MANGALURU: The ‘Guha Pravesha’ and ‘Tirtha Snana’ at the Shree Kshetra Nellitheertha Somanatheshwara Guhalaya will commence on Thursday, said Bhuvanabhirama Udupa.
He told reporters on Wednesday that the event will begin at 9 a.m. with a series of religious rituals led by Baggamajalu Brahmashri Subramanya Tantri.
The Guha Pravesha programme will be inaugurated by Sri Vidyendra Tirtha Sripad of Sri Chitrapur Mutt, Kulai, in the presence of Lakshmi Narayana Asranna, chief priest of Shri Kshetra Kateel Durgaparameshwari Temple, and other guests, including Harikrishna Punarur, Bhuvanabhirama Udupa, and Pradeep Kumar Kalkura.
The Guhalaya, one of Karnataka’s largest cave temples, is located 30 kilometres from Mangaluru in Neerude, within the village of Kompadavu.
Inside the cave lies the sacred Nellitheertha pond and a revered Shivalinga known as Jabaleshwara. Devotees proceed 200 metres into the cave to take a holy bath in the pond.
The Guha Pravesha and Tirtha Snana are allowed annually from Sankramana (tula) in Oct to Sankramana (Mesha) in April. The cave’s name, ‘Nellitheertha’, derives from the gooseberry-shaped water droplets that continuously drip inside the cave.
Access to the cave is open to all, regardless of caste or creed. Though the path inside is steep, the area around the pond and Shivalinga is spacious, allowing hundreds of people to gather.
Beyond the lake, entry is restricted. Before entering the cave, devotees are required to bathe in the ‘Nagappa Kere’, a pond located outside the temple, and enter the cave in wet clothes.
Another unique feature of this temple is that cave access is restricted to six months each year, and entry is allowed only until the ‘Mahapuja’ in the afternoon, said Pradeep Kumar Kalkura.
In the main temple, situated outside the cave, daily worship and festivals of Sri Somanatha and Sri Mahaganapathi are conducted according to the Agama Shastra.
The Karnataka govt has recognised Nellitheertha as a significant tourist site, although essential facilities are still lacking. As part of the upcoming ‘Brahmakalashotsava’ next year, renovation work is underway, and steps are being taken to improve facilities for devotees, Kalkura added.
NVGK Bhat, Venkatraj Bhat, Harikrishna Punarur, Prasanna Bhat and Deep Kiran, Karambar were present.
