Pallathadka- The place where Lord "Harihara" resides!

 I have been writing one or the other post about Shri Harihareshwara Temple in my hometown Hariharapallattadka for a long time in my facebook page. But I never once introduced the temple. Today, I felt the desire to introduce you to the holy, benevolent God Harihareshwara Kshetra of my town. So I am writing this article.

Shri Harihareshwara Temple,Hariharapallathadka

 Shri Harihareshwara Temple is a sacred Triveni Sangam Kshetra located at the foot of the Western Ghats in this Tulunadu of Parasurama creation in South India.Sullia is a rural taluk in Dakshina Kannada where most of the land is covered by forests and agriculture lands. Hariharapallathadka is one of the village in this Sullia Taluk where Lord Harihareshwara resides.

Lord Shri Harihareshwara

History/Place Mythology:
According to history, thousands of years ago, when a sage came to a town called Pallattadka during his journey, he was happy to see the confluence of three rivers and installed Lord Harihareshwar there and worshiped him.

According to the details given on the website of the Department of Religious Endowment of the Government of Karnataka, about five thousand years ago in the eastern side of the temple, the great sages had performed a special yaga to kill the demons, and for that yaga,theertha(water) from thousands of holy places from the Indian continent were brought and used it for the yaga.There is a legend that after killing the demons in that way, the sages who performed the yaga threw their Kamandala Vedodakas into the river. The river flowing from Sidda(Shesha Parvatha) mountain is famous as "Koti Theertha". It is believed that if you take a holy bath at the confluence of this river and get darshan of Harihareshwara diseases, mental illness and skin diseases will be cured without medicine.

This Kshetra is a holy place where sages did penance and Shani Pooja performed here has special power. It is believed that on the day of Tula Sankramana at Shri Harihareshwara Sangam, the theerthodbhava occurs. On that day thousands of devotees bath in Teerthas and offer Pinda Pradhana to their ancestors. Even now the tradition of devotees coming and bathing in Teerthas on the beginning day of Tula Masa is still in practice.In this kshethra, which is famous as Triveni Sangam Kshethra,Teerthodbhava takes place similar to Teerthodbhava taking place in Talakaveri.

This is a rare and unique Kshetra where Hari and Hara are conceptualized in the same idol (Lingarupa). It is one of the few shrines in India that has so many features. The will of the devotees will be fulfilled and sin will be destroyed. Devotees come to the temple not only from local places but also from far away places and takeholy bath in this holy place and get darshan of the deity.It is believed that the existing stone idol is a lingasvarupi and was brought and installed by the Lingayat kings from North Karnataka about 800 years ago. After that the rule of the Ballas came to an end and it was ruled by the kings of Kodagu. A lot of agricultural land was allotted to the temple during the period of state administration which tells the history of this temple.

Here Hari (Vishnu) and Hara (Shiva) give darshan together. One half is Vishnu and the other half is Lord Shiva hence called "Harihareshwar". This temple is famous for "Shani Puja". It is believed that Shani Dosha;s effect will reduce if Shani Puja is performed here. So on Saturdays, devotees from distant towns and foreign states come here and perform Shani Puja.Another specialty of this temple is that all the devotees who come here are given Annaprasad without any discrimination. It is believed that when faced with any difficulties, if one surrenders to God and prays to God, then God will protect them.I am also a witness to this. Apart from that, before any auspicious work is done, the people of the town or anyone else come and pray to Shri God and if they offer two coconuts and pray that the auspicious work will be completed without any hindrance, the good work will be completed without any hindrance.

Presently under the Karnataka government's religious endowment department, every year in the month of February or March, the annual festival(Jathra mahothsava) is celebrated with splendor under the guidance  of Brahmashree Nileshwar Padmanabha Tantri Uchila with the cooperation of the devotees of local area and other areas.If Shani Puja is special in Sri Kshetra, daily Rudrabhishekam, Flower Puja, Vishnu Sahasranama Chanting, Ksheerabhishekam, Halu Payasa Seva, Mangalarati Panchkajjaya and other sevas to Lord Sri Mahaganapati and other sevas can be performed here.At present, Shri Subrahmanya Narasimha Bhat, as the Chief Priest of Shri Harihareshwara Temple, is serving the Lord with devotion and dedication Along with them, Shri Krishnakumara B, Shri Mahesh Bhat Kiribhaga are serving the Lord with devotion as assistant priests.

How to reach Shri Harihareshwara Temple:
One can visit Shri Kshetra, which is 8 km from Kukke Subrahmanya, a famous religious site of the state, while coming to Subrahmanya. Shri Harihareshwara Temple can be reached if you take Sulya road from Subrahmanya and turn left at Malayala and go for 5 km.Since there is no proper government bus service from Subrahmanya to Hariharapallattadka
travelling with your own vehicle to Shri Temple, is preferred or else you can arrange a vehicle  from Subrahmanya. Sufficient KSRTC buses are available from Sulya, the taluk center to Hariharapallattadka (Buses to Balgodu, Kollamogra).Besides, there are 4 daily buses from Puttur to Balugodu and 1 evening bus to Kollamogra. If you take a bus from Subrahmanya to Nadugallu, from there you can also take a bus towards Hariharapallattadka to reach Shri Harihareshwara Temple.

Nearest Bus Stand to Sri Harihareshwar Temple: Hariharapallattadaka

Nearest Major Bus Stand: Kukke Subrahmanya (8 km)

Nearest Railway Station: Subrahmanya Road (21 km)

Nearest Airport: Mangalore International Airport (117 km)

Pooja Timings of Shri Harihareshwara Temple:

Darshan Timings:

7 am to 1 pm

5 pm to 8 pm

Morning Puja: From 8:00AM-8:15AM

Maha Puja: 12:00PM-12:15 PM

Night Puja: 8PM

Since childhood I used to grew up playing in Shri Harihareshwara temple, I dedicate this short article to God's lotus feet.I pray that Lord Shri Harihareshwara and Lord Shri Mahaganapati bless everyone and bring happiness to the world.

🖊Article by:

Shreekara B