Sethukarnan's Mangalore Tour Sri Rama Kshetra, Moodbidri & Gokarnanatheshwara Temple, Kudroli 26 Aug 2011
Shree Rama Kshethra, Dharmasthala, 67 km from Mangalore, is located in a scenic environment among the thickly wooded Western ghats. Close by, flows the sacred river Nethravathi adding beauty to the place. Sri Athmananda Saraswathi Swamiji is the founder of this magnificent temple.
Moodabidri, an ancient center of Jain learning, is a small town 37 km north-east of Mangalore. Moodabidri was a center of Jain religion, culture, art and architecture during 14th-16th centuries. It is called the 'Jaina Kashi' of the South. Jains from all parts of India come here to worship in the famous 18 Jaina basadis dedicated to the memory of the Tirthankaras.
The Tribhuvana Tilaka Chudamani basadi is the largest and most ornate of the Jain temples of this region. Due to the large number and variety of pillars in this basadi it is known as Thousand pillared temple. This is a huge granite construction originally built in 1430 A.D. The 2.5 metres tall bronze image of Lord Chandranatha Swami in the sanctum is considered to be very sacred. The unique feature of this temple is the open pillared hall in front, consisting of a large variety of ornate pillars decorated with carvings typical of Vijayanagara style. The 15-meter tall freestanding single stone pillar called Manasthambha in front of the basadi was erected by Nagagala Devi, the queen of Bhairava Raja. The temple has a valuable collection of jewel-encrusted metallic images of Jain tirthankaras, and superb monolithic columns in the Jain tradition, each with a different carving. The Jain Mutt near the main temple entrance has a library of 12th and 13th century palm leaf manuscripts.
The saint Sri Narayana Guru formally consecrated the Gokarnanatheshwara Temple in Kudroli near Mangalore in 1912 with the installation of sacred Shiva Linga brought by him. The Guru preached that people, irrespective of their caste, creed or religion, must worship one divine force 'The Almighty', known by different names. You find devotees worshipping idols of Sri Ganapathy, Sri Subramanya, Goddess Annapoorneshwari, Sri Bhairava, the Nava Grihas (Lords of nine planets),Sri Shanishwara and Sri Krishna. Bhagwaan Hanumaan Mandir was built in the premises at the entrance in 2007. The Temple was renovated under the guidance of Former Union Finance Minister Janardhana Poojary during 1989-91 who also organised the Mangalore Dasara-an annual 10-day festival.