Persons who are afflicted with this dosha are advised by astrologers/horoscope writers to perform this ceremony for their own well-being. The ceremony can be done either by the afflicted person himself if he is male and married or through a priest. This is because the same involves rituals similar to those done while performing shraddha (tithi) (funeral rites). Sarpa Samskara devotees are required to be present for two days. The same is performed during the daytime, with no particular in the evening. Food arrangements will be made for these devotees by the devasthana, for up to four persons per ceremony. Due to the widespread belief in the snake god in

Tulunad Tulunad or Tulu Nadu, also called Bermere sristi or Parashurama Srishti, is a region and a proposed state on the southwestern coast of India. The Tulu people, known as 'Tuluva' (plural 'Tuluver'), speakers of Tulu, a Dravidian language, are ...

region of Karnataka and

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

, this pooja is performed by people of all faiths. Made Snana is the important and most favorite Seva to Lord Subramanya. Beedi Madesnana is also an important and favorite Seva to Lord Subramanya.

References

External links

Temple's Official Website
{{Hindu temples in Karnataka Hindu pilgrimage sites in India Hindu temples in Dakshina Kannada district Murugan temples in Karnataka