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Karkala: Sri Venkataramana Temple, Attur St. Lawrence Church
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viewsistreamkairali — Dec 29, 2009 —
Host Lekshmi Nair takes us to the famous Sri Venkataramana Temple and Attur St. Lawrence Church in Karkala
Karkal is a town and the headquarters of Karkala Taluk in the Udupi district of Karnataka, India. Located about 380 km from Bangalore, it lies near the Western Ghats. The first name of this town was Pandya Nagari, named during the Jain regime, but afterwards it was changed to Karikallu because of black stones. Over time, the name changed to Karkal and then to Karkala. Karkala has a number of natural and historical landmarks, including the Ramasamudra Lake. Karkala dates back to the beginning of the 10th century. Black granite is abundant in the area, and is in wide use in the local architecture. The name of the town is derived from kari-kal, meaning black stone in Tulu.Some assert that the original name was 'Kari Kola' meaning 'elephant lake' which is the existing 'Anekere'. Tulu-speaking people call the town Karla. Muslims, Konkanis and Kannadigas call it Karkala, and the Roman Catholics call it Karkol. Its alternative name, Jain Thirtha, is the result of 300 years of Jain rule. It was called Karkal by the English; later, it was called Karkala in Kannada. Karkala is on the top of a granite bed that is about 300–500 ft thick. The Alupas were the first to rule Karkala. Their rule was followed by the Santaras, who were the feudatories of Alupas for many years. Karkala, or ancient Pandya Nagari, attained political and cultural importance from the time of the Kalasa-Karkala kingdom that was established by Bhairarasa Odeyas between 13th and 16th centuries. The Bhairarasas appear to be the descendants of the Santara chiefs, who ruled the western ghats region around the 11th century AD. The royal family of Karkala shot to prominence right from the time of the Hoysalas. During the Vijayanagara period this family reached new heights of glory. Their kingdom extended over a wider areacomprising Sringeri, Koppa, Balehonnur and Mudigere in Chikamagalur and most of the Karkala taluk. They were rich and maintained a large army. Despite engaging in wars, peace prevailed in the kingdom and this led to increased cultural activity and development. The first important king was Veera Bhairava, whoconstructed basadis at Karkala and endowed land and money to numerous temples and basadis. Ramanatha and Veerapandya were his two sons. Ramanatha died during his father’s time. In his memory, a scenic lake called Ramasamudra was created, which still survives. King Veera Pandya, at the insistence of his Guru Lalitakeerti, the pontiff of Karkala Jaina Math, installed a large statue of Bahubali on the rocky hill of Karkala. The date of the installation has been ascertained as February 13, 1432. Veera Pandya also installed the Brahmadeva Pillar in front of the statue in 1436. Abinava Pandya ascended the throne next and it was he who installed a carving of manastambha in front of the Neminatha Basadi in Hiriyangadi in 1457 AD. An intricately carved 54-foot-high (16 m) pillar stands in front of the Basadi. The Neminatha Basadi was renovated in 1946. An oriental school with free boarding and lodging facilities is being run here by the Bhujabali Brahmacharya Ashrama. Abhinava Pandya’s successor was Pandya VI. He built the Kere Basadi in the middle of a lake called Anekere in 1545 AD. It is in this lake that the king’s elephants used to bathe. The Basadi and the lake still exist. The next important king was Immadi Bhairava (Bhairava II). Heconstructed the Chaturmukha Basadi on top of a small rocky hill in 1586 AD. The Basadi has four identical entrances from the four quarters leading to the Garbagriha and hence is popularly known as Chaturmukha Basadi. This is the most celebrated structural temple in Karkala[citation needed] and is referred to in inscriptions as Tribhuvana Tilaka Jina Chaityalaya and Ratnaraya Dhama. The Chaturmukha Basadi is built in the form of a square mandapa or hall with a lofty doorway and pillared portico on each of its four sides and a pillared verandah. The roof is flat and is made of massive granite slabs. It has lifesize statues of three theerthankaras on each side and small images of 24 theerthankaras. It took 30 years toconstruct this temple. In all, there are 108 pillars inside and outside the temple. This place also came under the rule of Tippu Sultan, known as the Tiger of Mysore. In addition to his role as ruler, he was a scholar, soldier, and poet. It was under him that some of the untold and disappearing landmarks of Karkal were made. One of the most immanent of the time was the Kotay kani moat made in front of the Karkal Kotay castle, which was used during his war against the East IndiaCompany. In this war against EIC, few of Indian Kingdom of Mysore’s elite soldiers with hugecontribution and service towards the land and kingdom were granted Title and Land in the township of Karkalla. One such title is Karkala Patayath. Second such marvel of the same regime is to discover the usage of a Gavi (or cave) route to travel to various surrounding location unseen through the mountains located near Shivati Keray (Lord Shivas lake). There are 18 basadis of antiquity, including Mahaveera Basadi, Chandranathaswamy Basadi, Adinathaswamy Basadi, Ananthanatha Basadi, Guru Basadi, and Padmavathi Basadi. However, the rulers of Karkala were tolerant towards other religions. Therefore, temples of other religions exist, including the temples of Anantashayana and Venkataramana, Mahamaya Mukhyaprana, and Adi Shakti. The St Lawrence Church was built in 1845 in a village called Nitte (Attur hamlet) where people of all religionscongregate every year in January for the feast of St Lawrence. Karkala is a town of historical importance and a pilgrim centre for Jains. The single stone 42-foot (13 m) statue Gomateshwara (Lord Bahubali) is located about 1 km from the center of the town and is the second tallest in Karnataka . There are about 18 Jain basadis here. This statue of Lord Bahubali was installed at Karkala on February 13, 1432 on the instructions of the pontiff of Karkala, Lalitakeerti. There are several other temples, mosques and churches in and around Karkala. Several jain temples wereconstructed namely Chaturmukha Thirthankara Basadi, Hiriyangaddi Neminatha Basadi, and Anekere Padmavathi Basadi. All of these sites mentioned are listed in Archaeological Survey of India, Government of India. The other statues of Bahubali in the state are at Shravanabelagola installed by Chamundaraya, which is 57 feet tall, at Venur installed by Timmaraja, which is 35 feet (11 m) tall, and at Dharmasthala installed by D. Veerendra Heggade, which is 39 feet (12 m) tall. Every 12 years, hundreds of thousands of Jain devoteescongregate to perform the Mahamastakabhisheka, a ceremony where the Gommateshwara statue is bathed and anointed with milk, water, and saffron paste and sprinkled with sandal wood powder, turmeric, and vermilion. The last Mahamastakabhisheka was held in February 2002, and the next will be in 2014. An annual Rathotsava is held in February. * At Saint Lawrence Church, Attur: St. Lawrence feast (last Tuesday to Thursday of January) * At Padutirupathi Sri Venkataramana Temple, Carstreet: Lakshadeepotsava (festival of lights during November–December), Rathotsava or Chariot festival (April–May), Vishwaroopa Darshana (October–November) * At Sri Ananthapadmanaabh Temple, Ananthshayana Road: AnanthaChathurdashi (September), Deepotsava (November), Rathotsava (April) * At Sri HosaMaarigudi Temple, Bustand: Maari Puja (May third week) * At Sri Ucchhanggi Maariamma Temple, A S Road: Maari Utsava (last week of May) * At Sri MahaLingeshwara Temple, Pervaaje: Maha Shivarathri (February or March), Rathotsava (April) * At Sri UmaMaheshwara Temple, Shivathikere: Maha Shivarathri (February or March), Karthika Deepotsava (November) * At Sri Krishna Kshethra, Anekere: Krishna Janmaashtami (August) * At Sri Raghavendra Swamy Temple, Tellar: Guru Sree Raghavendra Swamy Aaradhana * At Jaamia Masjid, Salmaar: Jumma Masjid feast (ಉರೂಸ್ in Kannada during January) * At Sanoor Mosque: Sanoor Uroos * Shri Adishakti Mahalaxmi, Laxmipura, Hirgana, Karkala Taluk, Udupi Dist. Karnataka, Pin:574 127. (Established in 1893) In rural areas annual Jathra Mahotsava, Bootha Kola, Naga Darshana, and Daiva Nemothsava are celebrated. Festivals like Ram Navami, Buddha Poornima, Krishna Janmashtami, Raksha Bhandhan, Ganesh Chathurthi, Navarathri, Diwali, Christmas, Good Friday, Eid Milad, Moharam, and Bakrid are celebrated throughout Karkala. Karkala is a piligrimage location for Jains and it attracts tourists. Landmarks include Hindu temples, Jain basadis, mosques, churches and lakes. * Churches: Attur Church of St. Lawrence, Gandhi Maidhan Christ King Church * Mosques: Jumma Masjid at Salmaar * Lakes: Anekere Lake, Ramasamudra pond, Matadha Kere * Jain Basadis: Hiriyangadi Basadi, Chathurmukha Basadi, Padmavathi Kere Basadi * Kali Temples:Kalikamba Temple * Vishnu Temples: Padutirupathi Sree Venkataramana Temple, Ananthashayana Sree Ananthapadmanabh Temple, Anekere Sree Krishna Kshethra, Tellar Sree DevakiKrishna Ravalnaath Temple, Ananthashayana Sree Vishveshwara Venugopal Temple, Kabettu Sree Venugopal Temple * Shiva Temples: Pervaje Sree MahaLingeshwara Temple, Shivathikere Sree UmaMaheshwara Temple, Sree Veerabhadra Temple, * Durga Temples: Sree AdiShakthi Veerbhadhra Temple, Sree HosaMaarigudi Maruthi Temple, Sree Ucchanggi Maariamma Temple, Sree Padmavathi Temple, Neklaaje Sree Kaalikamba Temple * Ganesh Temples: Vinayakbettu Sree Siddhivinayaka Temple, Banddimuta Sree MoodaGanapathi Temple * Guru Temples: Tellar Sree Raghavendra Swamy Temple * Hanuman Temples: Sree VeeraMaruthi Temple, Sree MukhyaPrana Temple * Joamlu teertha and koodlu teertha -mini waterfalls near Hebri,sun-set view at Agumbe ghat road and Hanuman gundi near Kudremukha kushmandini devi temple in nallur, near by to karkala == Padutirupathi Karkala - The Tirupati of the West ==
Sanctum Sanctorum(Garbha Griha), Padutirupathi. This temple is built in a traditional style. Every year, a devotees pay a visit to Lord Venkatramana temple in Karkala. It is about 50 km from Mangalore and stands in the centre of the city. The Venkatramana temple of Karkala attracts visitors from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi District. Popularly known as 'Padutirupathi'; West means Padu in Kannada and spelt as paduthirupathi, Lord Venkatramana temple isconsidered as the main piligrimage of Goud Saraswat Brahmins (GSB) of India, even though othercommunity people visit this temple on a daily basis to seek a glimpse of the deities. Legend has it that a family of Gowda Saraswat Brahmins, namely Soire Prabhu and Soma Sharma, brought Lord Venkatramana's idols along with them while migrating from Goa. As they decided to settle down in Karkala, the family built a temple for the Lords and started worshipping them here during 1450 AD. Other families, such as Kudvas, Kamaths, Nayaks and others, migrated here from Goa due to tortures from Portuguese invaders and settled down to help Soma Sharma and Prabhu family with their own agricultural business in developing the temple. The main and presiding deity over here is Lord Sreenivasa, which was believed to be brought from Tirumala - Tirupati and daily deity Lord Lakshmi Venkatesha. It is also believed that one who cannot travel to Tirupathi can visit here and can fulfill their offerings here.
Lord Sreenivasa and Lord LakshmiVenkateshaWhen a group of dacoits attacked this temple during 1500 AD, the priests saved the main idols and other valuables by throwing them down a well in Mulki. As thingscooled down, theycould retrieve the belongings of the temple except for the main deity. However, a person in Mulki found the statue in the well, which was taken as an indication that the Lord wanted to stay there, instead of in Karkala. When Karkala people came to know about this they rushed to Mulki and asked for the idol; but by that time Mulki people had already installed the idol in Sree Veer Vittal Temlpe (around 1520 AD). It is said that the Lord appeared in people's dreams and asked them to leave his statue with residents of Mulki. He seemed to have reassured them that a hermit would present them his statue in which he resides. The people of Karkala returned back and as told by the Lord himself, a hermit of Tirumala, who was a staunch devotee of Lord Venkatramana from Tirupati, came to Karkala and presented the Lord's statue with thecondition that the proceeds of the temple be given to Tirupathi. Heeding to thecondition, people of Karkala undertake a pilgrimage to Tirupati each year to present the temple's proceeds. The installation of new idol of Lord Sreenivasa was done on 25 April 1537 and the renovation of the temple took place in the year 1700.
Vishwaroopa Darshana at Padutirupathi KarkalaSince the rites and rituals at the Karkala temple are similar to that of Tirupati, it is regarded as Tirupati in the west, while the original shrine is located in the east. So, it's called Padu (or west) Tirupathi. Karnataka Government and Indian Government has declared this temple as Tirupathi of Karnataka and is one of the many temples authorised tocollect money for Tirumala Temple. Any kind of pooja performed by a devotee is taken as rendering a generous service at the feet of the Lord but not as a seva, or paid work. A ritual called Vanabhojan (yatra to Tirupathi) isconducted each year in November–December; when the presiding deity Lord Sreenivasa, along with Lord Lakshmi Venkatesha, is taken to Sri BhuvanendraCollege area near Lake Ramasamudra and is kept facing Tirupathi. This is done as the deity can't be taken to Tirupati itself, tocomply with the hermit'scondition. The deities are bathed with Panchaamrutha, whichconsists of milk, curds, ghee, honey, and sugar, and tendercoconut water,commonly known as Panchaamrutham Abhishekam. It is said that if people do this yatra it is as doing a yatra to Tirupathi. Presenting the offerings to Tirupati at Karkala itself had been an old custom. In the past, these proceeds were also given to Tirupati once in 12 years. Although this is no longer in practice, it is said that people still present their offerings to Tirupati here. Also an annual six-day chariot festival is celebrated in honour of Tirupathi Lord Sreenivasa Swamy during April–May. The rites and rituals performed during this festival are the same as in Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams(TTD). The special days celebrated in this temple are Nag Panchami, Sri Krishna Janmaashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Anant Chaturdashi, Deepawali (Vishwaroopa Darshana-means lighting of 50,000 earthen lamps @ 3 A.M during October or November month), Ratha Saptami, Ram Navami, and Buddha Poornima. Nag Panchami is celebrated with the pouring of Panchaamrutha abhisheka on the stone idol of snakes in the temple premises. During Janmashtami, utsav deity is worshipped as Sri Gopalkrishna and served various items of food. On Ganesh Chathurthi, huge silver idol of Lord Ganesha is kept in the temple for 5 days. For Anantha Chathurdashi, golden kalasha is taken out to Ramasamdura lake where it is dipped in and holy water is brought back in it while returning to the temple. During Diwali, a five day celebration is celebrated, with the main celebration as Vishwaroopa Darshan done after the fifth day. On Ratha Sapthami day utsav, deity is taken out on a silver chariot. Ram Navami involves mass feeding and chariot utsav. Lastly, Buddha Purnima in temple has utsav deity taken to Ramasamdura Lake in the morning, evening mass feeding forcommunity people and in the night half-chariot procession; where this utsav has its peculiarity as a silver palanquin; along with utsav deity it is kept on Bandi with two wooden dolls holding it on their shoulders. This temple has over 150 Utsavas (Lord taken out to the town and returning back to temple) in a year, excluding Amavasyas and Ekaadashis and over 70 mass feedings for the GSBcommunity people. Special mass feedings for othercommunity people are arranged during Shravana (August–September) month and Deepotsava festival. Everyday temple has bhajan recitals by Sri Venkataramana Bhajan group, where over 30 people, including children, sing recitals of Almighty in Hindi, Konkani, Kannada and Marathi. The temple arranged a four month long day-night Sri Raam Naam Sankirthan in the years 1958, 1984 and 2006 on July 6. Sahasra Kumbhaabhishekha (1008 Abhishekham) was held in this temple on March 1963. Raam Dhandu, a trip to Tirumala Tirupathi to offer the offerings given by people, was held regularly in the range of ten years three times, first one in the year 1854 until the year of 1970.
Sree Veera Maruthi,KarkalaIn front of Lord Venkatramana's shrine lies Sri VeerMaruthi temple, whose statue towers over 15 feet. The temple was originally built in 1539. Its renovation was done in 1972. It's said that this statue was found under the grounds of Anekere (near Karkala), when it was dug. This statue of Lord Hanuman has a different type of architecture; left hand on his hip, right hand on top facing sky, legs in walking style, eyes angrily staring and hair on his head waving in the air. Tippu Sultan was among the ardent devotees of this Hanuman; the silver ornament he had offered to the Lord is still seen around his neck. An annual event in December is a day long Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram recital, sung by localites of this area. Every Monday, Saturday and on Ekadashi day Ram Naam Sankirthans are sung by devotees for nearly three hours. It is also believed that the statue of Maruthi, which is about 15–20 feet tall, originally was a small staue which then grown up. It is also believed that this is due to the anger of Shri Maruthi and tocool him they preyed and then kept one Kamandal above the head of staue whichcontains thirha (sacred water) always drop water drop by drop which falls on head of Maruthi, it is tocool him down from anger. Several legends illustrate Lord Venkatramana's perceived power to grant wishes. One of them happened in 1912, when the British government at Madras decided to make Moodbidri instead of Karkala the taluk headquarters, which disappointed people there. They prayed to the deity. When a British officer was on his way to Karkala for re-inspection of the place, as he crossed Moodbidri, his horse unexpectedlycollapsed and died on the spot. Somehow the officer managed to reach Karkala. Upon arrival, he paid a visit to Lord Venkatramana's temple. After the visit, the British officer dropped the idea of making Moodbidri the taluk headquarters and decided on Karkala. Right outside the sanctum-sanctorum (garba-griha) of the temple, there are four massive stone pillars decorated with exquisite carvings carved out by Sri Shilpi Renjal Gopal Shenoy. The pillars have amazing carvings of birds, plants, insects and other different varieties of fine sculptures. The temple has a large pond (built in 1860) in front of it called Sri Pushkarni. Next to this pond is a small temple of Sri Kalabhairava, a servant of Lord Almighty. Once a year during Kalabhairavaashtami, abhishekha is performed for the idol of Lord Kalabhairava.On the way to the Pushkarni there is a Mutt (Monastery) which is known as Kashi Mutt. The Swamijis of GSBCommunity stay here during their visit .The daily poojas in the mutt is done by a popular priest Sri. Gokki and is managed by Dr. K. Ramachandra. Joishy, who is a well-known cardiologist of the town. Karkala Venkataramana Temple has three sects of priests from Vasishta Gotra namely Joishys, Puraniks and Tanthris having an origin from 14th century. Joishys and Puraniks are the primary priests who look after the betterment of deities. Temple and Tanthris are secondary priests who take up important services of temple. Presently Ramkrishna Joishy, Arun Puranik, and Ramanath Tanthri are holding up the temple poojas biannually. Daily poojas are being done by their sons and grandsons (around 200 in total). The temple management has 14 member boardcommittee, out of which six are permanent and the rest keep changing in accordance with election every three years. Thiscommittee administers the temples finances, management, and events by holding monthly meetings in the temple premises. Eachcommittee is headed by a president. Karkala Venkatramana Temple is known for various festivals as well ascommunity feeding, which is known as SAMARADHANA in Konkani language. A detailed book is published every year by well-known social workers and employees ofCorporation Bank SRI.K.GOPAL PAI. The bookscontain the details of various festive occasions of the PADUTHIRUPATI Temple. Every year a calender of the lord VENKATESHWARA is also released on behalf of Late SRI. K.R.NAYAK by his family members. The Lord Venkatramana Temple Trust owns and manages seven educational institutions, apart fromconducting cultural and traditional activities. Also, it has taken up mid-meal scheme for Mentally Disabled children in Chethana Special School. The temple owns a Goshaala (Cow Shed) of about 12 breeds near temple lake next to Srinivasa Kala Mandir. Temple authorities also own Kala Mandirs for get-togethers and functions. Heethaishee is a small organisation which arranges marriage and ceremonies for Goud Saraswat Brahmin people. GSB Welfare Trust is yet another organisation which organises functions and gives grants for the poverty-stricken populace in GSBcommunity once a year during Ugadi. The temple has recently taken up many development works in and around the premises and in educational institutions.http://www.padutirupathi.org Karkala Sri Venkataramana Temple=== Attur Church === A shrine to St. Lawrence lies around 15 minutes outside Karkala at Attur in the vicinity of Parpale hills. The first church was established around 1759,[citation needed] about 7 kilometers from the present church. It was destroyed by Tippu Sultan and the Christians were held captive in Shrirangapatna from 1784-1799.[citation needed] A new church with a thatched roof wasconstructed in 1801 about 4 kilometers from the present location under the leadership of a Goan priest. In 1839, the church was replaced by a third building. A Goan priest chose its location by carrying a 1-foot-high (0.30 m) statue of St. Lawrence to Attur. Devotees of St. Lawrence believe that the saint guided the priest by fixing the statue to the ground and subsequently releasing it at the location of the church.[citation needed] The statue has become an object of devotion and the church attracts pilgrims. The building was located at the rear of the present church and was facing west. A small flower garden now stands at its location. The present, north-facing church was built in 1900 to accommodate the growingcongregation. It was blessed and inaugurated on 22 January 1901. A small shrine was built adjacent to the sacristy in 1975 to accommodate the statue. A 100-foot-high (30 m) tower representing religious art of various regions was built in 1997, to symbolize acceptance of other faiths. In 1998 the Pushkarini (Miracle Pond) was renovated in modern Indian Architectural style with facilities for pilgrims to descend into the pond. Twin gates were added in front of the church in 1999 in line with the Tower. In 2000, a new church was erected in front of the 1900 church to accommodate the Annual Feast. It was inaugurated and blessed on 21 January 2001. The 1900 church remains in use. ===Chathurmukha Basadi=== Chaturmukha Basadi is a symmetrical Jain temple, situated on a rocky hill at Karkala in Udupi District of Karnataka.Consecrated by Vir Pandya deva, the king of Bairarava family in 1432, the basadi wascompleted in 1586. It is built in the form of a square mandapa or hall, with a lofty doorway and pillared portico on each of its four sides. Since four identical doorways in four directions lead to the Garbhagriha, it is called Chaturmukha Basadi. The roof is flat and is made of huge granite slabs. In the Garbhagriha, one can see the standing statues of Ara, Malli, and Suyrata. Besides these, the images of the 24th Tirthankar and Yakshi Padmavati can also be found. There are a total of 108 pillars inside and outside the temple. This is the most celebrated temple in Karkala,[citation needed] and is referred to in the inscriptions as Tribhuvana Tilaka Jina Chaityalaya and Ratnaraya Dhama. ===Ananthashayana Temple===
Lord AnanthashayanaThis was previously a Jain Basadi proposed by one of the Jain king during the year 1567. Once during this time, Sringeri Jagadguru Sri Narasimha Bharathi Swamiji came to Karkala and the Jain King gave him a warm welcome to his Basadi. However, Swamiji said, "We will stay only if there is a temple with a Lord Almighty in it". So the king gave his Basadi to Sringeri Swamiji with installing a stone sculptured Idol of Lord Vishnu in the sleeping form. This Lord Vishnu was found in a lake near Nellikar village. The large idol is sculpted out of a single black stone with Lord Brahma on the lotus (coming out of Lord Vishnu's navel), and his wives Sridevi and Bhudevi at his feet. There are sculptures in everycorner of this temple. This is a protected site under Archaeological Survey of India. ===Neklaje Sri kalikamba Temple, Karkala=== Sri Kalikamba Temple in Neklaje is an important shrine of Karkala. The Kalikamba Temple, believed to be aconstruction of eleventh or twelfth century, was built by a renowned sculptor, Arkasali Bhujangacharya. Situated at the west of the famous Gomatabetta (Sri Bahubali Hill), the temple attracts a number of devotees due to its calm and quiet atmosphere. The idol of Goddess Kalikamba, appearing in sitting posture, holds sword, Chakra, fruits and Abhaya Mudra in its four arms. The Temple reached its flourishing state of prosperity and popularity especially after Balmanja Krishnayya Purohitha took over the charge as the managing trustee of the Temple. He initiated many developmental projects and kept the Temple on thecourse of improvement. Brahmakalashothsava was performed in 1981 after the Temple wascompletely renovated. The outer yardconsists of Anjaneya and Datthathreya shrines along with the shrines of Raktheshwari, Kalkuda and Panjurli Bhoothas (Daivas or evil spirits). Annual festival takes place for three days during Mesha Pournami every year. Navarathri (Ashwija Masa) and Pushpa Pooja (Shravana Masa) are also celebrated. Ekaha Bhajana (singing bhajans for the duration of one full day) is held on Karthika Bahula Ekadashi, followed by Deepothsava on the next day. Special poojas are offered on every Friday accompanied by the Bhajans of the devotees. Karkal is located at 13°12′N 74°59′E / 13.2°N 74.98°E / 13.2; 74.98.Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - KarkalIt has an average elevation of 81 metres (265 feet). Fully surrounded by black rocks and lush green forests, this tehsil is also located at the foot of Western Ghats with other places. The dark green area on the western side of India indicates the whole stretch of Western Ghats from Kerala to Maharashtra along the westcoastline. There are so manycoconut trees in the town that if you have a look at the town from the top of Gomateshwara hill, except the tops of a few tall buildings, you see onlycoconut trees. That is why solar water heater is a failure, for lack of sunshine. Ascoconut leaves are burnt for heating water in bathrooms, the whole town is enveloped by thick smoke in the mornings.{| class="wikitable" |- | City area || 23.06 km2. |- | Number of properties || 9526 habitats |- | Length of roads || 77.5 km |- | Total water supply || 2 MLD |- | Type of land || Wet |- | Water supply source || Mundli River |- | Summer temperature || 38C |- | Winter temperature || 24C |- | Annual rainfall || 4372.7mm |- | Agriculture crops || Paddy,coconut, arecanut, jackfruit |- | Latitude || 13.2000 |- | Longitude || 74.9833 |- | Altitude (feet) || 265 |- | Lat (DMS) || 13°11'60 N |- | Long (DMS) || 74°58'60 E |- | Altitude (meters) || 80 |- | Population (approx. for 7 km radius) || 40000 |} ===Weather Details=== Humidity 56.54587% CloudCover 32% Visibility 8 km Max Temp. Dewpoint 20°C Min Temp. 23°C Ceiling 2,316.5m Departure -1°C Apparent Temp. 33°C High Past 34°C Wind Chill 30°C Low Past 30°C Wind Speed 8 km/h Precipitation 0.0 mm Wind Direction NW Wind Gusts 12 km/h As of 2001[update] India census,"Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved 2008-11-01. Karkal town had a population of 25,118. Malesconstitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Karkal has an average literacy rate of 82%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 85%, and female literacy is 79%. In Karkal, 9% of the population is under six years of age. According to recent statistics by town municipality, 25,635 people currently reside in this town, while as per the recent statistics Karkala taluk has a population of 2.10 Lacs (previous 2001 census is 2,04,571). The undivided Dakshina Kannada District has a diverse variety of cultures. Karkala is a multicultural and multilingual city that follows four religions, namely Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Jainism. Local people normally speak four local languages -Tulu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Konkani . Hindi, Urdu and English are also well understood. There arecommunities of Tuluvas (Bunts,Jains, Mogaveeras, Billavas, Dalits etc.), Konkanis (GSB|Gaud Saraswat Brahmins, Rajapur Saraswats,Daivajnas ,Roman Catholics,Kudubis and Vishwakarma) , Marathi(of 19th century) speaking Maharashtrian Brahmins (chitpavans) and Maratha Kshatriyas (very small in number), Urdu, Malayalam and Beary speaking Muslims, and kannadigas (Kota Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Hegdes, and raneyarus in their own distinct dialects). The Koragas who belong to scheduled tribecommunity speak supposedly the original Dravidian language as it sounds like a mixture of all south Indian languages. The Protestant Christians speak Kannada or Tulu. Tulu is the most widely used language and can be reckoned as the language of the taluk.Hulivesha (Tiger dance) is a unique form of folk dance in Dakshina Kannada. It isconsidered as the favored carrier of Goddess Sharada (the deity in whose honor Dussera is celebrated), and is performed during the Dussera celebration. It is also performed during other festivals like Krishna Janmasthami. Bhuta Kola or spirit worship is practised, usually at night. Kambala, or buffalo racing, is alsoconducted in paddy fields. Korikatta (Cockfighting) is another favourite sport for village people. Nagaradhane, or snake worship, is also practised, according to the popular belief that the Naga Devatha go underground and guard the species above. Konkani speaking GSBs have their own tradition of celebrating Rathotsava and Deepotsava like the Kannada speaking Brahmins. The Christians in Karkala celebrate a special feast called Saanth Maari, also known as Attur Church festival, for three days. Thousands of people from all over India attend. The Muslims celebrate Uroos in the Masjids and Jains have their Jain Milans yearly. All the media materials to Karkala are directely published and broadcasted from Mangalore and Udupi. Among Kannada newspapers, Udayavani, Vijaya Karnataka, Prajavani, Kannada Prabha, and Varthabharathi are popular. Evening newspapers include Karavali Ale, Mangalooru Mitra, Sanjevani, and Jayakirana. All are published at Mangalore. Major national English newspapers like The Hindu, Deccan Herald, Times of India, and Indian Express also publish Mangalore editions. All the popular periodicals are available at the stands. The state-run, nationally broadcast Doordarshan provides both national and provincial televisioncoverage. Cable Television providers air cable channels of independently owned private networks. All 'Direct To Home' Satellite TV service providers have recently gained access. The signal strength of FM stations is low and that of AIR Mangalore is fairly good. Almost all mobile and landlineconnections are available at Karkala, including Airtel, Vodafone, Spice Telecom, Tata Indicom, BSNL, MTS, and Reliance. Most of the FM channels and Akashwani broadcasts are gaining popularity and Internetconnections ranging from dial-up to broadband from Airtel andBSNL ISPs have been introduced recently. Government offices in Karkala are the same as in other places with Municipality at the Taluk headquarters and Grama Panchayats in villages. There are one municipality in town,one town panchayat and 29 grama panchayatscovering 47 villages in Karkala Taluk ,after Moodabidre firka was merged with Mangalore taluk.Karkala talukcomes under Kundapura revenue subdivision. The Karkala Town MunicipalCouncil (Karkala Purasabhe in Kannada) is the municipalcorporation in charge of the civic and infrastructural assets of the city. Thecouncilcomprises 23 elected representatives, called "councillors", one from each of the 23 wards (localities) of the city. Elections to thecouncil are held once every five years, with results being decided by popular vote. One of thecouncilors from the majority party is selected as a Chief Officer. The municipal wards are: * Banglegudde-Kaje * Banglegudde-Paraneeru * Pervaje-Sadbhavana * Pervaje-Bandeematha * Salmara-Jarigudde * Shrinivasa nagara-Pervaje * Pervaje-Pattonjikatte * Market-Atri nagara * Bobbala-Vinayakabettu * Tellaru-Marinapura * Ananthashayana-College * Varnabettu-Gomatabettu * Danashale * Kalikamba * Danashale * Madhyapete * Gandhi maidana-Havaldarabettu * Gandhi maidana-Atturu * Kabettu-Hiriyangadi * Kuntalpady-Hiriyangadi * Taluk Off-Kabettu * Kabettu-Rotary Hospital * Kabettu-Cholpadi The headquarters of municipality is located near Karkala Bus Station. Taluk Office area has a Mini Vidhana Soudha (Government Office). At present, according to new delimitation ofconstituent assemblies, Karkala is 122nd Legislative AssemblyConstituency in Karnataka, with nearly two Lakh voters. Also, Karkalacomes under Udupi-Chikkamaglur LokaSabhaConstituency. Karkala has one town police station in the town area at Kabettu and check posts in all the grama panchayats under the Karnataka State Police Administration. Also a taluk magistrialcourt is present to handle all the civil and criminal cases happening in Karkala as a whole; monthly Lok Adalats are held in all village panchayats.There is a police subdivision headed by Dy.S.P with HQ at karkala town.There are one CPI at karkala and sub-inspectors for karkala town,karkala rural,Hebri &Ajekar police station. Electricity in Karkala is regulated through the Karnataka Power TransmissionCorporation Limited (KPTCL), and distribution is through Mangalore Electricity SupplyCompany (MESCOM). Like many cities in India, this town experiences three to six hours of scheduled and unscheduled power cuts the whole year to allow electricity providers to meet theconsumption demands of households as well as small industries. The main power source for Karkala is MRS Shimoga Power Station. There is a 220KV receiving station at Parpale Gudde of Nitte&Sanoor villages, called Kemar Power Station. Most of the unforeseen break-downs are caused bycoconut leaves falling from trees leaning over roads during rainy season.Karkala is prone to heavy Lightning Strokes resulting in frequent breakdowns of transmissions lines. Potable water to the city is supplied by municipality. Almost all water is taken from the vented damconstructed across the Mundli river in Jarkala village, about eight kilometres from the town. The water is treated with alum only after sedimentation. Some houses have wells and borewells which are about 350 ft deep. There are several clinics in and around Karkala with well-equipped hospitals, namely City Hospital and Rotary Hospital. There are also government-run primary health centres in each village panchayat.
Town RoadKarkala mainly has got good roadconnectivity as railways and airports are situated far away from this place. Also there were good tarmacked roads available in the town with good drainage system provided by Municipality. Now, due to widening of the tarmac and encroachment by shops, most of the foot-path has vanished, making it difficult for pedestrians to get around. The drainage system has become almost extinct, and the roads are too narrow to accommodate the traffic. Karkala isconnected to 3 major state roads and one major highway. * National Highway 13 (Karkala-Mudabidri-Mangalore) * State Highway-66 (Karkala-Nitte-Padubidri)which is alsoconnected to National Highway 17 (India) * State Highway-37 (Karkala-Bailur-Manipal-Udupi) and * State Highway-25A (Karkala-Hebri-Udupi). The town is far from air and rail terminals. The nearest services are located at Bajpe in Mangalore and Indrali in Udupi.
Bus StationThe local and long distance transport includes the buses, which ply regularly. Some of them are mini buses and some are air suspension buses. The bus station of Bangalore and Mangalore run KSRTC buses regularly to all the important places of Karnataka via Karkala. Private buses from Karkala are also available to Bombay, Mysore, and Bangalore. Local and Express buses to many places of Udupi and Mangalore district ply every 5–10 minutes. In this semi-urban township business (all types of legalised business forms), hotels(small to large), shops have gained high yearly incomes. Also, tuition classes run by different people have made peoples' lives a little better. A family man also gains extra income through rents paid by paying guests. Almost all the trading units in Karkala havecomputerised and cash memo billings. Industries are limited to cashew, rice, andcoconut-oil only. There is one dynamite factory at Varanga village. Small-scale industries havecome up giving jobs to poverty-stricken people. SEZ's are yet tocome up. Some of the small-scale industries in and around Karkala town limits are: * Sanoor Cashew Factory, Sanoor. * Kukkundoor Industrial Area, Ajekar. * Bola Cashew Factory, Manjarapalke. * Bharath Beedies Pvt Ltd, Karkala. * Lamina Industries Pvt Ltd, Nitte. * Gayathri Exports, Karkala and Vanjarkatte - Bola. * btkimpex and Swayamprabha cashews, karkala. * BSK CASEWS,BAILUR * KVP Oil Mills, Karkala * BOLA RAGHAVENDRA KAMATH & SONS,CASHEW EXPORTERS AND THE STAR EXPORT HOUSE. RECOGNISED BY Govt,of INDIA. The pre-collegiate medium of instruction in schools is predominantly Kannada, while Hindi, Sanskrit and English are predominant languages in private schools. Additionally, other media of instruction exist in Karkala. The medium of instruction in educational institutions after matriculation incolleges is English. Schools andcolleges in Karkala are either government-run or run by private trusts and individuals. The schools are affiliated to either the Karnataka State Board, or the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) boards. Aftercompleting ten years of schooling in secondary education, students enroll in pre-universitycolleges, specializing in one of the three streams – Arts,Commerce, or Science. Government high schools and juniorcolleges: # Bajagoli Juniorcollege, Bajagoli - 574112 # Bailoor JuniorCollege, Bailoor # Durga Tellar Govt High School, Durga - 574121 # Hirgana Govt High School, Hirgana - 574127 # Hebri JuniorCollege, Hebri - 576112 # # Karkala JuniorCollege, Karkal - 574104 # Kabettu Govt High School, Karkal - 574104 # Kakkuje Govt JuniorCollege, Kakkuje - 574108 # Koodabettu Govt High School, Mala - 574123 # Muniyalu JuniorCollege, Muniyalu - 574103 # Nakre Govt High School, Nakre - 576117 # Palli JuniorCollege, Palli - 574244 # Pervaje Govt High School, Karkal - 574104 # Renjala Govt High School, Renjala, Karkal - 574114 # Sanooru JuniorCollege, Sanooru - 574114 # Sooda Govt High School, Sooda - 576127 # Shirlalu Govt High School, Hadiyangadi - 574101 # Shivapur Govt High School, Shivapur - 576112 # Government High School, Kuchnur, Bolanje -576112 # Government Women's Polytechnic Karkala town Private high schools and juniorcolleges and professionalcolleges: # Christ King Pre-UniversityCollege, Karkal - 574104(one of the bestcollege and an all roundercollege) # Christ King English Medium School, Karkal - 574104 # Sri BhuvanendraCollege # NMAMIT Nitte # Ajekaru Jyothi High School, Ajekaru - 574101 # Attur St Lawrence High School, Attur - 574120 # Bhuvanendra High School, Karkal - 574104 # Borkatte Gangamma High School, Borkatte - 574320 # Hiriyangadi S N V High School, Karkala - 574104 # Jaycee High School, Karkal - 574104 # K.M.E.S Eng Medium Higher Primary,High School, P.U.college, Kukkundoor - 576117 # Kukkundoor Sri Durga High School, Kukkundoor - 576117 # Mahatma Gandhi Hostel High School, Karkal - 574104 # Mudradi High School, Mudradi - 576145 # Nitte N S A M JuniorCollege, Nitte - 574110 # Nitte N S A M Eng Medium High School, Nitte - 574110 # Nitte N R A M Polytechnic, Nitte - 574110 # S V T Women JuniorCollege, Karkal - 574104 ==Sports== In 2010 Christ King High School students have won taluk level football match and then they also won district level football match and in division level they gave a very tough fight to other teams.The games which are being played in public are badminton, under-arm tennis, cricket, volleyball, and recently, football. The achievement of youngsters in sports and games has not been satisfoctory, but a few seniors have been winning medals in international sports meets. Yearly and monthly sports activities are held at two places in particular, namely Gandhi Maidhan and Swaraj Maidhan. Cricket, volleyball, and different types of matches are being played. Also state government-arranged tourneys are held. Some local organisations arrange tournaments either as Day Light or Night Light matches. Famous Player Ashwini Nachhappa had inaugurated recently a night played Volleyball match under flood lights. Schools andcolleges also arrange their own sports functions in these two stadiums. Under-arm tennis is very popular, where over-arm tennis is played in other two taluks of Udupi district. The taluk level sports stadiumconstructed by GOK is in jeopardy, as it is situated at an isolated place, about 3 km from bus-stand. ==Cultural, Traditional andCo-Curicular Activities== All over the town there are halls in which one or the other activities are held for the betterment of the people. Some are held for one day, some for three days or seven days and some for a month. Even during festive occasions some important get together are held in places like Sri Manjunath Pai Cultural Hall, Sri Sharada Kalyana Mantap, Sri Annapurneshwari Sabha Bhavan, Veeramaruthi Sabha Bhavan, Kalyan Mantap of S V Temple Padutirupathi, Sri Adhishakthi Veerbhadra Hall, and Bahubali Pravachan Mandir. Saahitya Sammelan, Painting Exhibitions, and School-Collegecompetitions are held at Seminar Hall of Hotel Prakash.In Karkala the best dancing group is from Christ King P.UCollege(High School Section) See also
Gomateshwara on the rock hill, Karkala.
