The temple of Manjunatheshwara on the hills of Kadri is popular temple in Mangalore. It is said to be built during the 10th or 11th century. It was converted to a complete stone structure during the 14th century.The panchloha idol of Lokeshwar (identified as Brahma), about 5 feet high, of the temple is called as oldest of the South Indian .The image has three faces and six arms, and holds and hold flowers in two of the arms.It is believed that Parashurama who was living in Sahyadri, killed the kshathriyas who were cruel and donated the lands to Kashyapa. He prayed to Lord Shiva for a place to live. Lord Shiva assured Parashurama that if he performed a penance at Kadali kshethra, As per Shiva's orders Parashurama threw his axe into the sea and created a place for his places. Yielding to Parashurama's prayers Lord Shiva appeared to him as Manjunatha with Goddess Parvathi and stayed at Kadri for the betterment of the world.
Copyrights of all images: Vishwanath Pai M.