Shri Veeranjaneya Kshethra, Bangaramakki, drawing hundreds of devotees seeking solace at the feet of Shree Ramabhaktha Hanuman every day round the year, is located at Gerasoppa, the historical capital of Pepper Queen fame Rani Chennabhairadevi. This is on the bank of the holy river Sharavathi, flowing graciously after jumping from a height of 830 feet forming the world famous Jog Falls in the heart of Malenadu and in the vast stretch of evergreen woods on the Sahyadri range of mountains in Karnataka South India. It is situated at a distance of 45 kilometers from Talaguppa and 32 k.m before reaching Honnavar on National Highway no.206, popularly known as B.H Road or Bangalore Honnavar Road. The nearest Airports are at Goa (90km) and Mangalore (80 km).

The Presiding Deity

As the name of the Kshethra itself suggests, the presiding deity of the Kshethra is ‘Shri Veeranjaneya’. Shri Veeranjaneya of Bangaramakki, in a standing pose with hands joined in Namaskar Mudra, keeping the Gadha before the legs holding it upside down with the tip, touching the ground near the feet, symbolizes, at once the spirit of total surrender at the feet of his God Shri Rama and his valour, in defense of Dharma or righteousness ensuring peace and prosperity to the devotees seeking solace at his feet.

Lord Shri Veeranjaneya is facing North. It indicates the context of his return from Lanka after his successful mission of locating of Seetha at Ashoka Vana . Anjaneya is seen here with a sense of fulfilment of his vow of searching Seetha and being elated by the site of joy in the face of his Lord Shree Rama on receiving the Chudamani, the hairpin of Seetha from him. He is truly Veeranjaneya, for he had achieved what was otherwise impossible for others. Jumping across the sea, tracing Seetha and escaping from the clutches of Ravana and his musclemen by giving a heavy blow to their pride are verily his heroic deeds.

The uncommon pose of Anjaneya’s tail in the left to right direction symbolises his discriptions as              “Asaadhya Saadhaka” meaning the achiever of the impossible. This pose is also said to symbolize “Kshipra Siddhi and Kaarya Siddhi” meaning the bestower of immediate success in all endeavours.
Lord Shri Veeranjaneya was installed by late Vedamoorthi, Brahmashree Ganesh Bhat born in a family of the hereditary heists of Anjaneya, with a known history of more than 400 years, on the spot sanctified by meditation, by His Holiness Shree Avadhootha Bhagavan Shree Shreedhara Swami of Varadahalli on many occasions, in fulfilment of his wishes expressed by him on one such occasion. Later his Holiness Jagadguru Shree Bharathi Theertha Swamiji of Shringeri Matha, declared that the place be called ‘Hemapura’ meaning the golden city.

Since then thousands of saints and lakhs of devotees flock here from the length and breadth of the country and the world seeking solace and return with a sense of contentment and fulfilment of their righteous desires, feeling happy being relieved from the burden of stress and strain of their everyday life of the worldly pursuits, as evidenced by the rapid rise in the ascending scale of the number of devotees visiting the Kshethra.

Samsthaapaka

Shri Ganesh Bhat the founder of the temple was born in 1947, the year India got independence from the British, as the son of late Shri Venkappa Bhat who was the hereditary priest of the Seeme Mukhyapraana Devaru at Gerasoppa. He was scholar in Veda Samskrutha & Jyotishya. At the age of 32 crossed Sharavathi and came to stay at Bangaramakki.

Responding to his inner call he decided to build at a Temple for Hanuman in fulfillment of the wishes of Avadhuta Bhagavan Sridhar Swamy of Varadahalli whom he had always held in reverence.

He brought home a statue of Veeranjaneya under Jalaadhivaasa for 15 years in a village near Mirjan in kumta Taluk in 1981 & started worshipping at his home. In 1986 the temple was built and the statue was installed in the temple.

He had been ordained by his father continue the family tradition of “Darshana” giving solace to the people who come to the feet of Anjaneya seeking solutions for their problems.

In 1997 he anointed his son Shri Maruthi Guruji as the Trustee and the priest of the Veeranjaneya temple founded by him. Later in 2000 he ordained Shri Maruthi Guruji to carry on family tradition of Darshana. Since then he was living like a saint engaged in spirit.

The Idol of Anjaneya

When Vedamoorthi Brahmashree Shri Ganesh Bhat had the inner call from Lord Hanuman to build a shrine for him, the idol of Anjaneya was found ready waiting for installation at a place near Mirjan in Kumta Taluk after a Jalaadhivasa of 15 years. Earlier, during the Jalaadhivasa period many people who wanted to have the idol for installation did not get divine consent sought according to the traditional system of “Deva prashne” as if the idol was kept reserved for installation at Bangaramakki by a divine plan.

Darshanaa A unique feature of the Kshethra is the 400 years old tradition of ‘Darshanaa’ during which the presiding deity of the temple, Anjaneya is believed to listen to the woes and submissions of the devotees and speak to them through the mouth of the hereditarily ordained priest. At present, Shri Maruthi Guruji, the Dharmadhikari or the high priest of the temple, ordained by his father Vedamoorthi Brahmashree Shri Ganesh Bhat is continuing the tradition of Darshanaa i.e. the spiritual counseling, for the devotees seeking solution for their problems of varying nature like crises in spiritual pursuits, domestic and family conflicts, physical, physiological and psychological ailments, education, career prospects, business etc. The message carried by the words of mouth of the beneficiaries of ‘Darshanaa’ has reached far and wide, even beyond the borders of the country that the number of persons seeking “Darshanaa” is always on rise. ’Darshanaa’ takes place between 7am to 12pm, on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday only, excluding Ekadashi, Poornima and Amavasya falling on these days.