Located just 60 km from Bangalore, the Ghati Subrahmanya Swamy Temple in Karnataka is a unique and popular pilgrimage site. This temple stands out as it's the only one where the primary deity, Lord Kartikeya (Subramanya or Murugan), is worshiped alongside Lord Narasimha avatar of Bhagavan Vishnu.
Ghati Subrahmanya Swamy Temple Story
Long ago, a betel leaf trader used to travel to town to sell
his leaves. On his route, he would rest daily at this sacred place—Ghati
Subrahmanya. One day, while resting at this location, he had a divine
dream.
In the dream, Lord Subrahmanya appeared before him in the
form of a serpent and said:
"I am the son of Shiva, and along with Shri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy,
who resides in this very rock, I have manifested here in this holy place due to
the boon I granted to the sages Markandeya and others in a past era. Inform my
devotee, King of Sondur, about this. Tell him to build a temple here with a
Gopura (temple tower) and make arrangements for daily worship and rituals. When
you wake from this dream, a Brahmin will come across your path—narrate this
entire dream to him and travel together to meet the Sondur King."
After the vision, the trader awoke to find a Brahmin
approaching him on the same path. He narrated the entire dream, and the two set
out together to meet the King of Sondur. After a journey of 2–3 days, they met
the king and shared the divine message.
Initially, the king thought they were lying for monetary
gain. He laughed it off, gave them clothes and betel nuts as gifts, and sent
them away from the royal court. But that night, Lord Subrahmanya himself
appeared in the king's dream, confirming the truth of the dream shared by
the trader and the Brahmin. The Lord instructed him to visit the sacred site
with them, excavate the area, build a temple, and make all necessary
arrangements for worship to receive his divine blessings.
The next morning, the king gathered his royal priest and
ministers, informed them of the dream, and set out with the Brahmin and trader
to the site. They began inspecting the area based on astrological guidelines.
Coincidentally, at that time, cowherds from Ksheera Sagara Pura (now Palpal
Dinne village) brought their cattle to graze in the nearby forest. One of
the cowherds told the king that one of their cows would go daily to a
particular anthill at that site and spontaneously release milk upon it.
Filled with curiosity and devotion, the king observed this
phenomenon himself in the evening. As the cow approached the anthill and
released milk on its own, the king felt greatly pleased. He ordered excavation
of the site at an auspicious time.
To everyone’s astonishment, they found a single stone idol—on the eastern side was Lord Subrahmanya in the form of a serpent, and on the western side was Lord Lakshmi Narasimha. The king offered praises, consulted with scholars and priests, and determined an auspicious time to construct the sanctum (garbhagriha), front hall (sukanasi), and outer hall (navaranga). The Brahmin was appointed to perform daily trikaala puja (three daily rituals), and all arrangements for worship were made. This is the traditional origin legend of the temple.
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| The mirror shows the backside of the murti - the front is Subrahmanya Swamy and the back side is Narasimha Avatar of Vishnu |
Spiritual Significance
According to legends, Lord Subrahmanya incarnated to destroy the demon Tarakasura. Later, he took the form of a serpent and performed penance here. When enmity arose between serpents and Garuda (eagle mount of Vishnu), it is believed that Lord Narasimha, in the same place, granted protection (abhaya) to the serpents from Garuda. Sages like Markandeya, pleased with the Lord’s actions, prayed that he appear in two forms in a single body:
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Facing east: Lord Subrahmanya in serpent form, the place of penance.
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Facing west: Lord Lakshmi Narasimha, who granted safety to the serpents.
Thus, Lord manifested here in both forms in a single stone as a boon to the sages.
References to the deity are found in the Skanda Purana, Shiva Mahapurana, and Padma Purana. The idol is self-manifested (svayambhu) and not carved by human hands.
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