Gopalakrishna Temple: A place to find Yashodha's Kanha

 

The small town Kumbla in Kasargod has an ancient temple which has the sanctity of over three yugas as per Hindu beliefs ranging from the Treta, Dwapara to Kaliyugam & so its origin is not clear. The temple is dedicated to one of the unique idols of Lord Krishna said to be the oldest of its kind & worshipped by Lord Krishna's foster mother, Yashoda in Gokul village. The Gopalakrishna temple is a simple but beautiful structure with many items which have lasted for centuries.

It is believed that in Treta Yuga after Lord Krishna left for Mathura, his foster mother wept inconsolably which made the Lord appear before her in the form of the small naughty child he was with butter balls in his hands. This form turned into a black granite stone idol called Krishnashila which made Yashoda feel his divinity while he took the journey to Mathura. The idol was worshipped by Yashoda and the people of Gokul for years. This is the same idol considered to be consecrated at this temple by Kanva Maharshi in Dwapara Yuga. The temple is also called Kanipura Sree Krishna temple which is related to the name of Kanwa Rishi who came to this village to place the idol here. After placing the idol at the spot, Kanwa Maharishi is said to have poured the water from his kamandalam to perform murti abhishekam ; the water took the form of a river which flowed north of the temple. The river was called Kumbini or Kumbha Hole (water from the Kamandalam) which later became the name of the village Kumbla. 

The story of the temple dates back to the time of the Kadamba dynasty & in the 10th century King Jayasimha built the temple to rule the kingdom under the name Kanipura Sri Gopalakrishna. Kumbla as it was known then became the capital of the dynasty & it later changed hands to the Mypadi rulers. The idol consecrated by Kanva Maharshi was placed in a small room & the temple structure was built around it with typical Hoysala architecture. As the consecration is called Rishi Prathishte, the Hindu scriptures do not allow shifting of the idol from the temple premises. The temple possesses palm leaves writings which date back over 1800 years where the pooja instructions are mentioned which makes one believe that there was a temple before King Jayasimha made the structure, or he could have just made an elaborate renovation on an existing temple. The dwajasthambam or flag pole one sees has a copper inscription which dates back to the 4th century called Thamra Sashana mentioning about the donation of temple land to the temple priests by the Kumbla kings. Another unique sight inside the temple is the presence of a solid wooden pole which is unusual to find in any other temples around. The architecture has many stone pillars with a large central courtyard which has the large gopuram with granite flooring for recitals. The idol of Gopalakrishna is still placed in the stone garbhagriha as it was when Kanva Maharshi consecrated it here thousands of years back.

The temple is also the venue for coronation of the Kumbla kings & they revered the Lord as the supreme deity. All important decisions of the kingdom were made under the blessings of the deity. This rule was also followed by the Travancore king Marthanda Varma when he took over the title of Padmanabha Dasa. The celebrated folk dance creator Parthi Subba who is known to have designed the Yakshagana artform has used praises for Sri Gopalakrishna of Kanipura in his prasangas for the performances. The temple deity also called Santa Gopalakrishna celebrates its annual festival with grandeur where the Utsava Murthy one can see sitting under the holy Aswatha tree is taken out on a procession concluding in a dip in the holy river on the day of Arattu. The priest of the temple also conducts an unique ritual where the murti is carried around the temple placed on his head. The priest walks in a dedicated thala without holding the murti in an act of great balance. The temple for many centuries has been a place of solace for many, pregnant women worship the deity in hope of being blessed with an intelligent & healthy child. One can also find cows wandering the temple premises which relates to Lord Krishna’s love for them. The temple reverence is said to be in similarity to the Guruvayur temple & so one can find many devotees at the temple. 

The temple has seen many renovations over the years, it has also been subject to many vandalisms from invaders & governments but the divinity of Yashoda’s naughty child has stayed on till today. The child-like smile of Gopalakrishna inside the temple is what attracts all visitors to the temple & one has to be here to realise it.