Ananthashayana Temple

S

ri Ananthapadmanabha Temple is at the heart of the town.   The statue of Lord Ananthapadmanabha, another name of Lord Vishnu, is carved out of a single black stone in reclined position.  Hence the temple is popularly known as Ananthashayana.

     Lord Ananthapadmanabha is resting on the coils of Adishesha with Lord Brahma on the lotus that has emerged from His navel and the goddesses Sridevi and Bhoodevi serving Him at His feet.  The Lord with full splendour on special occasions is indeed a sight to behold.  Deities Damodara, Sankarshana and Pradyumna surround the sanctum sanctorum facing the other three directions.

Basadi turns temple

     It is said that the construction was originally a basadi, the Jain shrine. Circa 15^th century, Sringeri Jagadguru Sri Narasimha Bharathi Swamiji visited Karkala.  The then Jain king of the Bhairava clan received him with due respect, but the Swamiji refused stay at a place where there was no temple.  So the idol of Lord Ananthapadmanabha found in a lake in Nellikar was installed at the shrine.  The temple architecture similar to other basadis in the vicinity amply substantiates the theory.

Festivals

     The five-day annual festival, Lakshadeepotsava, Ananthapadmanabha vrta, known as Nompu locally, Rathasapthami are some of the special occasions celebrated with pomp and gaiety.

This temple is a protected monument supervised by the Archaeological Survey of India.