Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Temple:
The Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Temple at Dharmasthala recently welcomed the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) by the Karnataka government to probe the allegation of mass secret burial of unidentified bodies in the pilgrimage centre.
- Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Temple is a Hindu temple located in the town of Dharmasthala in Karnataka.
- It is dedicated to Lord Shiva, who here is worshipped as Lord Manjunatha.
- The temple dates back 800 years.
- It has Madhwa Vaishnava priests and is administered by a hereditary Jain family, the Heggades.
- The temple has been built following the Kerala temple architecture.
- Kerala-style temples are different from temples in other South Indian temple architecture, and the Manjunatha Dharmasthala temple reflects this differentiation.
- Materials used in building the temple are wood, clay, stone, metals, and laterite. The base structure is made up of granite and laterite.
- The temple has a square plan, and therefore a pyramidal sloping roof.
- The wooden roof is covered in gold-plated copper plates to protect the inner skeletal framework.
- Wooden pillars support the front pavilion of the temple.
