Sri Dharmarasu Kodamanittaya Daivasthana, Kervashe

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ervashe, a hamlet in Karkala taluk, known for its temples and shrines, is nestled amidst verdant landscape. Thanks to water on all sides, the village reminds one of an island.

Rule of the Bhairavas

     Besides, Kervashe is one of the places of historical significance.  The Bhairava King Sooda who ruled Karkala in the bygone era had made the place his capital. The relics available stand testimony to the fact even today.

Nemotsava

     During king’s rule, Kervashe was the centre of the Hobali. In those days, nemotsavas were held with grandeur in the vast field in front of the palace after bhandaras were brought from maaganes.  In due course, shrines were built for Sri Dharmarasu Kodamanittaya, Kukkinantaya, Brahmabaidarkala, Mayandale and other parivara daivas at the heart of the village. Now the Nemotsava is held with the coming together of the chiefs of guttu-barkes and villagers while Bhandara arrives from Padangaadi guttu.

     Ardent prayers of devotees have not gone unanswered here.  Such is the significance of the daivas that both natives of the village and outsiders too offer prayers. The annual festival widely known as Kervashe Hobali Ayana is drawing thousands of devotees.  Special poojas are offered on every Tuesday.

Renovation

     The garadi complex got a massive facelift a couple of years ago. New shrines are built for all the main and subsidiary daivas.

Sri Sooryanarayana Matha - Shrine dedicated to Sun God

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ri Sooryanarayana Matha is situated in Karkala at the beginning of Tellar Road.  The little shrine is on the right of the well-known Sri Ananthashayana Temple.

     It is one of the very few shrines dedicated to Sun God. The idol of Lord Sooryanarayana is carved in black granite. It’s about two feet tall. The sanctum sanctorum itself is made of stone, hence called Kallamatha.

      Sooryanarayana Matha is believed to be 900 years old. A stone inscription seen in front of the matha, though hasn't been deciphered so far, proves the fact that the temple belongs to a distant past.

       Regular poojas are offered to the deity.  Karthika deepotsava is held every year on the new moon day of Karthika month.

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.

                          

Nandalike – A hamlet with distinct identity

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andalike, a tiny hamlet, 15 kilometres from Karkala is not unfamiliar to two kinds of people. For those interested in literature, Nandalike is the birth place of the legendary litterateur Nandalike Laxminarayanayya, popularly known by his pen name ‘Muddana’. For the pious class it is the abode of Abbaga-Daraga and Kumara on the premises of historic Sri Mahalingeshwara Temple. 

     The name Nandalike is said to have come from the king Nanda, who ruled this land centuries ago. The spirits Abbaga-Daraga and Kumara chose Nandalike as their permanent abode much before the temple was constructed.

Consecrated by Saint Vadiraja

    Sri Mahalingeshwara Temple which has a history of 700 years is situated amidst the lush green fields in scenic surroundings. The streams flowing on either side of the temple and a beautiful pond, add to the beauty of the temple. 

     Legend has it that once Sri Vadiraja Swamiji of Sode Math, during his sojourn at Nandalike, refused to accept bhiksha (alms) on the grounds that the village lacked a temple. The incident greatly worried Hoovayya Heggade of Chavadi House, who was an ardent devotee of Brahma, Kumara, Abbaga-Daraga, Bhootaraja and Veerabhadra Swami.  That very night the twin sisters Abbaga and Daraga appeared in his dream and directed him to install a panchaloha idol of Lord Mahalingeshwara worshipped by sage Bhargava at Pilarkana, an adjacent village. It was to be installed at the Jina Temple in the village as an ad-hoc arrangement to be replaced later by a proper linga. The spirits also prescribed the rituals to be carried out in the temple. Hoovayya Heggade followed the instructions and found the idol at a priest’s house the next morning.

     Sri Vadiraja Swamiji installed the idol with pomp and gaiety. It was only recently that the linga of Lord Mahalingeshwara was installed.

Annual festival

     The nine-day annual festival of the temple known popularly as Nandalike aayana or sirijaatre falls either in the month of March or April. Since other subsidiary deities like Sri Brahma, Veerabhadra Swamy, Abbaga-Daraga and Annappa Swamy have also been installed on the temple premises, the temple attains uniqueness with Dhakkebali, Annappa Swamy darshana and Sri Brahmadarshana. Women go into mass trance of Abbaga-Daraga.

     Raashi pooja is held annually to commemorate the birth anniversary of Abbaga-Daraga. The temple accepts offerings for the deities of Dharmasthala but it cannot be done the other way.

     A Naga idol here is said to be the origin of the colourful illustration of the Nagamandala, a popular way of propitiating Naga, the serpent god of Tulunadu.

Chavadi Mane (house)

      The 800-year-old Chavadi Mane, situated about half a kilometre from the temple in the west, is the residence of the Heggades, the hereditary trustees of the temple. The palatial house with a vast courtyard (chavadi), royal seat and sword are reminders of the prosperity and the power wielded by the Heggades in the past. The swing on which Abbaga-Daraga used to play is still there. The wooden carvings on the ceilings of chavadi are exquisite and offer proofs for the dexterity and fabulous craftsmanship of the artisans of yesteryears. By pulling a single peg, navadwaras (nine doors) could be opened or closed. The chavadi, which was in a dilapidated state until 1992, has been renovated. It was featured in an award winning documentary made by Philadelphia University several years ago.

The Legend

     Siri, Satyada Kumari, had a son Kumara out of her first marriage and she had made him vanish. Siri herself vanished after delivering a female child born to Kodsaralva of Kotradi out of her second marriage. Before disappearing she had directed that the child should be entrusted to the care of Chandu Pergade of Kanabettu. The child was named Sonne.

Sonne gets company

     One day, Chandravati, a pregnant woman of a well-off Brahmin family in Belman, sent her servant to fetch leaves to prepare rice pudding.  The servant, however, was not allowed to pluck the leaves of the tree by the two tigers guarding it.  They demanded that the child born to Chandravati be handed over to them, if she really wanted the leaves of the tree.  Not able to resist her temptation to eat the pudding, Chandravati promised that she would hand over the yet-to-be-born baby to the tigers. But she failed to keep up the promise after the birth of a baby girl, who was named Gindi.

     One fine day, three-year-old Gindi disappeared from her house. The servants of Chandu Pergade found her in the forest guarded by two tigers. When Chandu Pergade pleaded with the tigers that he be allowed to take care of the child, the beasts moved away.

Sonne delivers Abbaga-Daraga

     Sonne who was already in the custody of Chandu Pergade and Gindi were brought up together. Sonne was married off to Guru Marla of Kedinje Parari at the age of 12. Sonne was not invited for the pubertal function of Gindi as she had not attained puberty even after several years of marriage. Women of the village threatened to walk off if Sonne participated in the ritual.  When Sonne did attend the function uninvited, she had to face the wrath of other women and became a butt of ridicule.  A humiliated Sonne, got Gindi vanished. After coming back to her husband’s house, she vowed to Brahma of several services, if she reached puberty and bore children. Later though Sonne delivered twin daughters Abbaga-Daraga, she completely forgot her promise to Brahma.

    The parents decided the marriage of their daughters with Rama-Lakshmana, twin sons of Chandrama Shetty of Karkala. Brahma, disguised as a Brahmin, reminded the parents of their promise when they were on their way to invite guests for the wedding. Even then they did not take the warning seriously.

Game turns fatal

     Brahma in disguise, at the Urkidottu house, persuaded the twin sisters to play Chenne Mane (A game played on a wooden plank with fourteen depressions).  The older sister Abbaga suffered repeated defeats in the game at the hands of Daraga. Angered by the humiliation, Abbaga hit Daraga on her head with the Chenne Mane and Daraga succumbed to the injuries. A panicky Abbaga pushed the body of Daraga into a nearby well and she too, jumped into it. Having achieved his motive, the Brahmin disappeared.

Twin sisters turn divine spirits

    During the funeral, people saw two butterflies flying off the funeral pyre of the two girls. After their death, the spirits of Abbaga - Daraga moved to a palace at Bola where the queen was having her auspicious kalasha bath. The spirits made her vanish, had the bath themselves and made Nandalike their home with Kumara and Siri.  The spirits, it appears, then moved to Kavathar, Hiriyadka and other places later. 

Sundara Puranik Memorial Govt School - Stands apart among the lot

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undara Puranik Memorial Government High School, well-known as Pervaje School,   is one of the highly regarded institutions in Karkala. The fact that no private school in the vicinity finds such a student rush for admission, is indeed a tell-tale evidence to its popularity. Parents vie to get admission for their children in the school, albeit not all succeeding.

     A chance visit to the school on a rainy day recently was a kind of reality check.  The tidiness and the discipline strike you the most when you enter the premises. Students were amidst having milk as per the government scheme.  There was no rush or clamour of any kind.

Education is all round development

     The school imparts education both in Kannada and English mediums. It has a well-equipped science laboratory besides a fully functional computer laboratory unlike other government schools. A computer instructor has been appointed on an honorary basis. As all students of a class cannot be accommodated at the computer lab at a time, they are taken on rotation. There is a small library for other students at the class itself when others go for computer practicals!

     The school library has a good collection of books. Students are advised to write reviews of the books they read.  Reviews are compiled and the best fetches a prize too!  Selected poems written by students on different occasions are brought out as Prakrti Vaibhava. Gomathi is the monthly magazine. The annual school magazine winning an award every year is a matter of pride for the school.

     The mid-day meal kitchen equipped with a mixer and a grinder is maintained clean. The food is cooked through steam. The plates and the tumblers are arranged neatly in shelves.

   

     The school has a hall, though it is not sufficient to accommodate all students at a time. The open air auditorium is large enough to host special occasions. An indoor stadium is another much needed facility in the school.   The students have the facility of a covered parking area for their bicycles.

     Washrooms are kept clean, a stark contrast to the stinking and ill-maintained toilets of a private school which I had visited a few days earlier.

Add-on facilities

     The tenth standard students get extra coaching online. The school takes interest in training students in extra-curricular activities like yakshagana, karate, theatre etc.  With such facilities and guidance, no wonder that the students have brought laurels to the school.

     The school makes use of all the facilities provided by the government, besides augmenting them with private contributions.

Dedicated teachers

     “Just because this is a government school, our students should not be deprived of any facilities available at private schools, “ says  K Harshini,  the Headmistress. This, in fact, sums up her commitment to see to it that students are no less to any student at other private schools when they pass out.  Equally dedicated is the whole band of enthusiastic teachers.

     As I left the premises, not only convinced I was, my opinion about the school was a notch high.

Shastreeya Sangeet Sabha – A Musical Saga

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 group of friends woven together by the common thread of music would frequent the classical music programmes  elsewhere in the vicinity.  On such journeys  these pals deliberated on bringing artistes to their place itself so that  others, who are deprived of resource or time, can get an opportunity to listen to musicians of repute.  Thus  born the Shastreeya Sangeet Sabha at Karkala in 1992.

      The musical odyssey of this humble Sabha in this small town in over two decades, however, is illustrious. The objective has been to promote Indian classical music through concerts and workshops and thus bring about music awareness among the people. Though the initial plan was to arrange the performance of four artistes per year, in the first year itself around ten programmes of upcoming artistes of the vicinity as well as reputed artistes from other places were conducted.  Not a mean task in those days.

Promting Carnatic and Hindustani genres

      The Sabha conducts many Carnatic and Hindustani concerts.  The programmes, in fact, have come in attractive packages and the occasional festivals are sumptuous treat to the music lovers.

     The Sabha was conducting Udupi and Dakshina Kannada district level competitions in vocal, musical instruments and percussion instruments for the young singers in both Carnatic and Hindustani categories under Kala Sadhana. Though the competition received an overwhelming response in the initial years, it failed to draw competent singers in subsequent years. Hence the event was discontinued after ten years, now the programme is renamed the late Yogish Baliga Kala Sadhana, in memory of one of its founders wherein the Sabha provides platform for the young talents of the twin districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada and the neighbouring Kasaragod in Kerala to exhibit their talents.

Music fests are feasts

     Shastreeya Sangeet Rasaratri was an all-night music programme for some years As the crowd dwindled post midnight this too was discontinued.  Instead the organizers chose a Sunday in a year where music programmes were held from 9 am to 9pm.

  

     The three-day National Youth Music Festival conducted in 1999 featured artistes from all around the country. Dr Prakash Shenoy, general secretary of the Sabha, proudly admits that all the then upcoming artistes who performed in Karkala are well-known today. Artistes like Pravin Godkhindi, Salil Bhatt, Sandeep Chatterjee, D R Raju, Ranjani Hebbar, Chandan Kumar, Shaunak Abhisheki and Sumedha Desai regaled the discerning audience at the grand event.

     For four years Tataka Sangeeth Mahotsava was conducted from evening to midnight.   The oil lamps around the tank of Sri Venkataramana Temple lent a divine ambience to the event.  The week-long Shastreeya Sangeeta Saptaha marked the decennial year.

     “Funds have never been a problem”, says Dr Shenoy.  Though entry is free for most of the programmes,  the Sabha collected the necessary fund  through passes and tickets   for its large scale event in the fifth year.

Performance by artistes of repute

     Karkala has been a stop in the musical itinerary of well-known performers like Vidyabhushan,  Ullas Bapat, Ajith Kadkade, Ronu Mujumdar,  Vishwamohan Bhatt, Zakir Hussein, Rajkumar Bharati, Vittal Ramamurthy , M S Sheela, N Ramani, Sreenath Marathe, Mandolin Srinivas, Sudha Raghunathan, Parvin Sulthana, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Shubha Mudgal, Jesudas, M S Gopalakrishnan, Nityashree Mahadevan, Nakod Brothers, Tarun Bhattacharya, Bombay Jayashree, Abhishek Raghuraman, Salil Bhat, Mysore Manjunath and Nagaraj and many more.  The Sabha, would have had a strong influence on Mahalakshmi Shenoy, an acclaimed Hindustani vocalist hailing from Karkala during her formative years.

     So far the Sabha has hosted the concerts of more than 500 artistes.  The fact that the performance of Sabha inspired the birth of a couple of similar associations elsewhere in the vicinity speaks volumes about the track record of the Sangeet Sabha.  But unlike other organisations, Shastreeya Sangeet Sabha does not restrict itself to any one discipline, instead gives equal footage to both Carnatic and Hindustani music.  The programmes draw music aficionados from far and wide.  The grand music programmes were an  oasis  in those days of  rare musical events.

Mission achieved

     Currently S. Nityananda Pai, is leading the association, as its president. “We were not aware of the enormity of classical music, but the programmes have driven us crazy about music”, once said one of the patrons Dr Adyantaya, reminisces Dr. Shenoy.  Though one of the objectives was to bring about music awareness, the Sabha at its silver jubilee year, has achieved much more than its objective.  It has developed a kind of music culture in this little town of historic significance.  

Renjala Gopala Shenoy (1897 - 1985) - The magician who infused life into stones

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arkala, as the name implies, has abundant kariya kallu (black stone) and is well known for its architectural splendours carved out of black granite stones.  Most of the structures including the 42-foot monolithic Bahubali, the Chaturmukha Basadi, Hiriyangadi Basadi and the Ananthashayana Temple were chiselled during the regime of the Bhairavas.

     After the lapse of several centuries of sculpting such architectural marvels, nobody thought Karkala would see other equally proficient sculptures. It would not be an exaggeration if one says that a sculptor of the Bhairava dynasty, reincarnated in the nineteenth century as Renjala Gopala Shenoy. Apart from creating sculptural miracles at his hometown Karkala, his works can be seen at many places in the country and the faraway Japan as well.

A second generation sculptor

     Renjala Gopala Shenoy, born on January 6, 1897, was the only male child among the four children of Janardana Shenoy and Padmavati Shenoy. Janardana Shenoy, who did not have any means to keep the family hearth burning, sought solace of Sri Bhuvanendra Theertha Swamiji of Kashi Math Samsthan. The seer suggested him to take up sculpting, wherein not only he but the generations after him would also excel.  Thus he took to sculpting and his works can be seen in Sri Venkataramana Temple, Udupi and Sri Venugopalakrishna Temple, Karkala. However, he did not come to limelight.

Son takes up the baton

     Despite being the son of an eminent sculptor, Gopala Shenoy was quite unaware of his innate talents till his father passed away. An idol of Ganesha made out of clay, his first work, had become a butt of ridicule when it broke during transit.  The incident hurt his ego. He determined to be an efficient sculptor and never looked back since. With the blessing of Sri Bhuvanendra Theertha Swamiji he ventured into the field.

     Initially Gopala Shenoy was a drawing teacher in the school run by Sri Venkataramana Temple, Karkala. Sri Sukrtheendra Theertha Swamiji of Kashi Math Samsthan came to his residence, blessed him and christened his workshop as Bhuvanendra Shilpa Shaala and then on Gopala Shenoy became a full time sculptor. Perhaps, Shenoy did not leave any medium untouched to express his aesthetic feelings. He had chosen paper, mud, wood, stone, silver, gold, panchaloha and even coconut shells for his works.

Pillars at Sri Venkataramana Temple

     Dexterity and perfection are the hallmarks of the works of Gopala Shenoy. The mastery of his skills can be observed in the four pillars of Garuda Mantap of Sri Venkataramana Temple, Karkala. The chains hanging from the pillars though made out of stone move like any other steel chains. Miniature sized animals such as lizards and honeybees have been meticulously and vividly carved on the pillars. The four pillars are not alike. They narrate different mythological stories.  From the single stone selected from Nallur near Karkala, he carved four pillars and a statue of Durga Parameshwari.

                      

     The works at Sri Venkataramana Temple, Karkala and the Bahubali statue at Dharmasthala catapulted him to fame.

Some tell tale evidences of craftsmanship

· * Thirty nine-foot statue of Bahubali installed in Dharmasthala

·     *   Thirty-two-foot high Bahubali at Firozabad

·       The idol of Lord Krishna in Hrishikesh

·       The idol of Krishna in Canara High School, Mangalore

·        The idols of Rama, Seetha and  Lakshmana at Rama Mandir, Wadala, Mumbai

·       Vrindavana and stone Dhwajasthambha of Gokarna Parthagali Math

·        Dhwajasthambhas of several temples including the one made with silver covering for Venkataramana Temple, Karkala

·       Six-foot statue of Lord Veerabhadra in Akkialur

·       The idol of Ravalanatha at Ravalanatha Temple, Karkala

·       The  idol of Lord Venkataramana at Siddapur

·       Golden throne in Sri Venkataramana Temple Karkala

·    Silver Dhwajasthambha, door frame and stone pillars in the Pauli of Sri Durga Parameshwari Temple, Kateel

·             Silver throne in Kashi Math Samsthan

     And the list has many more that speaks volumes about his ingenuity and skill. They are the living monuments of the finest works of the sculptor.

Masterpieces across the border

     A stone stupa and the 67 feet statue of Avalokiteshwara installed at Nara in Japan are some other examples of adroitness in his work. He had also sculpted the life of Buddha on stones for Japan. He had even exported three thousand identical statues of Buddha to Nara.

Honours bestowed upon Shenoy

     He never went out in search of awards or honours but accolades came in search of him. Shenoy had been honoured with:

·       Honorary doctorates by Mysore and Mangalore Universities

·       The Master Craftsman Award by the Government of India

·       Rajyotsava Award by the Karnataka Government

·     The title Shilpa Samrajya Chakravarti conferred by Sri Sudheendra Theertha Swamiji of Kashi Math

     Sri Shivananda Swamiji of Divine Life Society, Dehradun, in 1943, thought highly of the Krishna idol Shenoy carved for Hrishikesh, and had showered praise on him saying, “… I have found one of the ablest sculptors and engravers our Motherland has ever produced… The smiling lips, the charming eye, the Vaijayanti hanging around the neck down to the waist, the armlets and bracelets, the peacock feather with jewels carved on the crown and the sweet Murali are so life like that the image has become a source of attraction and inspiration to one and all.”

Training produces a band of efficient sculptors

     Those who worked under him and gained experience also excelled in their chosen fields. The late Shyamaraya Acharya, a Rajyotsava Awardee, who later went on to become the chairman of the Karnataka Shilpakala Academy, the late D P Narayana Bhat from Mala, who had won the National Award for silver carving and Gopala Mestri, a well-known name in chiseling stone sanctum sanctorum of temples were with Shenoy at one point of the time or the other.  

     Tamilian artisans, Shenoy brought to Karkala, while carving the Bahubali statue for Dharmasthala, later settled at Karkala. Now there are about 500 families of Tamilians residing in and around the town involved in sculpting.

The saga continues…

     The pious sculptor was not after money.  Work was like meditation for him. Hence he was able to produce the best.  Gopala Shenoy breathed his last on December 1, 1985.

     Among Shenoy’s four sons and three daughters, the second son R Manjunatha Shenoy pursued the profession of his father. Now Manjunatha Shenoy’s son Radhamadhava Shenoy is into the trade furthering the family’s repute.  The sound of stone chiselling continues to be heard in Bhuvanendra Shilpa Shaala.