Kadri Manjunath Temple, Mangalore

In a temple town like Mangalore, there are many temples that jostle for attention. One such prominent temple is the Kadri Manjunath Temple which was built in 1068 A.D. The main deity here is Lord Manjunatha or Shiva. The Trilokeshwara statue made of bronze in a seated position with three faces and six arms is considered to be one of the best bronze statues in the country.

There is a natural spring at the temple called the Gomukha, which lets out water to the nine ponds adjacent to it. The source of these springs is left to the imagination of the devotees, some even claiming it to be from Kashi. A few steps up the hill you would find yourself dwarfed by a huge statue of Lord Hanuman. There’s also a temple in His honour next to the statue.

On climbing the hill a little further one can find a Jogimut and Pandava cave. There's no supporting literature or folklore that links the cave to the Pandavas. The cave itself is very suspect and there's no way it could hold the Pandavas (especially Bheema) during their Vanavasa. So yeah in my opinion you just have to treat it as a tourist spot - nothing less, nothing more.

Getting-there: Right in the heart of the city. The buses are a good medium of transport to get around in Mangalore.

My Rating: 5/10