Shree Sharavu Mahaganapathi Temple Mangalore

Address

Sharavu Ganapathi Temple Rd,

Opp. Ideal Towers, Hampankatta, Mangaluru,

Karnataka 575001

Moolavar

Mahaganapathi

Introduction

Sharavu Mahaganapathi Temple is a famous ancient temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and Lord Ganesha. The temple is about 800 years old and has been an important part of the religious belief system in Mangalore ever since. The name Sharavu is derived from the word ‘Shara’ which means arrow and has an interesting legend attached to it. Lord Ganesha is believed to be the one who relieves his devotees off of their troubles and miseries.

Puranic Significance

According to the legend, Shri Sharavu Mahaganapathi Temple was built by a Tulu King, Maharaja Veerabahu to pay for the sin he caused when he mistakenly killed a cow instead of killing a tiger who was standing just beside the cow. The king was not aware of the harmonious life of the animals in the jungle and thought the tiger would kill the holy cow and in an attempt the save the cow, he shot an arrow which hit the cow instead of the tiger. To pay for the mistake, he was instructed to install a Shivalinga and a sanctum sanctorum around it and worship the Lingam every day of his life. It is also believed that the images of Siddhilakshmi and Dashabhuja Maha Ganapati appeared on the southern wall of the temple after a few years. Ever since, Maha Ganapati is also worshipped in the temple which came to be known as Shri Sharavu Mahaganapathi Temple.

There’s another interesting story associated with the temple. Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Srirangapattana, wanted to ruin the temple during a military march over the city. However, the night before, he saw a dream where he was being crushed by an elephant. He woke up and shared his dream only to find out that it was Lord Ganesha telling him through the dream to avoid the attack on the temple. Tipu Sultan gave up on the plan and offered four gold currency coins every year to the temple without fail till the end of his life.

Special Features

Shri Sharavu Mahaganapathi Temple has a sanctum sanctorum with a Shivalinga and images of Maha Ganapati. The temple premise has a tank and an idol of the sacred cow made in stone. The main porch or the mukha mandapa leads devotees to the sanctum sanctorum. The idols are covered with sheets of silver. The complex has a compound wall with an outer courtyard where the main entrance leads into the inner courtyard. The shrine of Maha Ganapati is to the south of the temple complex while the one of Lord Shiva is to the west of the complex. This Shivalinga has been worshipped by the Maharaja as Sharabeshwara. This sacred place was termed thereafter as “Sharavu” and the newly formed temple tank as “Sharatheertha”.

Festivals

The grand temple is especially crowded on the important festival days like Sankranthi, Ganesh Chaturthi and Dussehra. The daily prayers are attended with great enthusiasm and devotion. The aartis and the palkhis draw almost every believer to the temple. These rituals are accompanied by traditional instrumental music followed by chanting.