01Refuge of Vasuki
The kshetra’s katha says that Vasuki, king of the nagas, fled here from Garuda and did tapas in the caves of the Kumaradhara, and Bhagwan Subrahmanya, after slaying Tarakasura and washing his shakti in this river, gave him refuge and promised to stay with him for ever. So in the sanctum Subrahmanya stands on a pedestal with Vasuki beneath him and Adishesha too. Between the main sanctum and the outer hall is a silver-plated Garuda pillar, held to shield devotees from the breath of Vasuki. The Kumaradhara, rising on Kumara Parvata above the temple, is bathed in before darshan.
02Rites for the nagas
Kukke is above all the place for Sarpa Samskara, the funeral rite for a serpent harmed knowingly or unknowingly, and for Ashlesha Bali, done on the Ashlesha nakshatra. Families from all over South India book these weeks ahead. The priests are Shivalli Madhwa Brahmins, and the Subrahmanya Math, one of the Madhwa mathas, stands beside the temple. Champa Shashti in Margashirsha, with its chariot festival, is the great annual feast. The trek up Kumara Parvata, one of the hardest in Karnataka, starts from the village.
About 105 km east of Mangaluru; Subrahmanya Road station is 12 km away. Book Sarpa Samskara with the temple office in advance.
