Kadri Manjunath Temple
| Kadri Manjunatha Temple | |
|---|---|
| Geography | |
| State/province | Karnataka |
| District | Dakshina Kannada |
| Locale | Kadri, Mangalore |
| Culture | |
| Primary deity | Manjunatha (Lord Shiva) |
Coordinates: 12°53′8.8″N 74°51′20.1″E / 12.885778°N 74.855583°E Kadri Manjunatha Temple is located in Mangalore in the state of Karnataka, India,
The temple of Manjunatheshwara on the hills of Kadri is a very beautiful and popular temple in Mangalore. It is said to be built during the 10th or 11th century. It was converted to a complete stone structure during the 14th century. The idol of Lord Manjunathaswamy of the temple is called as oldest of the South Indian Temples. It is believed that Parashurama who was living in Sahyadri, killed the kshathriyas who were cruel and donated the lands to Kashyapa. He prayed to Lord Shiva for a place to live. Lord Shiva assured Parashurama that if he performed a penance at Kadali kshethra, Lord Shiva would reincarnate as Manjunatha for the betterment of the world. As per Shiva's orders Parashurama threw his axe into the sea and created a place for his penance. Yielding to Parashurama's prayers Lord Shiva appeared to him as Manjunatha along with Goddess Parvathi and stayed at Kadri for the betterment of the world. As per the orders of Manjunatha the sapthakoti manthras become the seven theerthas.
This temple has Hindu and Buddhist history. Buddhism was practised here till the 10th century AD. But after the fall of Buddhism the devotion of Manjusri and Avalokiteśvara continued in this region. The Nath cult was embraced towards Buddhism and continued there Tantric Shiva tradition as well. As a result, many Buddhist temples came in Hindu vortex. According to M. Govinda Pai this temple was known as Kadri Manjunatha where is Manjunatha relates to Shiva and Kadri is derived from Kadri Vihara which was Buddhist monastery of Vajrayana cult.
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