Shishila is a beautiful temple village located in a picturesque location near Dharmasthala in Belthangady taluk. The main attraction of Shishila is a temple dedicated to Lord Shishileshwara (Shiva). Lord Shishileshwara is worshipped in this rocky temple in the form of 'Udbhava Linga'. The temple is situated on the banks of river Kapila. The river flowing here enhances the natural richness of this place.
One has to cross the Kapila River (by walk or using hanging bridge) to enter the Shishileshwara Temple premises.
The Shishileshwara temple is believed to be one of the old temples in Dakshina Kannada district. The history of this temple dates back to 700 years. The internal architecture of the temple appears like Basadi (Jain Temple). Though the temple has been renovated in the year 2000, the antiquity of the temple has been restored.
The Shishileshwara temple architecture includes Garbhagriha, Mukhamantapa, Namaskaramantapa, Dhwajasthamba and Gopura. Apart from the Shishileshwara, there are shrines dedicated to Lord Ganapathi, Durgaparameshwari, Kumaradaiva, Kodamanithaya, Rajan daiva, Kilamarithaya, Panjurli, Basadi nayaka and Guliga. You can also see the Nagabana near the temple.
Shishila is also famous for the Matsya Theertha (Kapila river, that flows near the temple). The Mahashir fish is found in huge numbers in the Kapila river. The fishes in this river are believed to be sacred and Prasadam is offered to these fishes after puja everyday. It is also believed that worshipping at Shishileshwara temple, fishes and feeding the fishes in Kapila River, one can get rid of all types of skin disease.
The dark memory of the mass death of fishes in the Kapila river in the year 1996 is still haunting the people of this region. Therefore, a monument (Matsya Smaraks) has been built at Shishila to pay tribute to the fishes. The fishing is strictly banned in Kapila River around 2 kilometers from Shishila.
The other attractions of this place are two rocks, 'Huli Kallu' (rock named after tiger), and 'Dana Kallu' (rock named after cow). It is believed that, a tiger and a cow reached the river and tiger chased the cow. To avoid violence, Shishileshwara converted tiger and cow into rocks. These rocks are also worshipped during the annual festival. Apart from these rocks, there is one more rock called 'Devara Kallu' located in the temple premises.
The annual festival at Shishila is held at the end of May and celebrated for 7 days with unique feature in each day.
Free lunch is provided to the devotees by the temple management every Monday.
Since there are no well equipped restaurants at Shishila, you will need to carry food with you.
Nearest Attractions:
Dharmasthala: 25 Km
Montethadka Durgaparamshwari Temple, Shibaje: 15 Km
Sauthadka Vanamaha Ganapathi Temple: 20 Km
Kukke Subrahmanya Temple: 55 Km
Best Time to visit Shishila: September to May
Temple Address:
Sri Shishileshwara Temple, Shishila,
Belthangady Taluk,
Dakshina Kannada - 574 198
Phone: 08251-269322
Shishileshwara Temple Timings
Morning: 09.30 AM to 11.30 AM
Noon: 12.30 PM to 01.30 PM
Evening: 04.30 PM to 08.00 PM
How to get there:
Nearest Airport: Mangalore International Airport at Bajpe
Nearest Railway Station: Subrahmanya
Road: Shishila is well connected by road network. The bus stop is located at a distance of 0.5 Km from the temple. Limited numbers of buses ply to Shishila from Uppinangadi and Dharmasthala. The alternative way to travel is by service jeeps or auto rickshaws from Dharmasthala (make sure you fix the amount for pick up and drop before hiring any jeeps or auto rickshaws)
Route Map to Shishila (Driving Directions)
From Bangalore: via Nelamangala - Kunigal - Hassan - Sakaleshpur - Kokkada - Arasinamakki
From Mangalore: via Bantwal - Guruvayanakere - Belthangady - Ujire - Dharmasthala - Arasinamakki
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