5/5 Varun V. 10 months ago on Google
The
most
common
story
for
the
creation
of
the
temple
is
that in
the
past,
three
old
and
learned
Smartha-cult
Sthanika
Brahmins
were
travelling
through
southern
India,
worshipping
a
Shiva
Linga
that
they
got
from
the
Hindu
holy
'Kshetra
of
Kashi'.
The
three
were
ardent
devotees
of
Shiva.
One
day
they
arrived
at
a
place
called
‘Gayapada
Kshetra’
now
known
as Uppinangady in
Puttur
Taluk,
Dakshina
Kannada.
Puttur
Shree
Mahalingeshwara
Temple is
a
12th-century
temple,
located
in Puttur, Dakshina
Kannada in
the
Indian
state
of Karnataka.
Lord
Shiva
(popularly
known
as
Puttur
Mahalingeshwara)
is
the
main
deity.
At
Uppinangady,
one
of
the
three
decided
to
move
towards
Puttur
leaving
behind
the
other
two.
He
reached
Puttur
one
evening,
carrying
the
‘Shiva
Ling’
with
him.
He
got
up
early
the
next
morning
and
after
a
holy
bath
went
to
the
palace
of
the Banga
King to
collect
flowers
and
other
essential pooja
materials
for
the
worship
of
Shiva.
That
day
was
a
Monday,
which
was
considered
auspicious
for
the
worship
of
Lord
Shiva.
At
that
time
the
Banga
King
did
not
pay
attention
to
the
arrival
of
this
Brahmin,
as
he
was
much
worried
about
the
labor-pain
of
his
loving
sister.
However,
the
minister
of
the
Banga-King,
looking
at
the
Divine
Brightness
in
the
face
of
the
Brahmin,
made
an
appeal
regarding
the
King's
problem.
The
Brahmin
worshipped
the
linga
and
blessed
the
King's
sister
assuring
him
that
she
would
safely
deliver
a
baby.
Later
to
the
astonishment
of
all,
she
gave
birth
to
a
baby.
The
King
felt
happy
over
the
event
and
thanked
the
Brahmin
and
arranged
for
the
worship
of
the
Lord.
Later
on
that
particular
day,
the
Brahmin,
knowingly
or
otherwise,
kept
the
Shiva-Linga
on
the
ground
without
a
stand
or
seat
and
worshiped
it.
After
the
pooja,
he
lifted
the
linga
from
the
ground,
in
order
to
keep
it
again
in
the
container
box
(samputa),
but
it
could
not
be
lifted
from
the
ground.
The
Brahmin
used
all
his
force
to
lift
the
linga,
but
all
efforts
were
in
vain.
The
linga
remained
in
place.
The
King's
army
men
applied
force
unsuccessfully.
The
King's
elephant
was
summoned
to
lift
the
linga.
As
the
elephant
struggled,
the
linga
grew
to
huge
size
and
became
Mahalinga,
shattering
the
elephant
into
pieces.
The
animals'
body
parts
spread
out
in
different
direction.
The
place
where
its
horn
(Khombu)
fell
came
to
be
called
‘Kombettu’,
Kari
fell
‘Kariyala,
legs
fell
(kalu)
‘Karjala’,
hand
(Kai)
fell
‘Kaipala’
tail
fell
‘Beedimajalu’,
head
(Tale)
fell
‘Taleppady’
and
back
(Beri)
fell
‘
Beripadavu’.
These
place
names
survived
in
the
surroundings
of
Puttur.
And
since
the
elephant
fell
dead
into
the
temple
tank,
a
strong
belief
grew
that
elephants
cannot
survive
drinking
the
tank
water.
Chera
Nattoja
family
of
Smartha (Sthanika
brahmin) brahmin
belonging
to
the
Vishwamitra
gotra
are
the
founders
(Sthapanacharya)
and
The
Chief
priest
"Thantris"
of
Puttur
Mahalingeshwara
Temple
and
also
Polali
Rajarajeshwari
Temple.
But
they
lost
their
reputed
position
because
of
the
acute
Smartha-Vaisnava
(Madhva)
rivalry,
the
changed
political
set
up,
the
British
revenue
policies
and
as
they
joined
their
hands
in
freedom
fights
supporting
the
local
rulers
of
that
time.
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