Kukke Subramanya

The temple stands at Subramanya village in Dakshina Kannada, on the banks of the Kumaradhara, with the forested slopes of the Western Ghats behind it. Pilgrims bathe in the river before darshan. The setting is wet, green and entirely unlike the dry granite hills of the Tamil abodes.

The temple's official listing states its hours in two halves, morning and evening, with a closing period at night, and enforces a dress code in the sanctum: shirts and vests are removed before darshan.

The tradition here is one of refuge. Vasuki, the serpent king, is said to have taken shelter at this place from Garuda, the eagle who is the adversary of serpents, and to have been protected. From that the hill became a sanctuary for serpents, and Subramanya is worshipped as their lord.

The cave where Vasuki is said to have kept his austerities is the Biladwara, and it is still shown to pilgrims. A wider account brings Subrahmanya to this mountain, Kumara Parvatha, after the defeat of Tarakasura and Surapadman, so the story of the Tamil abodes and the story of this hill meet here.

This is why the temple's best-known rituals concern snakes. Ashlesha Bali is performed seeking protection, and Sarpa Samskara addresses sarpa dosha, an affliction held in tradition to descend through a family from harm done to serpents. Both are booked services with their own schedules, and people travel a long way for them.

Between the main entrance and the sanctum stands the Garuda Kamba, a metal-plated pillar. The tradition attached to it is precise and unusual: the pillar stands where it does to shield those who come for darshan from the poisonous breath of Vasuki, who is present inside.

It is a small thing to look for and it tells you what kind of temple this is. At the Tamil abodes the architecture leads you towards a victory or a marriage or a lesson. Here the architecture is protecting you from what you have come to see.

Tradition holds that Adi Shankara stayed at Kukke Subramanya and composed the Subrahmanya Bhujangam here, the hymn in the coiling bhujanga metre, named for the movement of a serpent, which is itself an answer to the place.

If you have read that hymn elsewhere in this app, this is the hill it is associated with. Reading it before the visit, or on the riverbank after bathing in the Kumaradhara, gives the words a location.

Rituals here follow the Tantrasara Sangraha of Madhvacharya, performed by Shivalli Madhva brahmins, which is why the names and the shape of the day do not match the six abodes at all. There is no Kalasandhi or Uchikkala here; the day runs through Ushakala, Madhyanna and Nisha pooja instead.

Administration passed through the Koojugodu Kattemane family for generations, an Arebhashe Vokkaliga Gowda lineage with connections to the Sringeri Sharada Peetam and to the Haleri rulers of Kodagu. The Sthanika brahmins were the earlier priestly community and lost that role in the early twentieth century.

Only some of the temple's times are published officially. Our timetable marks which are which, and the rest should be confirmed with the temple.

Champa Shashti is the principal festival and fills the town. Because Sarpa Samskara and Ashlesha Bali are booked rather than simply attended, planning a visit here means engaging with the temple's booking system in advance rather than arriving and joining a queue.