Marikamba Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Hubli is the nearest airport, about 2.5 hours by road from Sirsi. Belagavi is about 5 hours away by road.

• By train

  Talaguppa and Kumta are the nearest railheads, 54 km and 62 km from Sirsi.

• By road

  Sirsi is linked by road to the neighbouring district headquarters of Dharwad, Mangalore, Udupi, Haveri, Belgaum and Shimoga.

Why devotees come here

Marikamba Temple is in Sirsi, a city in Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka. It is dedicated to Marikamba Devi, a form of Durga. Local news reports call it one of the state's awakened (jagrata) Shakti Peethas.

Marikamba is regarded as the elder sister of all the Durga devis in Karnataka. The jatre has centuries of history behind it. Devotees believe the 7-foot image of Marikamba was retrieved from a pond on the road to Hangal.

The temple was built in 1688 and has been renovated at intervals since. Its facade is a 19th-century addition, painted blue. The sanctum holds a fierce form of Durga with eight shoulders, riding a tiger and killing a demon. The murals inside are painted in Kaavi art.

During the jatre Marikamba is seated on a throne, and she rises from it to end the nine-day fair. Pilgrims from across India come to see the chariot procession, which devotees pull for about half a kilometre.

Festivals

• Once every two yearsMarikamba Jatre

  Lasts nine days. An earlier news report gave the dates as March 19 to 27, with the chariot ascent on 20 March. Confirm this year's dates before you travel.

Tips for your visit

• Banavasi, an ancient Kadamba capital with a Madhukeshwara temple, is 24 km from Sirsi town centre.
• Nearly 100,000 devotees attend the fair, so expect large crowds during the nine days of the jatre.

Questions people ask