Kalasa
Encyclopedia
Kalasa is a holy temple-town located in Chickmagalur district
in Karnataka
. Kalasa is home to the Kalaseshwara Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva
. Kalasa lies 92 Kilometres South-west of Chickmagalur and is located on the banks of the Bhadra River
.
. Although unsubstantiated, local myths attribute the origin of Kalasa to an event mentioned found in the Skanda Purana
.
Accordingly, the wedding of Lord Shiva and Parvathi in Himalayas
caused a shift in the Earth
's rotation because of the attendance of all Gods and Goddesses. To restore the Earth's balance, Lord Shiva requested Sage
Agasthya to travel South. Agasthya however, expressed his wish to witness the wedding. Lord Shiva assured to grant divine vision to the sage, which would enable him to witness the wedding from any part of the world.
Agasthya travelled southward and resided in Kalasa from where he watched the wedding. Local legends state that a pilgrimage to Kalasa brings greater religious merit (punya) than a visit to Varanasi.
The Girija Kalyana (marriage of Lord Shiva and Parvathi) is celebrated in Kalasa every year to commemorate this tradition. This auspicious occasion falls on Karthika Shuddha Ekadashi of Lunar calendar.
Other legends also state that Sage Vasishta had lived in a hermitage
near Kalasa as also the Skanda Dwaya.
root, Kalasha, which means a waterpot or jug. In the context of Hindu temple architecture
, every temple should have a round pinnacle placed at the top, known as the Kalasha.
Geographically, Kalasa is surrounded by the Bhadra river on three sides with the Duggappana Katte hill at the South. Viewed from an altitude, the town resembles a pot, hence the name. The Kalaseshwara temple is located at the base of this hill.
, all in the same day.
Kalasa largely has an agricultural economy and heavily depends on the Bhadra river to meet its water needs. Chief produces include a variety of spices, Coffee
, and Ayurvedic medicine. Situated in the heart of the Western Ghats
, Kalasa enjoys a pleasant climate throughout the year although summers are slightly hot.
. Kalasa is notable for these temples:
. People offer worship at these Theerthas as part of their pilgrimage to Kalasa.
. A typical practice during each festival is to take out the Utsava Murthy (Procession Idol) of a temple in a procession throughout the town and bring it back to the temple.
Kalasa celebrates these festivals every year:
District
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...
in Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
. Kalasa is home to the Kalaseshwara Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
. Kalasa lies 92 Kilometres South-west of Chickmagalur and is located on the banks of the Bhadra River
Bhadra River
The Bhadra River is a river in Karnataka state in southern India.The Bhadra originates at Gangamoola near Kudremukha, Western Ghats range, and flows east across the southern part of Deccan Plateau, joined by its tributaries the Somavahini near Hebbe, Thadabehalla, and Odirayanahalla. It flows...
.
Origins and Etymology
The origins of Kalasa are traceable to MythologyMythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
. Although unsubstantiated, local myths attribute the origin of Kalasa to an event mentioned found in the Skanda Purana
Skanda Purana
The Skanda Purana is the largest Mahapurana, a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text is devoted mainly to the lilas of Kartikeya , a son of Shiva and Parvati. It also contains a number of legends about Shiva, and the holy places associated with him...
.
Accordingly, the wedding of Lord Shiva and Parvathi in Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
caused a shift in the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
's rotation because of the attendance of all Gods and Goddesses. To restore the Earth's balance, Lord Shiva requested Sage
Wise old man
The wise old man is an archetype as described by Carl Jung, as well as a classic literary figure, and may be seen as a stock character...
Agasthya to travel South. Agasthya however, expressed his wish to witness the wedding. Lord Shiva assured to grant divine vision to the sage, which would enable him to witness the wedding from any part of the world.
Agasthya travelled southward and resided in Kalasa from where he watched the wedding. Local legends state that a pilgrimage to Kalasa brings greater religious merit (punya) than a visit to Varanasi.
The Girija Kalyana (marriage of Lord Shiva and Parvathi) is celebrated in Kalasa every year to commemorate this tradition. This auspicious occasion falls on Karthika Shuddha Ekadashi of Lunar calendar.
Other legends also state that Sage Vasishta had lived in a hermitage
Hermitage (religious retreat)
Although today's meaning is usually a place where a hermit lives in seclusion from the world, hermitage was more commonly used to mean a settlement where a person or a group of people lived religiously, in seclusion.-Western Christian Tradition:...
near Kalasa as also the Skanda Dwaya.
Etymology
The word Kalasa is a corruption of the SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
root, Kalasha, which means a waterpot or jug. In the context of Hindu temple architecture
Hindu temple architecture
India's temple architecture developed from the sthapathis' and shilpis' creativit, but n general these are from the Vishwakarma . A small Hindu temple consists of an inner sanctum, the garbha griha or womb-chamber, in which the image is housed, often circumambulation, a congregation hall, and...
, every temple should have a round pinnacle placed at the top, known as the Kalasha.
Geographically, Kalasa is surrounded by the Bhadra river on three sides with the Duggappana Katte hill at the South. Viewed from an altitude, the town resembles a pot, hence the name. The Kalaseshwara temple is located at the base of this hill.
Characteristics
Kalasa is chiefly a temple town, and a tourist spot. It is considered a place of pilgrimage by most visitors who arrive in Kalasa to offer their prayers in the Kalaseshwara, and other temples. A typical trip includes visiting Sringeri, Kalasa, and HoranaduHoranadu
Horanadu is a Hindu holy city located in Chickmagalur district, Karnataka, India. The deity at the Annapoorneshwari Temple at Horanadu is Annapurneshwari...
, all in the same day.
Kalasa largely has an agricultural economy and heavily depends on the Bhadra river to meet its water needs. Chief produces include a variety of spices, Coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, and Ayurvedic medicine. Situated in the heart of the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
, Kalasa enjoys a pleasant climate throughout the year although summers are slightly hot.
Tourist Places
Although Kalasa is pilgrimage spot, it abounds in several tourist attractions such as water spots and of late, private resorts.Temples
The Kalaseshwara temple is the chief temple of the town. It is currently managed by the Government of KarnatakaGovernment of Karnataka
The Government of Karnataka is a democratically elected body with the Governor as the constitutional head. The Governor who is appointed for a period of five years appoints the Chief Minister and his council of ministers...
. Kalasa is notable for these temples:
- Shree Chandranatha Swamy Temple
- Kalaseshwara Temple
- Hanuman Temple
- Venkataramana Temple
- Ranjal Mahalakshmi Temple
- Vasishta Ashrama
Pancha Theerthas
Kalasa contains five major water spots, within an approximate distance of 8 Kilometres from the town. Together, these are known as Pancha Theerthas (literally, Five Sacred Waters). Each Theertha is associated with a myth drawn mostly from the Hindu MythologyHindu mythology
Hindu religious literature is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Nepali and Indian culture...
. People offer worship at these Theerthas as part of their pilgrimage to Kalasa.
- Vasishta Theertha--Named after Sage Vasishta
- Naga Theertha--Named in honour of the Snake God, attributable to Lord Shiva.it is believed bathing here will remove Nagashapa/Nagadosha.
- Koti Theertha--To signify koti Devatha stayed here during first Girja Kalyana celebrated to please Aghsthya.
- Rudra Theertha--Named after Lord RudraRudra' is a Rigvedic God, associated with wind or storm, and the hunt. The name has been translated as "The Roarer", or "The Howler"....
(Shiva)is also called Rudrapada., similar to Vishnupada of Gaya it is believed that offering Pinda during pithru Karya is as auspious to Gaya Shradda - Amba Theertha-- Named after Goddess Parvati.
- Duggapan Katte-- Peak at which the whole kalasa town can be seen.
Festivals
Each year, Kalasa celebrates several festivals to mark different events. The date for each festival is decided early in the year based on the Hindu CalendarHindu calendar
The hindu calendar used in ancient times has undergone many changes in the process of regionalization, and today there are several regional Indian calendars, as well as an Indian national calendar. Nepali calendar, Bengali calendar, Malayalam calendar, Tamil calendar, Telugu calendar, Kannada...
. A typical practice during each festival is to take out the Utsava Murthy (Procession Idol) of a temple in a procession throughout the town and bring it back to the temple.
Kalasa celebrates these festivals every year:
- Girija Kalyana--To celebrate the wedding of Lord Shiva and Parvathi. It starts amavasya to harihara hunnime. kalayana mahosava is performed by three family who came with agastya muni from kasi. The names of three family are hoskere,mavinakere and kunikere.
- Kalasa Car Festival--The annual car festival or the Rathotsava where the Utsava Murthy (Procession Idol) taken in a procession throughout the town.
- Venkataramana Swamy Temple Car Festival--This is similar to the car festival, where the Procession Idol of Venkataramana Swamy is taken out.