Sri Mahishamardini Temple, Neelavara

Neelavara is a beautiful place located at a distance of 18 Km from Udupi near Brahmavara in Udupi district. Neelavara lies between Kunjal village in the south and River Sita in the north. This place is a holy place for devotees worshiping Goddess Mahishamardini, Lord Ganapathy, Lord Subrahmanya, and Lord Veerabhabra. 3 kms from Kunjal towards the North, it’s where you will sight the most delightful Mahisha Mardhini Temple in Neelavara. One would be surprised to know that it been believed that Alupas, Hoysala, Vijaya Nagara rulers held religious rituals in this place. Mahisha Mardhini Temple in Neelavara is an ancient temple and thousands of devotees are influenced by this temple over religious matters and for the kind of all out concern and devotion shown to the Goddess from its legions of devotees all over the world. The stone inscriptions available here establish the antiquity of the temple. The 4 handed statue of the Goddess Mahisha Mardhini is found with chakra in the left hand, slitting open the throat of Mahishasura with the sphere in the hand. Moreover, the goddess is found stamping Mahishasura with the right leg. Dr. Gururaj Bhat, the illustrious historian of Karnataka maintained that the statue to have belonged to the 10th C. Historicity establishes that the Alupas who ruled long here had made Udyavara to be their capital. The inscription issued by Veerapandyas in 1258, feb. 24 throws much light over the fact that there was a fair distribution of the revenue generated in this village those days. The inscriptions found in the vicinities of Neelavara also establish that the Hoysalas ruled in 1333 A.D.. Neelavara then name which came to be called the present Neelavara.