Kukke Subramanya

Kukke Subramanya is a village town located in the Sullia Taluk of southern Karnataka. It is situated on the banks of the Kumaradhara River. Subrahmanya is popular destination of religious importance with several temples located in the region dedicated to different Gods. The main temple located here is of Subrahmanya that is dedicated to the Snake God Vasuki and Lord Subrahmanya.

At the place you may visit to various temples and sacred caves. It is a heaven for the religious spiritually where large number of temples will definitely excite your devotion for God. You must go dense green forest and go trekking to the top of Kumara Parvatha. You can also go for enjoy plentiful tunnels and bridges, dense forests, streams and rivers while trekking along the railway tracks on the Sakleshpur to Kukke Subrahmanya stretch.

Several stories exist detailing the old mythology of this place. It is told that Lord Kumaraswamy came to this town after defeating the Demon Kings of Taraka and Shoorapadmasura in war and he washed his weapons in a river, which was named as ‘Kumaradhara’. This town of Subrahmanya was earlier known by the name of Kukke Pattana. Some people believe that Sri Shankaracharya camped here during his religious expedition, therefore this place is known to as ‘Bhaje Kukke Lingam’ in the book called 'Subrahmanya Bhujangaprayata Stotram'. It is popular as a religious destination and is surrounded by evergreen green forest cover along with hills.

1: Kukke Subrahmanya Temple

The Kukke Subrahmanya temple is situated on the banks of the Kumaradhara River and is considered the best place to visit in Kukke Subrahmanya. This temple is dedicated to Lord Subrahmanya, who is worshipped as the lord of snakes. The Garuda Pillar, covered with silver, is placed between the sanctum and the porch entrance. According to a local belief, the Garuda Pillar was painted to protect devotees from the poison, resulting from the breathing of Vasuki, who lives insidethe pillar.

The deity of Sri Subrahmanya is close in at the upper podium along with the idol of Vasuki. A deity of Shesha is also kept in the sanctum. The temple is especially visited by tourists during the main festival of Thipooyam. One of the main worships in the temple is the sharp Dosha.
 

2: Kumara Parvatha
The Kumara Parvatha is the most attractive peaks of the Western Ghats in the Kumara Parvathain Dakshina Kannada District. It is 4000 ft high peak and it has numerous white stones that are known as 'Saligramams'. The Shivalingas with six faces which is also known as Kumaralingas, can also be seen here.

3: Shringeri Mutt
The Mutt which is knlown as Adi Subrahmanya temple is located  near by to the Subrahmanya temple. Tourists can see a Valmmika, which refers to an anthill, According to mythology, Lord Brahma, the creator of Human beings, requested Lord Subrahmanya to allow him to make this site as his home. Lord Brahma made this place as his home, but after few years, Lord Yama cursed this site and it lost its significance.

This temple has anthills belonging to the past period, which are worshipped as Adisesha and Vasuki. Devotees are given 'mrittika' (earth) in the form of prasad, which is believed to cure all types of skin diseases.

4: Somnath Temple Agrathara
The Temple Somnath  Agrathara is also known as the Panchami Theertha, It  is located near by the temple of Shree Subrahmanya. The place has around 16 tombs of Swamijis of Shree Subrahmanya Mutt.

5: Vedavyasa Samputa Narasimha Temple
It is located in south-east of the Subrahmanya temple. This temple was established by Sri Madhvacharya, the founder of the Dwaitha School of Vedanta Philosophy.

According to mythology, the idols of Lakshmi Narasimha and Ved Vyasa at the temple were given to Madhvacharya by Ved Vyasa. The temple is visited by several tourists during the festival of Narasimha Jayanti.

6: Kumaradhara River
The Kumaradhara river is considered as a divine river. It originates from the Kumaraparvatha. At Uppinangadi, this river merges into another holy river, the Nethravati River, before flowing into the Arabian Sea. The water of the river is considered to cure skin diseases.

7: Subrahmanya Mutt
The Subrahmanya Mutt is situated in south-east of the outer polygonal shape of the Subrahmanya temple. It is said that Sri Madwacharya gave this mutt to Vishnuteerthacharya, his brother as well as a disciple.

Presently, the Subrahmanya Mutt has been working as an educational institution that emphasises on value based education. The Mutt also manages many temples, including the Somanatha temple, Kukke Shri Abhaya Ganapathi temple, Samputa Narasimha temple and Sri Vanadurga Devi temple.
 
8: Biladwara Cave
The Biladwara cave is a popular site on the way to the temple of Subrahmanya where Snake God Vasuki took shelter  to save himself from the fury of Garuda.

Food: There are limited amount of vegetarian restaurants for eating in Subrahmanya. These restaurants are close to the temple where visitors and devotees can enjoy South Indian food.

Shopping: Subramaya is limited to buying basic products. The little village of Subramanya is located on the banks of the river, Kumaradhara.

How to reach Kukke Subrahmanya by Bus:. Government buses are operated by the KSRTC and connect other regions to Kukke Subrahmanya. This buses also operate between the regions of Mangalore and Bangalore.

How to reach Kukke Subrahmanya by Train: The nearest train station is that of Subrahmanya railway station, which is about 7 kilometres from Kukke and connects nearby cities

How to reach Kukke Subrahmanya by Air: The nearest airport to Kukke Subrahmanya is in Mangalore, about 115 km away also  the nearest major airport is located in Bangalore which connects international as well as domestic destinations with Kukke Subramanya. Taxis are available from these airports to Kukke Subrahmanya.