Kanipura Sri Gopalakrishna Temple

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Kanipura Sri Gopalakrishna Temple is an ancient Hindu temple in Kumbla town, eight miles north of Kasaragod, in Kerala, India. The shrine is dedicated to Shri Gopalakrishna (Bal Gopalkrishna). The idol is a child form, worshipped by Yashoda, and local belief says Krishna himself gave the idol to a sage in the Dvapara Yuga, who placed it here.

In the 10th century, Kadamba king Jayasimha renovated the temple, and the rulers of the Kumbla kingdom conducted their coronations here. The temple is believed to be sacred through Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga, and Kali Yuga. Priests at the temple belong to the Kota Brahmin community.

Kanipura was the original seat of the Raja of Kumbla; later the capital moved to Maipady. Remains of forts at Kumbla and nearby Arikadi show the area’s former political importance. The name Kanipura is linked to Kanva Maharshi, and nearby places with Kanva names reflect local legends connected to the sage.

A famous legend says the idol was installed after a holy man performed Abhishekam using a precious liquid saved in his Kamandalu. The liquid flowed as a stream that grew into the Kumbha Hole river (also called Kumbhini) near the temple, helping give the town its name.

The temple sits in the heart of Kumbla, at the foot of a hill, with the Kumbha Hole river to the north. Daily worship includes other deities such as Srimadanantheshwara and Vinayaka of Madhur.

The temple has a strong cultural link to Yakshagana through Parthi Subba, born in Kumbla, who is regarded as the father of Thenkku Thittu Yakshagana.

Festival time is a five-day event that begins on Makara Sankramana with Dhwaja Arohanam. The idol is taken around in a procession, dipped in a pond about 3 kilometers away, and the holy flag (Kodi) is lowered. The popular display, known as Kumble Bedi, features the idol on a Banyan tree platform and lasts about an hour and a half, drawing people from across Kerala and Tulunadu.

In 2012, the temple faced a threat of demolition due to highway work. A massive protest on January 24, 2012 drew more than 100,000 people from Kasaragod and involved many religious and political leaders in demanding the preservation of the temple.