Ambalpady Sri Mahakali Temple is located at Ambalpady near
Udupi in Karnataka. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Mahakali and Lord
Janardhana (Lord Vishnu). The temple is located around 3 km from Udupi town.
Legend has it that Goddess Mahakali appeared here to protect
the devotees from Adharma. Lord Vishnu descended to help Goddess Mahakali to
defeat Adharma and he now resides in the temple along with Mother Goddess. The
shrine is also known as Ambalpady Mahakali Janardhana Temple.
The sacred temple pond is known as Janardhana Pushkarni.
The temple compound has separate shrines for Lord Janardhana
and Goddess Mahakali.
A devotee should first offer prayers to Goddess Mahakali.
The murti of Goddess Mahakali worshipped is carved out of
wood and is 6 feet tall. There is also an original stone murti of Motehr
Goddess in the sanctum sanctorum.
The subsidiary deities worshipped in the temple are Lord
Ayyappa, Mukhyaprana Anjaneeya and Navgrahas.
The Janardhana Temple is a big structure with an imposing
Garuda stambha at the entrance. The murti of Lord Janardhana is carved out of
black stone
There is also a garden in the temple complex, which was
earlier maintained by Guru Raghavendra Swamy. The garden is known as Brindavan.
The garden has numerous sculptures of gurus and animals.