Devotees Pray For Their Lost Jewellery In This 500-year-old Uttara Kannada Temple

Muttalli Gouramma is a revered deity. To offer prayers to her and get her darshan, thousands of people from far and nearby places throng to this place to seek her blessings. She is worshipped at the house of GT Naik in Haliyal, a village in Siddapur, Uttara Kannada district. Do you know that the temple attracts attention for its uniqueness? Muttalli Gouramma has been worshipped here for approximately 500 years and the responsibility of continuing with it was given to the Naik family by the kings of Bilagi. Originally from Muttalli, the Gouri temple is now in a nearby village of Haliyal and is open for darshan for only four days a year. From the day after Ganesh Chaturthi, people make a beeline to visit the temple, get her darshan and seek her blessings. About 5,000 to 10,000 people visit the temple daily. There are no offerings here and no money has to be offered for any service. The temple stands out for various unique aspects. One of the main reasons is that the idol is made of wood. Generally, people make idols of gods and goddesses out of clay, this temple’s idol is made of wood.

Another feature that will have your attention is that if you ever lose your jewellery, people believe that all one needs to do is vow to offer something to the goddess and no matter how valuable the lost jeweller is, it will be returned to you. This tradition has been followed for centuries. The royal families and even common people today practise this; if a woman loses her jewellery, she immediately prays to Muttalli Gouramma. Women have also been visiting the temple to pray for children and offer small silver and gold cradles as vows.

There is no bus service to reach the temple in Haliyal. During monsoon, driving here is quite a challenging task. Many people walk for about 3.5 kilometres to reach the temple. Generally, Lord Ganesha and Goddess Gouri are always together and their idols are placed side by side, but here, the temple of Ganesha is located 3 kilometres away. Locals believe that the Goddess who visits the earthly abode for just four days protects the married women and blesses them.