Dharmasthala
A river-bank pilgrim town with free meals for all
A Dharmasthala visit centres on the Manjunatha Temple on the Netravati, a 39-ft Bahubali on Ratnagiri hill, the Manjusha Museum and free daily meals.
Overview
Dharmasthala sits on the banks of the Netravati in Belthangady taluk, Dakshina Kannada district, about 75 km east of Mangaluru and at roughly 105 m above sea level. Pilgrims come for the Sri Manjunatha Temple, and a Dharmasthala visit is usually a day trip from the coast or one night in the town. November and December, when the lamp festival is held, are the months the state tourism board points to.
The place has an unusual make-up. The temple is dedicated to Manjunatha, yet the family that administers the kshetra, the Heggades, is Jain, and the priests follow Vaishnava practice. That mix shows in the grounds, where a Jain basadi dedicated to Chandranatha Swamy stands in white marble near the main shrine. On the hill called Ratnagiri there is a 39-foot stone monolith of Bahubali.
Free food is a defining feature of the kshetra. Annaprasadam, a free meal, is offered to every visitor regardless of background. Rooms need some care: the temple's own site asks devotees to book guest houses only through www.shridharmasthala.org and to beware of fake websites, so avoid third-party room listings.
There is more to see than prayer. The Manjusha Museum displays old scripts, jewellery and household objects, and a separate collection holds vintage cars. Those two stops, with the Bahubali statue and the basadi, fill a half day on top of the temple visit.
The best-known annual event is the Laksha Deepotsava, the lighting of one lakh lamps, which is held on the closing five days of the lunar month of Kartika. It includes processions of the deity, including a silver chariot, and day-long gatherings on faiths and on literature on the fourth and fifth days, and it brings crowds counted in lakhs. Its dates move with the lunar calendar, so they shift from year to year.
Getting here means a road leg. Mangaluru International Airport is the nearest, and the city is about 75 km away. The nearest railway station, Puttur, is about 49 km off. Kukke Subramanya lies about 55 km away and Moodubidri about 51 km, while Bengaluru is about 311 km.
Known for
The main shrine, on the bank of the Netravati
Happening soon
Updated Oct 7, 2026Coming up, dates to be confirmed
Laksha Deepotsava at Dharmasthala
festivalA five-day festival of one lakh lamps for Lord Manjunatha, with deity processions and gatherings on faith and literature.
Usually over the last five days of the lunar month of Kartika, which falls in November or December
Reach out to us for the confirmed datesQuick facts
A Western Ghats foothill town in a state whose monsoon runs from June to September, with coastal and ghat districts getting far heavier rain than the interior.
Mangaluru International Airport (IXE); Mangaluru city is about 75 km away (a government culture-portal page says about 50 km from the airport itself, to be confirmed)
Puttur (Puttur station), about 49 km
Mangaluru is about 75 km, Kukke Subramanya about 55 km, Moodubidri about 51 km and Bengaluru about 311 km by road. Drive times (to be supplied).
Book rooms only through the kshetra's own website, shridharmasthala.org, as its homepage warns about fake booking sites
Plan well ahead for the Laksha Deepotsava, which draws lakhs of devotees, and check its dates against the lunar calendar before you book
Join the free annaprasadam meal rather than planning a restaurant stop, and allow time on top of the temple visit for the museum and the Bahubali statue
Location
Packages that visit Dharmasthala
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