Here is a very unique idol of Lord Ganesha, for whom sky is the roof, trees are the temple walls, the pedestal on which the Lord is installed, the sanctum sanctorum.
True, this Lord has made a cosy place in the lap of nature in Southadka his home, and is not willing to have a temple for himself!
Southadka is 16 km from Dharmasthala. A small town with just 1,000-odd population and situated just 3 km away from Kokkada, another town.
Call it as one of the rarest of instances, here the Lord stands tall facing the harsh sun, rough rains and biting cold, reminding his devotees about the reality of life itself. There are no queues to wait, no rituals to perform, no rules to break, no authorities to monitor and no regulations to be followed. The Lord is easily accessible to everyone, irrespective of caste, creed or religion, at all times of the day.
Cucumber offerings
Southadka was earlier known as ‘Southe Thadka.’ It is believed that the cow herds who grazed their cattle in and around this place offered cucumber to the Lord as naivedya and spent their entire day here. When the place was destroyed in a foreign invasion, the cow herds protected the deity and hid him among the shrubs.
According to popular belief, once a rich man decided to construct a temple for the deity, but dropped the idea after the Lord appeared in his dream in the form of a cow herd and questioned him as to why he wanted to confine him to the four walls of a temple. The Lord is also believed to have said that if at all he wanted to construct a temple then it should be in such a way that the entire Universe is included in it. After this incident, legend has it that nobody dared to construct a temple for the deity.
The deities of Goddess Parvathi and Lord Veerabhadra are also installed here. It is believed that the two came in search of Ganesha, who had forgotten himself eating cucumbers here. And they also finally settled here along with Ganesha.
Annual fair
With the number of people visiting the place on the rise, the temple authorities are undertaking several developmental works. They have renovated the katte or the pedestal on which the idols are installed. Lodges are also being constructed for the benefit of devotees. The temple authorities are performing annadana everyday at the newly constructed building ‘Sumukha’ and several cultural and literary programmes are also held here. Ceremonies like marriages are held at ‘Ganesha Kalamandira’.
Also, every year, on the auspicious Magha Shuddha Chouthi, an annual fair is held and special poojas are performed to the deities. This year, the annual fair will be held on Feb 10.
The roads leading to the temple are in a bad condition and there are no proper transport facilities for the devotees. The government should take these aspects into consideration, says Mr Vasudeva Shabaraya, the managing trustee of the temple . “We have plans to build a goshala and a children’s home among others,” he adds.
At present, there are only two buses to Southadka, one from Dharmasthala and the other from Uppinangadi. Those interested can contact: 08251-254 161, 202 161.
