Think Ganesha temples and the Ashtavinayak and Siddhivinayak shrines flash in your mind. And then there is Ganpatipule, a quiet destination that is filled with fanfare during the Ganesha festival. Devotees down South flock to Pillayarpatti or Uchi Pillayar temple besides several other shrines. Almost every temple dedicated to any of the Gods in the Hindu pantheon has a shrine dedicated to Ganesha. There are temples built on street corners and on walls of houses. Every sculptor has dedicated his art to the deity by carving monoliths or miniatures. You find him on pillars, in rock cut shrines, appearing on walls or carved by itself and growing in size. I recently discovered that a coast in India is named after the deity. I was on the road driving from Mangalore to Karwar and stopping by both quaint and popular temples. 
Lady paints a Ganesha idol Photo Credit: AFP
Locals refer to this coast as the Ganesh coast after the deity, who is said to protect the coast from natural calamities. There are several Ganesha temples here and it is said if anyone visits all seven in one day, he will be blessed. The temples are Madhur Mahaganapathi near Kasargod, Sharavu Mahaganapathi in Mangalore, Mahaganapathi at Kumbhashi, Siddi Vinayaka Hattiangadi near Kundapura, Guddattu Vinayaka temple near Kundapura, Dashabhuja Ganapati at Idagunji and the Maha Ganapati at Gokarna.
We started our journey from Madhur Mahaganapathi temple, located very close to Kasargod, referred to as one of the ancient temples of Tulu Nadu. Although it is a Shiva temple, the huge Ganesha shrine here attracts more devotees. Local lore say that the priest’s son drew a picture of Ganesha on the wall and it started growing in size. Another story says that the local astrologer had asked the people to install an idol of Ganesha before performing a yagna. The idol is said to have grown in size until a local lady put her hand on the head of the sculpture and requested the God not to grow taller. Locals however believe that the deity has been protecting the coast as Tipu Sultan apparently refused to destroy it even after entering the shrine.
Another temple that tells a similar story is the Sharavu Mahaganapathi temple, a shrine dedicated to Shiva but locals believe that the image of Ganesha appeared on the wall initially along with Siddhi Lakshmi. Many lores and legends pour forth from this shrine; one of them speaks about how Ganesha had warned Tipu Sultan about the repercussions of a possible attack. The lore says that Tipu had a dream where he was crushed by an elephant and it was interpreted as the power of the deity warning him not to attack it.
Our next stop was at Hattiangadi, a small village located at a distance of around 10km from Kundapur. Believed to be once the capital of ancient Tulu Nadu, it houses an ancient Siddivinayaka Temple that dates back to the 8th century and is located on the bank of the river Varahi. The idol is carved out of Saligram and the priest told us that the form is believed to be of Bala Ganesha with two arms, one holding a vessel filled with modakas. We may see various forms of Ganeshas being carved every year for the festival, but this ancient idol sports curly hair.
We went next to the Mahaganapathi temple or Anne Gudde at Kumbhashi which is said to be built by Parashuram. We learnt that name Kumbhasi is said to be derived from the asura Kumbhasura, who was slain here by Bhima with the help of a sword given by Lord Ganesha. In local parlance, Anegudde comes from Aane (elephant) and Gudde (hillock) as the temple is located on a small mound. You can see the deity with four arms, referred to as Chaturbhuja.
Another ancient usual form of Ganesha is seen at Guddattu Vinayak temple, slightly further from Kundapura. There is a natural rock formation here and the idol, depicting the deity in a seated posture is believed to have been carved by itself and is always surrounded by water. The shrine is located atop a rock that resembles a sleeping elephant.
We carried on to Idagunji, a small hamlet near Honnavar, located almost amidst verdant greenery. A short walk here from the main highway, takes you down to the most beautiful and spiritual experience to the temple which is more than 1500 years old. Here Ganesh is portrayed as a standing statue with two hands - the right hand holding ‘Padma’ and the left hand with ‘Modhaka’.
The story goes that at the end of the 'Dwapara Yuga' the saints met with several obstacles while they were performing a ritual. Narada then advised them to worship Vigneshwara or Ganesh before starting the penance again. They located a place Kunjaranya near Sharavati river and Narada brought Ganesha along with other Gods to this abode. Immensely pleased by the devotion rendered on him by the saints, Ganesha decided to stay in Kunjaranya which is now renowned as Idagunji.
Idols being prepared for Ganesha Habba Photo Credit: Reuters
Our journey ended at Gokarna, where the temple is dedicated to Shiva and tells the story of how the Gods - Vishnu along with Ganesha hoodwinked Ravana so that he does not become invincible. Shiva had granted Ravana the Atmalinga, which could make him all powerful, under the rule that it should not be placed on the ground. When Ravana was nearing Gokarna, Vishnu blotted the sun with his Sudarshan Chakra to make it look like evening and the demon got ready to do his evening prayers. Ganesha approached him as a boy and offered to hold the Atmalinga until he finished. When Ravana returned, he found the boy gone; the Atmalinga firmly on the ground and it was broad daylight. A temple was later built here with shrines dedicated to both Shiva and Ganesha.
By Ganugapenta NaveenKumar Reddy
