Puttur Mahalingeshwara Temple – Shiva Mahalingeshwara Temple at Puttur in Karnataka

Dedicated to Hindu God Shiva, Mahalingeshwara Temple is a popular temple at Puttur near Mangalore in Dakshina Kannada District of Karnataka. The Shivling worshipped at the temple was brought from Kashi by three Brahmins. They had placed the Shivling at Puttur for worship and then they could not remove it from the spot.

This is the only temple after Kashi Vishwanath Temple which has a cremation ground just opposite to the temple. 

The Brahmins sought the help of several people and the king of the land to remove the Shivling from the spot. The king of the land and his soldiers tried to move the Shivling but they could not. The elephant of the king was used to pull the Shivling. But a miracle happened. The Shivling grew in size and became Mahalingeshwara and the elephant was killed in the process. It is said that the elephant was shattered into pieces and different parts of it fell in different regions in Puttur. Even today the surrounding regions of Puttur have names of different parts of elephants.

The main murti worshipped in the temple is 1.5 feet tall.

The temple has got two pranganas. The inner prangana is housed with the vigrahas of Saptamatrukas viz Brahmi, Maheshwari, Kaumari, vaishanavi, Varahi and Chamundeshwari Devi on its south part, the Astha Dikpalaka, Indra, Agni, Yama, Niruta, Varuna, Vaayu, Kubera and Easana idols are also installed. The kshetrapala vigraha is at the north eastern side of the area and Veerabhadra Vighraha and Bali stones are also installed in the area. The outer prangana is being used for distinctive utsavas and Bali utsava performances.

Puttur Mahalingeshwara Temple is built at an elevated place and to on the opposite side of the temple there is a Rudrabhumi (Cremation Ground). To the west is a big pond, water in the pond has turned green and is said to be poisonous to the elephants. In the center of the pond is a mantapa where an idol of Varuna - the god of rain- is established. There are different types of fishes in the lake.

The main temple is surrounded by a complex of other small temples known as Prakara gudis viz Parvati Gudi, Subramanya Gudi, Ganapathi Gudi, Sastavu Gudi, and other Gudis or Daivas viz - Panjurli; Pilibootha, Raktheshwari, Anganaththya etc.

The most important festival in the temple is the Jatra held from April 10 to April 20. The Rathothsava or the chariot festival is held every year on April 17. The punarpratishta of the temple is observed on the 30th day of Pushya Masa.