Kukke Subrahmanya temple

Karnataka , Dakshina Kannada, Bengaluru

With picturesque Kumara Parvatha hills in the backdrop and the flowing waters of river Dhara alongside, in Sullia taluk of Dakshina Kannada district stands the Kukke Subrahmanya temple. Lord Kartikeya is worshipped here as Subrahmanya, lord of all serpents. The temple is considered to be one among the seven holy places created by Parashurama. It is believed that Sri Adi Shankaracharya stayed here during his religious sojourn. Many Devarishis are believed to have installed Shivalingas in the shrine. People affected by Sarpadosha are considered to get solace after performing pooja in this temple.

Legend

Sarparaj Vasuki was blessed by Shiva that his son Karthikeya will reside along with Vasuki on the banks of Kumaradhara and protect him from Garuda. Karthikeya after vanquishing Tarakasura married Indra's daughter Devasena on the banks of Kumaradhara and bestowed Vasuki who was residing there with the blessing of his presence. Since then, Lord Shanmukha is believed to reside along with Vasuki in the shrine.

This temple is part of Mukti Kshetra Darshan.

Architecture

The temple faces east with the devotees entering the temple through the back doorway and circumambulating the deity. There is the Garuda pillar covered with silver which is believed to protect devotees from the poisonous flames of Vasuki, who resides inside. Beyond the outer hall and the inner hall is the sanctorum with deities of Sri Subrahmanya, Vasuki and at a lower level, Shesha. The temple also houses a deity of Bhairava, believed to have been installed by Karthikeya himself. There are also ancient deities of Hosaligamma and Purusa-raya who are considered to be the bodyguards of Subrahmanya. The deities of Uma-Mahesvara were considered to have been installed by Sri Narada Muni.

Picture Courtesy: "Kukke Subramanya Swami" by C21Ktalk - I created this work entirely by myself.. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kukke_Subramanya_Swami.jpg#/media/File:Kukke_Subramanya_Swami.jpg

Darsan Info

Kukke Subrahmanya Temple timings : 5.00 AM to 1.30 PM and 3.30 PM to 8.00 PM
It is advisable to book the sevas in advance by phone or through temple website.

Darsan Dresscode

Men should take off their shirts and vest before entering the inner temple.

Famous Festival

March -Shivrathri
August - Nagara Panchami
December - Champa Shashti Rathothsava

Culture

The temple is situated in Sullia taluk, a small village surrounded by the Western Ghats. It has a mixture of Tulu and Kodagu culture and is the seat of many education institutions.Tulu, Konkini etc are spoken along with Kannada and the region has fertile land with rich water resources.