Mangalore Mangala Devi Temple - Karnataka

Address

Mangalore Mangala Devi Temple – Karnataka

Bolar, Mangalore Taluk, Dakshina Kannada District,

Karnataka – 575 001,

India

Amman

Mangala Devi

Introduction

The Mangala Devi Temple is a significant Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Adi Parasakthi, located in the Bolar area of Mangalore City in Dakshina Kannada District, Karnataka, India. The city of Mangalore itself is named after the presiding deity of this temple, Mangala Devi. This temple holds great importance among Shakta shrines in India, emphasizing the worship of the divine feminine, or Shakti.

Puranic Significance

The temple was originally constructed by Kundavarman, who was a renowned king of the Alupa dynasty during the period of 960 – 980 CE. It is said that the construction of this temple was carried out under the guidance of Matsyendranath. In the 17th century CE, the Nayakas of Bidnur, particularly from Ikkeri, conducted extensive renovations to the temple.

According to the legend, Vikhasini, the daughter of Hiranyakasipu, sought to avenge her father’s death at the hands of Lord Vishnu. She performed intense penance to seek a boon from Lord Brahma, wishing for a powerful son capable of defeating Lord Vishnu. Lord Brahma, recognizing the futility of such a wish against an immortal deity, granted her a son from Lord Shiva instead.

Vikhasini disguised herself as Goddess Parvati and had a union with Lord Shiva, leading to the birth of a great demon named Andasura. She instigated Andasura to seek revenge for his grandfather Hiranyakasipu’s death by attacking Devaloka (the realm of the gods). Andasura conquered Devaloka, prompting the gods, including Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva, and Lord Brahma, to seek the help of Goddess Adi Parasakthi.

Goddess Adi Parasakthi agreed to intervene and, disguised as a beautiful maiden, lured Andasura close to her. When he attempted to misbehave with her, the goddess became furious and killed him with her trident. She then revealed that Lord Vishnu would incarnate as Parasurama to annihilate 21 generations of evil Kshatriyas, performing penance at the place where she had slain Andasura. Parasurama would construct a shrine with a Linga and a Dharapatra (a type of vessel).

Over time, the location of this shrine was lost, buried beneath the earth. Later, King Veerabahu of Tulunadu, who was initially childless and then had a son named Bangaraja, ruled justly and brought prosperity to the region. Goddess Mangala Devi appeared in King Bangaraja’s dreams and revealed the hidden shrine’s location, where the Nethravati and Phalguni rivers intersect.

King Bangaraja and Sage Bharadhwaja rediscovered the shrine and constructed a small temple around it. However, once again, the temple became concealed by natural processes. This legend explains the history of the Mangala Devi Temple and its repeated concealment and rediscovery.

Beliefs

People worship Goddess Mangala Devi for success and prosperity in any new ventures and for protection against evil influences. Mangala Dhara Vrata is a unique ritualistic fast observed by the unmarried girls for Goddess Mangala Devi. This Vrata is observed by the unmarried girls to find a suitable groom for them.

Special Features

The Mangala Devi Temple follows the Kerala style of architecture and is oriented towards the south. It features a two-storied gateway tower with the upper storey housing wooden trails that cover the Kottupura, which is a hall used for drum beating during festivals. The temple is enclosed within a rectangular wall.

Upon entering through the gateway tower, you will find Balipeedam (an offering platform) and Dhwaja Sthamba (flag post) facing towards the sanctum. The temple itself consists of a sanctum with a circumbulatory path, an ardha mandapa (half hall), and a pillared sabha mandapa (assembly hall).

The sanctum houses an image of the presiding deity, Mangala Devi, depicted in a sitting posture as Dharapatra. To the left of Mangala Devi, there is a small Linga. The sanctum is situated on an elevated platform, which can be accessed through a flight of five steps. Two dvarapalas (guardian deities) stand on either side of the sanctum entrance.

The sanctum is circular in plan, with the base constructed of granite, the superstructure made of laterite, and a conical roof composed of terracotta tiles supported from the inside by a wooden structure. Surrounding the sanctum, there are shrines dedicated to other deities.

The temple complex also includes an outer veranda on either side of the entrance and an inner veranda on either side of the passage leading into the central courtyard. The pillared cloisters around the inner prakaram (enclosure) have been converted into large halls and rooms. Inside the temple complex, there is a deepa sthamba (lamp post) with figures of the eight dvarapalikas (guardian deities) around it.