Historical PeriodEra
📷 Indianhilbilly · [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) · source
Deities
Mañjunātha of Dharmasthala
Mañjunātha — Shiva; the "dharma-house" temple with 800-year Jain trusteeship
Mañjunātha — Shiva; the "dharma-house" temple with 800-year Jain trusteeship
Dharmasthala is unique: a Shaiva temple (Mañjunātha) administered by a Jain Pariyar family (the Heggade hereditary trustees for 800+ years), drawing Hindu, Jain, and Christian pilgrims equally. The current (21st) Heggade, Dr. Veerendra Heggade, served 1968–2022. Annadāna (free meal): 30,000 daily; the temple feeds more people daily than any other in India. The temple also administers a law-court (dharma-nyāyālaya) for community disputes — judgments traditionally obeyed.
Daily aarati (dawn + dusk); abhisheka; flower and coconut offerings; evening deepa-dhyana. Annual festival features procession, special darshan, distribution of prasadam, and gathering of community.
Each district of India has its own gods, stories, and sacred places. Cataloguing them — with real coordinates and authentic local tradition — respects the richness of India's lived religious diversity.
