This Temple Website sponsored by Mr. Anoop Singh, HSFC, Dwarka, New Delhi-110075.
Phone Numbers- 70117104088, 9136362391
Introduction and History in Brief
Kadiyali Mahishardini Mandir, Udupi Karnataka or Durga, the Goddess of the Universe, possesses different forms and aspects. She is a powerful aspect of the feminine Goddess in Hinduism. Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiva is a form of Durga. She is also called Shakthi, the Goddess of Energy/Power. She is best known for destroying the Buffalo demon Mahishasura. When Mahishasura drove the Gods out of their heaven, they appealed to Durga to help them, and each God gave her his weapon. Durga’s slaying of Mahishasura, was why she is called the Mahishamardini, the slayer of Mahishasura. Besides the literal interpretation of Mahishamardini establishing righteousness and removing evil through Her pastimes of war, there is an esoteric interpretation wherein the demons are regarded as the baser qualities of human kind such as lust, greed, anger, covetousness, dishonesty, etc.
Worship of Mahishamardini dates back to more than seven thousand years.Udupi is an important town on the west coast of India. It is famous for the Lord Sri Krishna Temple. There are four Temples dedicated to Goddess Durga in four corners of this town. Sri Mahishamardini Temple of Kadiyali in Shivalli, 2 miles west of Udupi, is one of them, Sri Mahishasuramardini Temple in Byloor, Udupi, Sri Kannarpaadi Jaya Durga Temple, in Kannarpaadi, Udupi and Sri Durga (in the form of a Linga) Temple in Puttoor, Udupi are the other three temples.
Kadiyali Mahishamardini Temple of Udupi, South India, is one of the oldest temples in the district of South Kanara and has a history of more than 1200 years. According to the famed archaeologist, Late Dr. P. Gururaja Bhatt, this Temple is as ancient as Sri Ananteshwara Temple of Udupi, established as early as in the 7th Century and is thus more ancient than the Lord Sri Krishna Temple. He based this opinion on the style of sculpture of the Vigraha (statue) of Kadiyali Mahishamardini, which resembles the style of Chalukyas of Badami. The unique features of the statue are as follows:
The statue of Mahishamardini is in a standing posture. She has four arms. In Her upper right hand, She holds the Prayaga Chakra (the discus) and in Her upper left hand, the Shanka (conch shell). She is piercing the head of Mahishaasura, the Buffalo shaped Demon, who has fallen at Her feet, with the Trishul (Trident) held in Her lower right hand. She is pulling the tail of Mahishaasura with Her lower left hand. This emphatically portrays the helplessness of the Demon whose abdomen is bulging due to the pressure exerted by the pulling of his tail.The bearing of the Goddess in the standing posture, Her facial expression and the casual way of Her holding the weapons shows that it is but a child’s play for Her to vanquish evil. This is a sculpture of unique beauty, devoid of any ornamental trappings. One falls under Her divine spell the moment they lay eyes on Her.Kadiyali,part of Udupi or Shivalli in the district of South Kanara, has claimed to be regarded as one of the most ancient and reputed centres of Shakti worship in Karnataka. This claim for recognition is not based on the magnificence of any architectural execution in this area, for a historian or archaeologist will have hardly anything to be seized with spectacular physical expression. An ordinary stone structure of the medium size with slanting roofs covered by thick granite slabs, very characteristic of the Western Coast, particularly of the Kanara Districts and Kerala, is the abode of Goddess Durga. This edifice is ascribable to circa 10th century A. D.
In the Sanctum Sanctorium is installed the Mulasthana deity, the Mahishamardini form of Durga. The real greatness of the monument lies in the iconographic significance of the sculpture. Undoubtedly, this image is an early type of this class of Durga representation. It is assignable to circa 6th century A. D. Nearly two feet in height, Devi is carved out of black hard but smooth stone. The trident is held almost in the vertical position, the head of Mahisha being pierced by the end of the trident Karanda Mukuta is seen mounted by a lotus, which is rarely seen in figures later than the 8th century A. D. This is an indication of Divine Power. The loin cloth is shown just in the form of a modest underwear. The Kati-sutra presents the features of a belt. The beaded necklace and the ribbon-like ananta clearly testify to the antiquity of the image. There is the clear depiction of severity on the face, perhaps borne out of the determination to vanquish Mahisha. It is befitting that this ancient Temple dedicated to Mahishamardini should be raised in Shivalli, for here we have also one of the most ancient and magnificent Shiva Temples of Karnataka in the popularly know Sri Ananteshwara Temple, Udupi. The worship of Shiva and Shakti has been contemporaneous. Another feature of this centre of worship is the association of Subrahmanya with Shakti. Here, Subrahmanya is worshipped in the form of Naga itself. This is, indisputably, an ancient practice. It is also worthy of note that the worship of Subrahmanya (Naga) is associated with Sri Ananteshwara Temple, thereby suggesting the Soma-Skanda sanctity. In recent years, there has been remarkable improvement in the management of the Temple as well as in archana, with the result that the devotees are drawn to this sacred place in large numbers.
Temple Photos
Videos from YouTube
Presiding Deity
Maa Durga ♥️
Timing
Opens from morning 8:00am to 7pm in the evening!
Best time to visit: Try to visit the temple during winters as it can cause health difficulties during summers because of humidity.
Aarti Timing
Details awaited/Solicited.
Basic Facilities
Drinking Water, CCTV Security, Prasad, Puja Samagri, Satsang Hall, Shoe Store, Wash Rooms.
Activities
Details awaited/Solicited.
Festivals
MAHASHIVRATRI, Durga Pooja,Nagara panchami, Navratris, Diwali, Dushera, Holi.
Famous Temples Nearby
Sharada temple
Vasuki Subrahmanya Temple Sagri
Shankar Narayan Temple
Vishnumoorthy Temple Etc.
Near by Shops & Markets
👉Click HERE to look upon more restaurants near Temple.
👉 Best Markets and places to shop in Udupi.
Nearby Dharamshalas
Details awaited/Solicited.
Hotels near Temple
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Restaurants near Temple
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Nearby Hospitals
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Concerned Police Stations
Udupi Town Police Station
76, Lombard Memorial Hospital Rd, near Mission Compound, Chitpady, Udupi, Karnataka 576101
0820 252 0444
Managment Commity
Details awaited/Solicited.
Miscellaneous information
Details awaited/Solicited.
Legal information
The temple is situated on legal site taking by Govt,(ASI) & Mandir Community, there is no legal obligation on Temple Property or Temple Schedule, Criteria,Rules etc..
Facilities to hold Functions
Details awaited/Solicited.
Library
Details awaited/Solicited.
Akhadas
Details awaited/Solicited.
Mehants, Pujaris, Archakas and Sewayats
Name:
Photo:
Phone Number:
Further Details:
Details to be updated.
Gau Sewa, Birds and otheranimals Sewa
Initiattives like Pashu Sewa, Pakshi Sewa, Langar Sewa, Vedic Pathshalas etc Plannings in process.
Langar Sewa
Details awaited/Solicited.
Gurukul/Vedic Pathshalas
Details awaited/Solicited.
Mitra Mandal Link for Advice/Guidance*
Google Forms will be available shortly to become member of this group.
Modes of Travel
By Air:
Udupi doesn’t have an airport of its own. The closest airport is the Mangalore Airport, about 50 km away. This is an international airport operating on connecting routes and has regular flights to Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Muscat and many other international destinations. On the domestic front, it is connected via daily flights from Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Belgaum, Vizag and many others. Some of the Airlines that fly to Udipi are Air India and Air India Express, Air Pegasus, Jet Airways, and SpiceJet. The largest regional hub, however, would be the Kempe Gowda International Airport near Bangalore, which has many more flights to smaller and larger cities alike and is about 380 km from Mangalore and about 425 km from Udupi.
By Rail:
Udupi has a railway station about 4 km from the centre of the city. This station has many trains with short stops here, although the station itself is very poorly maintained. Some of the trains that have stops at this station are Kerala Sampark Kranti, Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani among many others. There are passenger trains on this station that connect local cities and towns within the region as well.
By Road:
Udupi is very well connected by bus routes to multiple cities within the region. Even from Mangalore, which is the closest hub, there are regular buses operating to Udupi and back. As it is a commonly travelled-to destination within the region, Udupi has Both AC and non-AC bus services to and from Bangalore, Mangalore, Mysore, Belgaum, Hubli, Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Ernakulam, and others. The larger bus operators of Southern India such as SRS Travels, VRL Travels as well as travels operators who are locally well known like Durgamba motors, Ganesh Travels And Tours and others operate service from Udupi to other places. A/C buses cost about 800 rupees and upwards from Bangalore with rates increasing with increasing distances. Karnataka State Transport Corporation buses also operate on this route.
Visitors’ views about the Temple
Address for Visiting and Donation Purpose
Kadiyali Mahishamardini Temple
Mahesha mardini temple road rama chandra complex kadiyali udupi576102, Kadiyali Temple Rd, Kadiyali, Udupi, Karnataka 576102
0820 252 1937
The Data mentioned above and links are taken from Google, YouTube, TripAdvisor, Justdial, Wikipedia, Google Maps etc,. which is already in public domain. All such informations are only to facilitate the devotees to have proper darshan and there is no intentions of making any financial benefits out of them.
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