ABOUT

One of the oldest and important temples in Kasaragod, the Mallikarjuna temple is devoted to lord Shiva known here by the name Mallikarjuna. The temple is situated in the heart of the Kasaragod city near the taluk office. The Kumbala River flows close by to the south of the temple. Legend has it that the idol of Lord Shiva in the temple is adorned by Arjuna (Arjuna in classical Sanskrit is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahabharata.) The temple is datable to seventeenth century and was built by the Ikkeri kings for facilitating worship to the warriors brought from Karnataka. For a long time the temple was completely neglected. In 1977, the site of the temple had to be shifted consequent on the acquisition of temple lands for the railway line. Later the important structures were rebuilt by the renovation committee. The compound wall was constructed in 1985 .The structures of the temple include sreekovil, namaskara mandapam, chuttambalam,valiya-balikkal and maryaada with arches. There are some modern colour paintings at the inner wall of valiyambalam, depicting figurines of Sree Sankaracharya, Lord Ayyappa, Lord Ganapathi, Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga. Mallikarjuna temple festival conducted yearly is the most famous and significant festivals here. Yakshagana performances are common in the temple premises.