This blogpost describes the importance of the beautiful town of Dharmasthala.
LOCATION
On the banks of Nethravathi River
Situated in the state of Karnataka, Dharmasthala is a beautiful town of temples, faith and charity. It is located on the banks of Nethravathi river and widely known and popular for the diety, Manjunethashwara. The town is filled with temples of the Shaivaite faith and Jain community. It has become a place of devotees from different faiths visiting to pray and visit the numerous temples.
With the serene location in the western ghats, the place makes for a beautiful place to worship and practice devotion of their respective faith.
MYTHOLOGY
The Place of Propagation of Dharma
The story and mythology behind this town of Dharmasthala is based on the story that the deities made several visits to the town in a human form because the place made for a good home to practice Dharma and was made an inviting and pious place by the Jain chief Birmanna Pergrade around 800 years ago. The holy aura of the place made for the perfect place for the propagation of Dharma. It is said the Birmanna Pergrade took the path of propagation of Dharma because the holy deities visited Birmanna Pergrade in his dreams and encouraged him to build temples and holy places to worship the Dharma Daivas.
SIGNIFICANCE
Town of Dharmasthala Temple
One of the most important attractions of Dharmasthala is the Dharamasthala Temple. It is around 800 years old and is devoted for praying the God Manjunatha. It attracts several devotees of the Shaiva sect of Hinduism every year who wish to worship the God Manjunatha. The temple is unique due to its architecture. It is based on Kerala’s temple architecture type. With a square base and a pyramidal top, Dharmasthala Temple is made of granite and laterite with gold plated copper plates which are used so as to protect the temple from the climate of the western ghats and the monsoon that hits the place.
ARCHITECTURE
Town of Temples
Dharmasthala is known for several temples and architecture that celebrates the unique demography and geography of the place. The town has many important temples aside from Dharamasthala temple as well. Shree Mahaganapathi Kshetra is also an important temple that is visited by the devotees.
THE PLACE DURING DIFFERENT PERIODS OF TIME
Around 800 years old
The town of Dharmasthala with its rich spiritual and religious history, celebrates the faith and gods with different festivals and rituals. It is celebrated alongside many folk music performances, bhajans and entertainment programmes which basically educate the devotees about the religion, the rituals and the rich culture of the religion and the place.
Every festival like Navratri, Ganesh Chaturthi, Shivratri and many more festivals are celebrated in the town with full gusto and devotion for the deities.
A place of Charity and Devotion
With the beauty and religious history of the place of Dharamsthala, the town offers food for free to every devotee that visits. In fact it is said that your pilgrimage to Dharmasthala is incomplete if you don’t have the meal that is offered to pilgrims there. This kind of meal is not just food but it is offered with so much devotion and faith, that it becomes an important part of pilgrimage.To know more about such places of religious importance, keep reading the blogposts on Sameedh.
