Brahmi Durgaparameshwari temple
Kamalashile is home to the Brahmi
Durgaparameshwari temple. What’s special about Kamalashile is the fact that
goddess Brahmi Durgaparameshwari is worshipped in the form of a ‘Linga’ here.
Also special is a cave, which a local legend says, is visited by a tiger.
Kamalashile is a small temple town in Udupi district’s Kundapur taluk. It is
about 35 km from Kundapur. Surrounded by a lush green forest and mountain
peaks, Kamalashile, is certainly the right place for nature lovers.
This small village is known for its Brahmi
Durgaparameshwari temple. Most pilgrims are known to tag this place along with
Kollur, another well-known pilgrim town in Kundapur. There is a well-maintained
road between Kollur and Kamalashile which goes further to reach Agumbe Ghats.
Uniqueness
The temple in Kamalashile is on
the banks of river Kubja. As the name
suggests, the village got its name from a stone linga. What’s unique about
Kamalashile is the fact that goddess Brahmi Durgaparameshwari is worshipped in
the form of a linga here.
Also, there’s cave which is about a kilometre
from this temple. Those who visit the temple make it a point to visit this
cave, which is known as Suparshwa cave (Guppipari
guhe).
Legend
Legend has it that King Suparshwa
who was looking for a suitable place to perform penance and attain salvation
came across this cave and achieved his aim. There are a couple of interesting
stories associated with this cave. Many sages are known to have come here to
perform penance. Among them was Sridhara Swamiji from Varadapur, Sagar.
Cave
There is God Bhairava’s idol
inside the cave. On the left, are three separate Lingas, which are called Trishakti lingas — Kali, Lakshmi and
Saraswati. All these are said to be Udbhava
Murthis (idols that have sprung up on their own). Further down, towards the
right, is the place where King Suparshwa, Adishesha and sage Sridhara Swamy are
said to have performed penance.
Below this place, one can find the birthplace
of ‘Naga Teertha’, which, mythology
has it, later became River Kubja.
Mythology
A mythological episode has it that
long back, fearing death from Garuda, Adishesha came to goddess Brahmi Durga
Parameshwari seeking liberation from a curse. The goddess advised him to seek
Lord Vishnu’s help and requested all the other nagas (serpents) to hide in
Suparshwa cave, so she could save them from Garuda.
Inside the naga sannidhi, there is a high dome
where one can see hundreds of bats. Local legends have it that a tiger comes
visiting Suparshwa cave to rest. It has now become a custom to keep a fire
burning in front of the cave, so the tiger can keep itself warm.
The temple has its own Yakshagana troupe, which performs ‘Kamalashile kshetra mahatme’ through the night.