Shivathikere Sri Umamaheshwara Temple – Glory regained

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hivathikere Sri Umamaheshwara Temple is located at Hiriyangadi in Karkala. It is just 50m off the recently laid Bypass Road.

     A small dilapidated shrine and a large tank with well-laid steps were all that existed when it was little known some 25 years ago.  The temple site was hidden in the thick vegetation surrounding it.

Abandoned shrine

Past perfect

     The ruins and the tank provided ample evidence to the glorious past of the temple.  Historians infer that the shrine had been constructed around the tenth century.  The history dates back to the days of Keladi kings.  As the downslide of the Keladi clan began, so was the glory of the temple, reducing it to mere relics over the centuries.

Thanks to the road, devotees made inroad

     Proximity to the newly laid road is, in fact, a turning point in the course of the temple.   The thick vegetation and fear of snakes had made the site impregnable. Now people started trickling in.    The number of devotees started increasing.   Poojas too were resumed to the Shivalingam that might not have had any such rituals for centuries.   Prayers were offered. Bhajans were performed.  The derelict shrine became the centre of many religious activities.

Redevelopment of the temple

      Gradually the temple was developed with donations from the public. The lingam was reinstalled with Ashtabandha brahmakalashabhisheka in 2003. In later years Parivara deities Sri Balamuri Mahaganapati and Sri Durga Devi were installed at the inner precincts of the temple. 

     The sanctum sanctorum, teerthamantapa and pauli are made of stone.  These structures amalgamate with the rich heritage of Karkala known for its rock monuments. Dhwajastambha (flag post), navagraha deities were installed in due course.  A shrine for daivas too is constructed recently. Ashtabandha Brahmakalashotsava was again held in January 2017.

Goddess Sri Durga Parameshwari

Balamuri Mahaganapati

Navagraha shrine

Annual festival

     The five-day annual festival is held starting with dhwajarohana.  The festival culminates on the day of Shivaratri.  Many other special occasions are celebrated at the temple.

A land mark

     Shivathikere Sri Umamaheshwara Temple, today, is so developed that it bears little resemblance to the site prior two decades. Eminent astrologers were consulted while renovating the temple. Only the beautiful tank and the shivalingam are the same. 

     Shivathikere is so called because of the shrine of Lord Shiva and the tank. The green patches on two sides of the pond lend serenity to the divine atmosphere.