DharmasthaLa

[Balaji Hebbar]

DharmasthaLa  (formerly  KuDuma)  located  in  the  BelthangaDi  tAlUk
of  South  Kanara  Distt.  of  KarnATaka  is  perhaps  one  of  India's
most  cosmopolitan  temples.  It  is  a  Shiva's  shrine
(ManjunAtheshvara  and  KanyAkumArI  are  the  presiding  deities)  with
worshipped  conducted  by  MAdhva-VaiShNava  priests  in  a  Digambara
Jain  landlord's  estate.  The  Jaina  landlords, i.e.  the  HeggaDe
family,  are  devout  Jains,  but  come  every  day  to  pay  their
respects  to  ManjunAtheshvara.  MAdhvas  have  no  problem  about
conducting  worship  to  Shiva.  In  fact,  the  god  is  given  a  due
place  in  the  Madhvite  hierarchy  of  gods  (devatAtAratamya)  as
enunciated  in  TaittirIyopaniShad  II:8.  However  no  ashes  are
distributed.  (that  would  be  an  acceptance  of  the  "jaganmithyA"
deal).  Instead  as  in  all  West  Coast  temples,  sandalwood  paste
is  given  out.  (pRthivi  gandhavatI =  jagat  satya).  In  fact,  even
in  the  Madhvite  "Rome",  i.e.  UDupi,  the  tradition  is  first  to
visit  the  CandramoulIshvara  Temple  (the  kShetrapAla  of  UDupi),
then  the  Ananteshvara  Temple  (the  spiritual  center  of  the  TuLu
brahmins)  and  then  finally  have  darshana  of  UDupi  ShrIKRShNa
(the  spritual  center  of  the  MAdhva-VaiShNavas).  The  PUjAs  in
those  two  Shiva  temples  are  conducted  by  Madhvite  priests  and
in  the  KRShNa  Temple  by  the  Madhvite  abbotts  of  the  8  maThas
instituted  by  Madhva  by  a  system  of  rotation  lasting  two  years
each.
There  is  also  a  large  Jain  population  in  South  Kanara.  Two
huge  BAhubali  statues  like  the  one  in  ShravaNabeLagoLa  are  to
be  found  in  VeNUr  and  KArkaLa.  There  are  two  Jain  pontificates
in  South  Kanara,  one  at  MuDubidri  and  the  other  at  KArkaLa.

Regards,
B.N.Hebbar