Murugan · Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka
Kukke Sri Subramanya Temple
Subramanya with Vasuki and Sesha in the sanctum
Sarpa and Kala sarpaRahu and KetuSevvai doshamChildren
The temple in short
- Deity
- Subramanya with Vasuki and Sesha in the sanctum
- Where
- Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka · 12.66N 75.62E
- Usual hours
- 5 am – 1.30 pm, 4 pm – 8.45 pm — hours change with festivals and the season; check before travelling. Were these right when you went?
- Grahas
- Sevvai Rahu Ketu
- Visited for
- The great Sarpa Samskara and Ashlesha Bali kshetram of the south: the pooja is booked months ahead for Kala sarpa and Naga dosham. Shashti in Margashira is its festival.
The sthala purana
Tradition, as it is told at the temple
The sthala purana has it that Kumaraswamy came to these hills after killing Tarakasura and washed his weapon in the Kumaradhara, which is why the river is bathed in before darshan.
Vasuki, the serpent king, is said to have hidden in the Biladwara cave here from Garuda, and to have been given protection by Subramanya. The two are worshipped together, and the deity is approached as Subramanya with Vasuki rather than as Murugan alone.
What is recorded
Documented history
Kukke Subramanya is the principal place in the south for Sarpa Samskara, Ashlesha Bali and Naga Prathishta. The poojas are conducted daily in batches and are booked ahead through the temple’s own arrangements; a family coming for Kala Sarpa or Naga dosham usually books before travelling.
What there is to see
Description
A silver-plated pillar stands between the entrance and the sanctum, and the custom is to stand behind it for darshan; tradition holds that it shields the devotee from the fire of Vasuki’s breath.
The Biladwara cave, where Vasuki is said to have hidden, is a short walk from the temple.
The Kumaradhara river is below, and the bath there is the usual first step. The hills around are thickly forested and the setting is a good part of the visit.
The temple year
The days it is fullest
Champa Shashti in Margashira is the great festival, with the chariot drawn and the town full.
Nagapanchami and the Ashlesha star of each month are the heaviest days for the serpent poojas, which otherwise run all year.
Getting there, and what else it is called
- Also called
- Kukke Subrahmanya, Subrahmanya Kshetra
- Reaching it
- Subramanya is about 100 km east of Mangaluru in Dakshina Kannada. Subrahmanya Road railway station on the Mangaluru–Bengaluru line is roughly 10 km away.
Where it is
Others within reach
Nearest first, by straight-line distance
Add what you know
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- Is anything on this page wrong or out of date?
- A photograph of the gopuram, the tank, or the notice board
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Parihaaram is traditional practice, offered for devotion and peace of mind; it is not a guaranteed cure of any condition. Temple hours change with festivals and the season, so check before travelling.