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Ambalpady Temple – Ambalpady Sri Mahakali Temple in Udupi – Karnataka

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.