Choleeshwara Temple, Bhatkal, Karnataka

Choleeshwara Temple, Bhatkal, Karnataka

Choleeshwara Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Bhatkal Town in Bhatkal Taluk in Uttara Kannada District in the Indian state of Karnataka. This temple is protected as monuments of national importance by the central Archaeological Survey of India.

Legends

As per legend, a Chola King lost all his children by snake bite. He along with his pregnant queen came to the village of Hadili. She delivered his son at this village. Unfortunately, this child was also bit by the snake immediately after the birth but a brahmana belonged to this village skilled in the mantras for curing snake bites forced the snake to suck back its own poison and thus reviving the child. It is said that the Chola king erected this temple in memory of this event.

History

The temple is said to have been built during the Chola occupation of the region between 880 CE and 975 CE. There are few Tamil inscriptions can be found in the temple premises, but these inscriptions are of later period. Bhatkal was named after the ninth century Jain grammarian Bhattakalanka Deva, who hailed from Haduvalli, the capital of the Saluvas. Bhatkal was also called as Bhatta Kala / Batikula / Bhatkala / Batikala during ancient times. Bhatkal was also mentioned as Vrittapura in a 16^th century CE inscription.

The Temple

The temple is facing towards east and built in Chola style of architecture. Dwaja Sthambam and Nandi housed in a nandi mandapa can be seen in front of the temple facing towards the sanctum. The temple is of two storeys in height. The lower storey is roofed with stone slabs and the upper storey is roofed with tiles. The entrance of the sanctum is flanked by dvarapalas standing on snakes on either side. The sanctum enshrines the presiding deity, Choleeswara in the form of Shiva Linga.

Connectivity

The temple is located at about 1.5 Kms from Bhatkal Railway Station and 2 Kms from Bhatkal Bus Stand. Bhatkal is located at about 14 Kms from Murdeshwar, 21 Kms from Baindur, 37 Kms from Honnavar, 55 Kms from Kundapura, 88 Kms from Gokarna, 90 Kms from Udupi, 128 Kms from Karwar, 142 Kms from Mangaluru Airport and 144 Kms from Mangaluru. Bhatkal is situated on Karwar to Mangalore route (NH – 66). Bhatkal Railway Station is one of the major railway stations along the Konkan Railway line, which runs between Mumbai and Mangalore.

Location