The Marikamba Temple in Sirsi, Karnataka, India, is a Hindu temple dedicated to a form of the goddess Durga. It is also known as Doddamma Temple, with “Doddamma” denoting the “elder sister” of all Mariammas in Karnataka. The central icon is an eight-armed image of Durga, also known by the names Renuka and Yellamma. It was built in 1688.[citation needed] It is at a distance of 83 kilometres (52 mi) to the east of Gokarna
Architecture
The temple’s façade, a 19th-century addition, is painted blue. After one enters through the façade, there is courtyard in the middle, which has cloisters surrounding it. The cloisters are filled with images of deities from the Hindu epics. The changes made inside the temple have hidden any evidence of older structures. The sanctum sanctorum has the central image of a fierce form of the goddess Durga, multi-armed (eight shoulders), riding a tiger and killing a demon. It is believed that the 7-foot-tall (2.1 m) image was retrieved from a pond on the road to Hanagal. The temple has very special paintings of murals in Kaavi art, an art form which was popular in the coastal Konkan region of Karnataka. In this art form, now extinct, the top plastered layer of the mural was first dyed with a red pigment, which when removed revealed a lower white layer of plaster over which the murals were created
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मार लेना सपणी उबार लेणा भवरा – A Prayer to the Divine Beloved Origin & Spiritual Essence Why This Bhajan Resonates Devotees chant this in moments of deep vulnerability—its cry of “मार लेना सपणी, उबार लेणा भवरा” is the…
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Bhadi Sabha Mein Thane Manaun: Invoking the Spear-Wielding Mother Mata Bhawani (श्री ज्वाला भवानी), the fiery manifestation of Shakti worshipped as the Protector of Dharma in Her Dhaulagarh sanctum. Origin & Spiritual Essence Composed in Rajasthani folk tradition by…
श्याम सुन्दरवा छोटे छोटे कनुवा (Shyam Sundarva Chhote Chhote Kanuva) is a heartfelt invocation to Lord Krishna in his most enchanting form—Shyam Sundar (the dark, beautiful one). This bhajan is a plea for the divine child Kanha to grace…
Maat Meri Chintapurni is a heartfelt devotional prayer dedicated to Maa Chintapurni, a form of the Divine Mother. She is revered as the remover of worries and the granter of wishes, especially venerated in the Himalayan region of Himachal…
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