By Shobha Rao Smilemaker
Mangaluru, Mar 19: I have been so many times to the Mangalore airport and have spent hours there waiting for the departure or reception of a family member, yet I never knew that in just about 15 minutes driving distance was the spiritually powerful Sri Adinatheshwara temple, Adhyapadi amidst amazing natural scenery.
We drove down the picturesque winding road for their annual 9 day Jatre ( temple festival) and the first thing that struck me about this temple was how it blended so well amidst the serene beautiful natural surroundings.
We reached just in time to receive the aarathi after the morning pooja to Sri Adinatheshwara (Lord Shiva) at the main sanctum.
We walked around the temple noticing the natural spring water from behind that is collected in a small Matysa Theertha pond in front, the rudraksha tree, the Adi Maye idol, the notice board announcing the ashtama medicine service - all of which had some explanation which I came to know later.
Nearby were the ancestral family home popularly called Melmane and also the out of bounds Rishi Vana where saints used to meditate.
Then the Utsava Moorthy (festive idol) was taken in a grand procession from the temple down towards the fields to the accompaniment of loud religious festive music.
I watched in awe as the carrier of the Utsava Moorthy pranced around the field with agility and great skill, for a long time, barefooted with the idol on his head under the scorching sun.
Finally as the music reached a high crescendo, the carrier climbed up the steps of the colourful chariot of the God, and handed it over to the Tantri who was inside the chariot and the devotees cheered with full faith.
The men were given coconuts to break on the Chariot wheels. Later it was an exercise of fun and devotion as a variety of fruits like bananas, apples, guava, sweet limes were thrown from the Chariot and received with joy by the devotees gathered there in large numbers.
I walked back to the temples, past the quaint local shops selling simple wares, drinks, eatables and other pooja items. Of particular interest was a lady selling small silver tokens representing different parts of the body, which are offered to the Sri Adinatheshwara diety who is believed to have immense healing power.
This temple has many faithful devotees who come especially to collect the holy water also called 'Ubbassa Theertha'. The source is from a natural spring water oozing from the rocks behind the temple. I personally came to know of people with severe ashtama problems or even skin diseases who patronize this temple with full faith after being cured of their ailments.
Legend has it that a King from the Chowta dynasty was worried as his wife had severe ashtama. She dreamt of this temple, prayed here, took the theerta and sandalwood paste given by the priest and was cured in just 12 days. As a token of gratitude she gave her gold thali necklace to the Adinatheshwara God know as 'thali bandhe', which is still used on the idol during festivals and otherwise stored safely in the treasury.
People weigh themselves for the 'Thula bhara Seva' against rice, banana, jaggery and distribute it as prasad.
On one side of the temple I had seen the majestic Rudraksh tree and on another corner of the temple courtyard was the small idol of a woman with a child. It was time to hear more interesting legends about this temple.
We were told that the original northern side temple was at a still higher elevation and supposed to be surrounded by beautiful lush green forests but we had no time or inclination to go trekking up the hill on that hot sultry day.
Yet thousands of years ago, this original 'moolastana' temple was situated on top of the high hill, and the old priest felt it difficult to walk up and down to the Phalguni river to carry water for the daily rituals. He asked God for a solution. Surprisingly the priest got a dream that on the next day he should leave the original temple, go down the hill without looking behind, and worship the God at a new place wherever he stopped.
Accordingly the next day, the old priest walked down from the original temple and imagined that God himself was walking behind him to the accompaniment of soothing music. The music suddenly stopped near a rudraksha tree, he looked behind and was turned into a stone idol, which got buried under the mud.
Years later a basket weaver who happened to be digging in the area, struck the stone idol by mistake, and blood started oozing magically from the stone. His wife immediately cried 'Oh Adya' wondering if something happened to her son, and she is believed to be the first person to experience the presence of the Lord here.
This is how the village got its name Adhyapadi and the idol of Adi Mayee is still worshipped in her memory.
People donate special offerings here after getting cured of their diseases. A combination of coconut coir, silver on a string, sandalwood paste, pepper and ash gourd is given to the Lord as a token of gratitude.
I also saw a lot of powerful mantras written across the temple walls. Chanting of the following Sri Adhinatheshwara Namaha mantra is believed to give instant energy to the devotees.
"Adinatha mahadeva adiroga vinasha na adishatru vinashaya adinathaya te namaha"
The Temple Jatre (festival ) would still continue with pomp and glory upto 9 days after Shivratri.
After a tasty prasad of a sumptuous afternoon meal, hosted by my relatives, we bid adieu to this spiritually charged place, Shri Adinatheshwara temple Adhyapadi amidst green hills and the nearby Phalguni river.
Another gem discovered with a smile in my amazing country. Wow India!
Shobha Rao Smilemaker has a vision of living in a world where people use their ability to find and make smiles in any situation. She is a lawyer by qualification, a soft skills trainer by passion, a motivational speaker, a freelance journalist, a bestselling author, an avid traveler and founder of 'Smilemakers Trainings'. She can be contacted at www.shobhasmilemaker.com.