Kalaseshwara Temple Karnataka
About Kalaseshwara Temple
Kalaseshwara Temple is dedicated to Hindu God Shiva and is located at Kalasa in Chikmagalur District in Karnataka. The temple is also known as Agastya Kshetra as the temple is associated with Sage Agastya. The temple is located in Kalasa Village which is around 96 KM from Chikmagalur. It is believed that the temple existed before 10th century AD.
Accordingly, the wedding of Lord Shiva and Parvathi in Himalayas caused a shift in the Earth's rotation because of the attendance of all Gods and Goddessess To restore the Earth's balance, Lord Shiva requested Sage Agasty toa travel South. Agasthya however, expressed his wish to witness the wedding. Lord Shiva assured to grant divine vision to the sage, which would enable him to witness the wedding from any part of the world.
Agasthya travelled southward and resided in Kalasa from where he watched the wedding.
The Girija Kalyana (marriage of Lord Shiva and Parvathi) is celebrated in Kalasa every year to commemorate this tradition. This auspicious occasion falls on Karthika Shuddha Ekadashi of Lunar calendar.
In this temple Goddess Parvati is worshipped as Sri Sarvanga Sundari Amma.
The gateway of the temple is built in Malnad style is adorned by statues of a male and a female elephants. They are worshiped as Aneganapathi.
The temple also has small shrines dedicated to Sri Girijamba, Sri Durgamba, Sri Bindhumadhava, Sri Kalabhairava and Sri Vashista Ganapati.
Some important temples in Kalasa are:
Kalaseshwara Temple.
Hanuman Temple.
Venkataramana Temple.
Ranjal Mahalakshmi Temple.
Vasishta Ashrama.
Kalasa has five major water bodies religiously called Pancha Theerthas. They are:
Vasishta Theertha dedicated to Sage Vasishta.
Naga Theertha dedicated to the Snake God, attributable to Lord Shiva.
Koti Theertha signifies that a pilgrimage to this place is equivalent to visiting a Crore Holy Waters.
Rudra Theertha dedicated to Lord Rudra (Shiva).
Amba Theertha dedicated to Goddess Parvati.
By Air: Nearest Airport is from Mangalore.
By Rail: Nearest railway station is from Mangalore.
By Road: One should take private taxi from Bangalore 310 kms, from Hassan 180 kms, Belur 36 kms.
- Suprabha Residency
- Horanadu Annaporneshwari temple is 8 km from Kalaseshwara Temple.
- Halluvalli subramanya temple is 6 km from Kalaseshwara Temple.
- Balehonoor Rambapuri pita is 32 km from Kalaseshwara Temple.
- Kuduremukha is 20 km from Kalaseshwara Temple.
- Sringeri sharadambe temple is 65 km from Kalaseshwara Temple.
- Kigga Rushyashrung temple is 70 km from Kalaseshwara Temple.
The most important festival in the temple is the Sri Girija Kalyana held from the Kartik Shukla Paksha Ekadasi to Kartik Purnima (November).Another important festival is Mahashivratri.
Kalasa Car Festival is the Rathotsava, the car festival where the Utsava Murthy (Procession Idol) taken in a procession throughout the town annually
Venkataramana Swamy Temple Car Festival :The Procession Idol of Venkataramana Swamy is taken out similar to the Kalasa Car Festival.
Kalasa largely has an agricultural economy and heavily depends on the Bhadra river to meet its water needs. Chief produces include a variety of spices, Coffee, and Ayurvedic medicine. Situated in the heart of the Western Ghats, Kalasa enjoys a pleasant climate throughout the year although summers are slightly hot.
Temple Timings:
7:30 AM TO 1:00 PM
3:30 PM TO 8:30 PM
On Shivaratri and Sri Girija Kalyana day temple is open for 24 hours.
