Karkala is a town located in Karkala Taluk of Udupi District(Dakshina Kannada), Karnataka. It dates back to the begining of 10th century and is a town of great historical importance and a pilgrim center for thousands of devotees. It hosts the famous Shri Venkataramana Temple which is also known as Padutirupathi or the Tirupathi of west attracting many devotees. Shri Venkataramana Temple is the main pilgrimage for Gowda Saraswat Brahmins(GSB) and also for people from other communities who visit the temple regularly to seek the blessings of the Lord.
Karkala is also one of the main pilgrim center for the Jain community in the south of India. It hosts the 42 foot tall monolith of Lord Bahubali(Gomateswara) and the Chaturamukha Basadi.
There are also other temples and forts of historical importance that are located in and around Karkala.
'Karakala and Karkala Shri Venkataramana Temple' is a book authored by Shri Mala Devadas Shenoy and Shri Karkala Ravindra Bhat. Shri Devadas Shenoy is a mechanical engineer by profession(obtained his degree from the esteemed Banaras Hindu University, IIT, India in 1970) and a historian by heart. Shri Ravindra Bhat is the retired Head master of the esteemed Bhuvanendra High School, Karkala and was in the profession of teaching for 37 years.
This book is a work of art detailing the history of Karkala and Shri Venkataraman Temple. It is well written and ranks high among any history witeups. It talks abundantly about the etymological existence of the town, the exterior and interior architechture of Shri Venkataramana temple, the deity, the various fairs and festivities of the temple which are organised throughout the year, the people and the local traditional values and much more.
This book is written in Kannada and is available for purchase at Rs 200. The authors are currently working on the english version which should be out soon.
The current version of the book can be purchased from the temple office of Shri Venkataramana temple, Karkala or directly from the authors. Please contact the authors of the book for more details.
Shri Mala Devadas Shenoy, 2152, 8th A Main Road, E Block, Rajajinagar 2nd Stage, Bangalore - 560010, Karnataka, India. Ph - 918023323636, 9886496363
Please visit the photo gallery for the photographs of the book.
