Unprecedented flow of devotees at the Kodial Theru mahotsava on the 5th day

Unprecedented flow of devotees at the Kodial Theru mahotsava on the 5th day

Mangalore Today News Network

Pics: Manju Neereshwallya

Mangalore, Feb 10: The Gowd Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) community of Mangalore are  celebrating the 5-day of ’Kodial Theru’, popularly known as the Mangalore Car Festival, with great enthusiasm. GSB community all over the world make it point to visit the temple and take part in the annual Rothotsave. This year witnessed unprecedented flow of devotees at the ’Kodial Theru’ Rathotsava. The festival began on 6th February 2010.

Sri Venkataramana Temple in Car-street, Mangalore is dedicated to Lord Sri Venkataramana who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. This temple belongs to Gowda Saraswatha Community, managed by Kashi Mat Samsthan.

 

 

 

 

On the first day, a flag with the image of Lord Hanuman mounted on a silver plaque was hoisted in a bid to destroy evil power and to protect the deities from the difficulties arising during the festival. A large number of devotees flocked to get a glimpse of Lord Venkateshwara and Goddess Padmavathi, whose idols were taken on a golden palanquin around the temple premises five times to the accompaniment of bhajans and music. Later the idols were placed in a Brahma Ratha, which is placed in front of the Shri Venkatarmana Temple at Godhooli Lagnam in the evening.

 

 

 

 

 

On the night of the fourth day, a special ritual called “Mriga Bete” performed, during which the Brahma Ratha bearing the deities will be taken in a procession.


The holiest of all the ceremonies performed during the Mangalore Car Festival is the “Ratharohana,” during which the marriage of Lord Venkataramana and Goddess Padmavathi is celebrated. The devotees offer fruits and flowers to the deities after climbing the steps of the sanctified “theru.” The long queue illustrates the popularity of the event. At the end of the ceremony, a delicious meal is served to the devotees in the form of prasadam. Special dishes such as “Dhali Thove” are served on banana leaves. A large number of children and young people volunteer to serve food for thousands of devotees on that day.

On the fifth day, devotees pull the Brahma Ratha bearing the deities till the end of Car Street and back to the temple premises.
On the sixth and last day of the Car Festival, a special event called Okkuli is held, during which devotees play with colors. People dance throughout the day and men enjoy themselves eating bhang laddoo or drinking bhang milk. The deities are again taken on a procession and bathed at a lake in the Shrinivasa Patshala compound before being taken back to the temple.

The flag is lowered on the last day to symbolize the successful end of the Car Festival.

 

 

History:

It is believed that temple was founded during 17th century A.D. (1735). The present idol erected in main sanctum of Lord Sri Venkataramana of temple is said to be the original symbolic idol of the Lord Sri Venkataramana. It is also said, Sri Mahla Pai from a noble family of Mangalore belonging to Gowda Saraswatha Brahmin Community of Kaushika lineage erected bronze idols of Lord Sri Veera Vittala and Lord Sri Gopalakrishna. Inside the main sanctum of the temple, there established idols of deities - Goddess Sri Devi and Goddess Bhoodevi along with main deity Lord Sri Veera Venkatesha, festive idol of Lord Srinivasa, Shri Mula Venkaaramana, Garuda Vahana Shri Gopalakrishna and Shri Veera Vittala. An idol of Shri Naga Devata (Serpent Deity) brought from Sri Manjeshwara Kshetra is also situated in temple. Inner circle of the temple, there exists idols of other deities such as Shri Mukhyaprana, Shri Ganapati, Sri Lakshmidevi and Sri Garudadeva. Abode of Sri Naga Devata is present in outer circle of the temple.

 

 

 

An interesting story regarding erection of this eye catching beautiful idol of Lord Sri Veera Venkataramana inside main sanctum of the temple is as follows: In the year 1804, one merchant called Sawkar Thimmappa Pai (ancestor of present family of Sawkar M Baba Pai) was dwelling in down town of Car Street. One day a holy man came there as a pilgrim and kept his satchel possessions with a Sawkar to look after it and gone. That night after closing the shop after business hours, a watchman observed a thick smoke coming out of the closed shop and informed to Sawkar about it. Even after immediate searching the reason for this smoke nothing could found out. Ultimately while searching the pilgrims satchel possessions there emerged a beautifully crafted idol of Lord Sri Veera Venkataramana for everybody’s surprise. Assuming that the reason for the smoke is nothing but this miraculous idol, and thereby deciding to retain that idol as a property of the society at large Sawkar alongwith other noble persons of the society visited and informed all about to Swamiji Shree Kashimatadheesha Shrimadh Vibhudhendra Thirtha Shri Paadangal who was then sheltered nearby Shri Manjeshwara Kshetra (in Kerala State). Swamiji came to Mangalore and saw these beautifully crafted idols and was convinced by its virtues. Swamiji then installed this Sri Veera Venkatesha’s idol as a main deity of the temple in one good day of Jyeshta Shudda Trayodhashi of Raktakshi Samvatsara (in the year 1804). After this holy installation, many noble families of the community settled in the city and contributed whole-heartedly for the improvement of the temple as well as to the society at large. In many temples managed by this Gowda Saraswatha Community, there is a strict follow up of prescribed rules regarding the worship of the God. In Mangalore Venkataramana Temple, even though there isn’t any prescribed rule, it follows its own glorious cultural heritage.