Tired of the pretentious, conspicuous, and perpetual coverage of the political drama erupting, post-Rhea’s arrest in Mumbai, I decided to take a break, watch something that did not belong to this world. I opted to watch the old television serial, 'Mahadev'. It was such a relief to settle in the soul-stirring musical score of the masterpiece serial.  Soon I found myself engrossed in the perplexing relationship anxieties of Goddess Parvati, Lord Shiva, and their son Kartikey. The episode narrated the story of Kartikey’s feelings of remorse and how he decided to go through the atonement. In that story, I learned that Kartikey’s second name was ‘Kumar’ and that reminded me of my visit to the ‘Kukke Subramanya Temple’ in Karnataka. Lord Kartikey, the Hindu god of war, is also known as Skanda, Kumara, Murugan, and Subrahmanya, and is popularly worshipped in South India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Malaysia as Murugan.

This story took me down memory lane when I had the fortune to visit the ‘Kukke Subramanya Temple’, thanks to my wise friend Jyotika Kotian’s advice.

Nestled in the beauty of nature, the village of Subramanya lies in the Kadaba Taluk in south Karnataka. We took a bus from Mangalore as it is only 105 km from there. The dense green forest on the way and the breathtaking beauty of mountains, in the midst of which stood the temple, were enchanting. The misty mountains bejeweled with waterfalls gave us company till we reached the temple. Offering a fascinating background to the temple portico a huge mountain overlooked the temple forming a unique backdrop for any shutterbugs delight. I came to know it was the famous ‘Kumara Parvatha’ the highest peak in the state.  

Luck favored me and I got a room with a beautiful view of the mountains. The next day we woke up early to get ready for the darshan. Like all devotees, we were asked to take a dip in the holy waters of the Kumaradhara river before we could enter the temple. It was the coolest water my feet had ever touched and the walk from the river to the temple was so peaceful.

On reaching the temple we were shocked to see the crowd, there were hundreds of people in the queue waiting for the darshan and the pujas to be performed. It was certainly one of the most revered temples and religious practices. We were among the few Hindi-speaking people there. The pillars of the temple, the statue of Lord Garuda, and the puja rituals enthralled us. We quietly and patiently waited for our turn and repeated the verses of sacred prayers as recited by the pujaris. There was hardly any place for people to move but we were assured of the darshan and finally, our patience paid off. We had the opportunity to stand in front of the deity Lord Subrahmanya, even though it was for a few seconds. The divinity of the ancient temple, the stoic faith of the people, and the entire atmosphere were so mystical that there was no room for any skepticism or uncertainties. 

If you happen to visit Mangalore or Bangalore, a visit to the ‘Kukke Subramanya Temple’ will revive your faith in the ancient rituals and temples.