Day – 1

Mangalore
Mangaladevi temple
Kadri Manjunatha temple
Bappanadu Durgaparameshwary temple
Malpe Beach
Murudeshwar temple and beach
Stay 2 Kollur

Day – 2

Kollur Mookambikia
Aanegudda Vinayaka Temple
Udupi Shree Krishna Mutt
Mangalore beach
Kudroli Gokarnatha Temple

Day – 1

Mangalore

Mangaladevi Temple: The Mangaladevi Temple is a Hindu temple at Bolara in the city of Mangalore in the Indian state of Karnataka, situated about three km southwest of the city centre. The temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Shakti in the form of Mangaladevi. The city of Mangalore is named after the presiding deity, Mangaladevi. The architecture of the temple is based on the typical Kerala-style temples. It is ideal to visit the temple and witness the Navaratri festival celebrations.

The temple is of significant antiquity and is believed to have been built during the 9th century by Kundavarman, the most famous king of the Alupa dynasty during the 9th century, under the patronage of Matsyendranath. As per another legend, the temple is believed to have been built by Parashurama, one of the ten avatars of the Hindu god Vishnu and later expanded by Kundavarman.

Kadri Manjunatha Temple: Kadri Manjunatha Temple of Sri Manjunatha is located in Kadri, Mangalore .This happens to be one of the oldest temples in India. The general location is extremely spiritual and calm. Kadri Manjunatha Temple is one of the best examples of religious harmony, where people from two faiths, Hinduism and Buddhism worship together with the deity of Lord Shiva as Lord Manjunatha. The temple is a complete depiction of early Vijayanagara architecture dating back to the 10th and 11th centuries AD.

Bappanadu Durgaparameshwary Temple: The 800-year-old Bappanadu Durga Parameshwari Temple is situated on the banks of the Shambhavi River in Mulki, Karnataka. The main deity of this temple is Goddess Shree Durgaparameshwari. The temple is said to be built by a Muslim merchant. The eligibility of Muslims for accepting the prasad of the temple is one of the special features of the Kshethra. Muslims also participate in temple festivals. Even today the prasad of the very first day of the festival is given to the house of Bappa Beary.

The temple has been believed to be built by a Muslim merchant called Bappa. The merchant once while crossing the river Shambhavi gets to see a blood-stained river and his boat stops in between. The frightened merchant looks around and to his surprise, he hears a divine voice and asks him to seek the help of Jain ruler Mulki Swantha and build a temple for her. Hence, the name of the village is called Bappanadu and the temple is famous as Bappanadu Durga Parameshwari.

The Temple is also famous for its Bappanadu Dolu, a large drum featured at the entrance of the temple. The beating of the drums during the annual festival of the temple is an important factor of celebration. Bappanadu Dolu is well known for its beating all over Karnataka. A Yakshagana, “Bappanadu Kshethra Mahatme”, frequently staged by the local troupes for the last 40 years, features Bappa Beary and the story of the temple that he helped build.

Malpe Beach: Malpe is a natural port in the Udupi District in Karnataka; India. On the top of the list of exquisite unexplored beaches in India is Malpe beach. It is an important port and a major fishing harbour on the Karnataka coast. The town of Malpe is associated largely with settlements of the Mogaveera fisherman community. Malpe is a hub of Mogaveera, Billava and the Muslim population.

Malpe Beach is situated at the mouth of the Udyavara River, a small river that is commonly referred to as the Malpe River by the locals. The pristine white sand, pleasant weather, the delectable food shacks here and the sea walk make Malpe Beach an ideal spot for a quick escape. Besides, the beach offers a variety of adventure and water sports to indulge in. One can choose from some water sports activities like Jet Ski, banana rides, speed boat rides, water scooter rides, surfing, and speed boat cruises. The latest addition to the beach by the authorities is the free Wi-Fi facilities that are available 24 x 7!

Murudeshwar Temple and Beach: Located around the groovy coastlines of the Arabian Sea lies the city of Murudeshwar, which is famous for its Murudeshwar Temple and Beach. The Murudeshwar Temple in Karnataka is one of the most significant Shiva Temples in India. The magnificent shrine in the city is dedicated to Lord Shiva and the temple is famous for its second-highest statue of Lord Shiva in the world, which is 123 feet long. The statue is built in a way that it gets sunlight directly and appears sparkly almost all the time. The temple is built on Kanduka Hill, which is also surrounded by the Arabian Sea from the 3 other sides. Not only the statue but also the temple flaunts its 20-storied Gopura, which is 249 feet tall and is called the Raja Gopura.

Murudeshwar is also known for its beautiful beaches on the coast of the Arabian Sea. Murudeshwar Beach is situated very close to Murudeshwar Temple just beside Kanduka Hill where the temple is based. The splendid view of the beaches, fishing, sunbathing, and hills together completes the serene beauty of the beach. The coastal sides of the Western Ghats, the gentle breeze from the Arabian seas and the sound of waves together compile the prettiness of the Beach.

Mahashivratri is a Hindu festival, which is celebrated in tribute to Lord Shiva and is held annually with a lot of devotion and religious rituals. Apart from the festival, the temple and beaches are open throughout the year for the visit. The beauty of the Murudeshwar temple from the Beach is a spectacular view to witness.  Sunsets are colourful mixing the entire sky with noticeable red-orange hues.

Stay 2 Kollur

Day – 2

Kollur Mookambika Temple: The Kollur Mookambika Temple is situated in the Udupi District of Karnataka State. Goddess Mookambika is said to be the name given to Goddess Shakti after she killed the demon Mookasura. The Goddess Mookambika is in the form of Jyotir-Linga which combines both Shakti and Shiva. It is situated in the foothills of Kodachadri hills, on the southern bank of Souparnika River. Being situated in the land between Gokarna and Kanyakumari, believed to be created by sage Parashurama.

Mookambika is an Adi Shakti as the Linga has integrated on its left side “Mahakali”, “Mahalaxmi” and “Maha Saraswathi”. In the form of Udhbhavalinga, Mookambika has also integrated Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva on the right side. A gold Chain is dividing this Jyotir-Linga into the left and right portions. The left side of the Linga represents the Shakti and the right represents Shiva. Along with this, a four-handed panchaloha idol of Goddess Mookambika is also installed.

There are many beliefs regarding the origin of the temple. It is believed that the shrine of Mookambika Devi was installed by Adi Shankara. Since Devi had appeared in his divine sight during his meditation, Adi Shankara had set up the statue of Devi on “Sri Chakra Yantra”. Shri Shankaracharya’s Peetha is on the western side of the Sanctum Sanctorum of the Temple.

The temple has sub-shrines for Ganapathi, Subrahmanya, Shiva, Vishnu, Virabhadra, Hanuman and Snake gods. Every day morning at 5.00 am “Nirmalya Pooja” takes place and during that time the Devotees have an opportunity to see the Swayambhoo Lingam. Every day Trikala Pooja is performed in the Temple. Rathotsava in the month of Phalguna and during the days of Navaratri are the main festivals in this temple.

Aanegudda Vinayaka Temple: Aanegudda village is located at a distance of 9 km south of Kundapura, in Udupi District. Aanegudda Vinayaka Temple is dedicated to Lord Ganesha. Aanegudda is also popularly called Kumbashi. The name Kumbashi is said to be derived from the demon Kumbhasura. According to mythology, when drought hit this area, Sage Agasthya performed penance to appease the Varuna, the Rain God. During the penance, the demon Kumbhasura started troubling the sages. Bheemasena gets a weapon from Lord Ganesha to kill Kumbhasura and assassinate him at this place.

Aanegudda is rewarded one of the seven ‘Mukti Sthalas’ of Karnataka. The main sanctum contains the majestic figure of Vinayaka in silver Armour, in a standing posture with four hands in the Sanctorum. Ganesha Chaturthi and Sankastha Chaturthi are celebrated in the temple with great enthusiasm and a car festival is also held in the month of December.

Udupi Sree Krishna mutt: Udupi Shri Krishna Temple is a well-known historic Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Krishna and Dvaita Matha in the city of Udupi in Karnataka, India. The Matha area resembles a living Aashram, a holy place for daily devotion and living. The unique feature of the Udupi Krishna Mandir is that the Lord is not seen directly but through a silver-plated window with nine holes called the Navagraha Kitiki.

Udupi Sri Krishna temple and Matha were founded by the saint JagadguruSri Madhwacharya during the 13th century. He also founded the Dvaita School of Vedanta. It is believed that Madhwacharya found the idol of Sri Krishna in a large ball of gopichandana, a kind of sandalwood. As told by Sri Madhwacharya, in his Tantrasara Sangraha, the Vigraha is placed Pashchimabhimukha, which means facing west. Also, all the other Vigrahas in other Ashta Muthas face west as well.

This is another interesting part of the Udupi Krishna temple story. It is believed that through a small window, Lord Krishna gave darshan to his ardent devotee, saint Kanakadasa. According to legend, Kanakadasa belonged to a low caste and was not allowed entry to the temple. But with courage, Kanakadasa went behind the temple and offered his prayers to the Lord through a small hole in the back wall. Pleased with the dedication, the statue of Lord Krishna turned around to give him darshan. This hole came to be known as Kanakana Kindi.

Panambur Beach:  Panambur Beach is one of the most popular beaches in Mangaluru city in coastal Karnataka. Known to be one of the safest and most well-maintained beaches, it is also famous for its dramatic sunset.

The beach has activities like Jet Skiing, boating, chariot rides and many more. One can enjoy long camels, and horse rides as well. Other attractions include Jet Ski rides, boating, dolphin viewing, and food stalls and is also known for its highly skilled and trained lifeguards who patrol the beach to ensure visitor safety.

The International Kite Festival is organised every two years at Panambur Beach and is attended by tourists from all across the country. The district administration of Dakshina Kannada also organises a beach festival as part of the famous “Karavali Utsav” which translates to Coastal festival. The beach is an essential landmark to the location of Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers Factory and Kudremukh Iron Ore Factory.

Kudroli Gokarnatha Temple Kudroli Gokarnatha Temple: The Kudroli Gokarnatha Temple, Mangalore, was built in the year 1912. It is dedicated to Gokarnanatha, a form of Lord Shiva. This temple was consecrated by Sri Narayana Guru for the Billava community. Narayana Guru with his knowledge and experience in spirituality became the ideal guide and guru for the billavas to help them build a temple of their deity, Lord Shiva. Adhyaksha Koragappa then gave the necessary land and funds to build this temple in 1912 seeking blessings and spiritual guidance from Shri Narayana Guru The sacred Shiva Linga was brought by Shri Narayana Guru who himself consecrated it in the new temple.

The Navaratri celebration of this temple is popularly called Mangalore Dasara. In addition to idols of Sharada Matha and Maha Ganapathi, life-size idols of Nava Durgas are installed in the premises in an attractive way during Navaratri. All these idols are grandly worshipped for nine days of Navaratri. On the tenth day, these idols are taken in the grand procession of Mangalore Dasara throughout the city; the procession returns to Gokarnanatha Kshethra on the next.