Visiting Nandalike was a very interesting experience. I had not planned to cover this temple in my trip this time. I traveled a long way to visit and cover a Shiva temple located close to Nandalike. After searching that temple for over an hour, I discovered that it was closed. There was no one nearby and so I could not enter the temple. I was hugely disappointed. After spending some time looking for the temple folks, I gave up and starting driving back. On the way, I saw a temple arch to my right. My watch showed that I had about 20-25 mins of time before it got completely dark which meant no photos. I instinctively turned right and continued to drive in spite of encountering a very bad stretch of road for about 2 kms. In the end, I reached this temple and to my utter surprise found that this was a Shiva temple as well. Truly, my joy knew no bounds!
Nandalike is located on the Padubidri – Karkala highway and has an ancient and beautiful Shiva (Mahalingeshwara Temple)
It was only after landing at this place that I realized the great history and tradition of this place. In terms of folklore, history and legend, perhaps there is no other place that is as rich as Nandalike. One of the first things I realized is that I would be able to cover only a miniscule amount of what is available here. I instantly promised myself that I would come back here and spend more time to cover all the other important places. This article therefore, is only limited to the Mahalingeshwara Temple.
The temple is built in typical Tulu Nadu style and has “Gudis” for Mahalingeshwara, Mahaganapati and the Daivas. The temple has been renovated and is very well maintained. The priests and administrative heads of the temple were very co-operative and encouraging.
Nandalike has a huge number of Daivas. The speciality of this temple is that almost all the Daivas have their own separate abodes. In my next visit, I certainly plan to photograph those individual Gudis. The main Daivas are Uri-Brahma, Veerabhadra, Nandigona, Kumara, Abbaga-Daaraga, Khadgeshwari, Rakteshwari, Annappa, Kshetrapala, Bhutaraja and Gajamalla.
There is a lot of folklore and local legend associated with these Daivas. In fact, the legend has it that the Daivas came to Nandalike first and then they were followed by Sri Mahalingeshwara.
The main Mahalingeshwara Temple was established by the great Dvaita Saint Sri Vadiraja Swamy of the Sode Matha.
There is a Ashta Lakshmi temple nearby. The temple also has a Mahanagaraja Swamy Sannidhana right next to the Mahalingeshwara Temple.
Near the temple is the house of the local rulers, the Heggades and the Pergades. This is known as the “Chavadi Aramane”. The descendants of this family reside here even to this day and oversee the smooth functioning of the temple and festivals.
The temple is located amidst lush greenery. In fact, two sides of the temple are surrounded by a beautiful moat. The pond belonging to the temple is also extremely well maintained.
Name: Sri Mahalingeshwara Temple
Location: Nandalike, Udupi, Karnataka
Dieties : Sri Mahalingeshwara, Ganapati
Main Bhootas : Uri Brahma, Rakteshwari, Abbaara – Daaraga, Veerabhadra, Annappa, others
Address : Nandalike Sri Mahalingeshwara Devasthana, Naalku Sthana – Nandalike, Karkala Taluk, Udupi District, Karnataka – 576126
Contact : (08258) 316485, Palace: 268347, Temple : 248346
Annual festival: From Shukla Dvadashi in Meena Masa (around Feb-Mar) to Krishna Panchami. The last day is the grandest day during the Jaatre.
Nearby temples: Belmannu Durga Parameshwari, Nandikur Durga Parameshwari, Bola Mrutyunjaya Rudra Somanatha, Inna Mahalingeshwara, Mundkur Durga Parameshwari
Specialities: The chavadi (hall) in the nearby palace is a very revered place. During the annual festival, disputes between locals are settled here in the presence of the Pergade/Heggade family elders. People lying here are known to have encountered great mishaps in their lives.
The palace has a rich history of its own. The place is definitely worth a visit as a tourist destination, in addition to a spiritual center.
Another highlight about Nandalike is that the great 19th century Kannada poet Muddana was a native of this place.
More photos here.
Anandatirtha Prathishtana 