सनातन पुस्तकालय Sanatan Cultural Library

Dharmasthala, 'the abode of dharma', is one of India's most unusual sacred places. Tradition tells that the Dharma Daivas, guardian spirits of dharma, appeared to the Jain Pergade household and asked that their home become a seat of charity; the family obeyed, and their descendants, the Heggades, have served ever since as Dharmadhikari — lay trustees of the temple. The presiding deity is Manjunatha, Shiva as a linga that tradition says was brought from Kadri by the deity's command, yet the daily worship is performed by Vaishnava priests of the Madhva tradition, while the administration remains with the Jain Heggade family. This meeting of traditions is not an accident but the temple's very identity, expressed most concretely in its annadana: every visitor, of any faith, is fed free at the temple's vast dining halls, a duty the Heggades regard as the first charge on the institution.

Laksha Deepotsava falls in Kartika, the month of lamps across India, when the utsava murti of Manjunatha is taken in procession and the whole temple town is set alight. Over five days, workers and volunteers fill and light row upon row of oil lamps — a lakh and more — along the streets, the temple courtyards and the banks of the Netravati, until Dharmasthala glows like a field of stars. The rathotsava draws enormous crowds, and special poojas continue through each night. What makes the festival distinctive is what the Heggades long ago joined to it: the Sarva Dharma Sammelana, a convention where speakers of different faiths share a single platform, and a Sahitya Sammelana devoted to Kannada letters, a pairing maintained for generations. Exhibitions, cultural performances and mass annadana for lakhs of visitors complete a festival that treats light, learning and harmony as one offering.

The lamps belong to Dharmasthala, but Kartika's lamp-lighting belongs to every Hindu home. Ottawa families who love this festival can keep Kartika deepa daily through the month — a lamp at dusk before the home shrine, with 'Om Namah Shivaya' — and light a fuller spread of lamps on the festival evenings, which the site's panchang can place in Ottawa's time zone. The temple's official channels usually share photographs and live coverage of the deepotsava, and devotees abroad can arrange sevas remotely. The festival's other half travels too: in the deepotsava's spirit, many families choose these days for a donation to a food bank or interfaith cause, echoing Dharmasthala's annadana. A visit to Dharmasthala pairs naturally with Kukke Subrahmanya and Udupi on a coastal Karnataka yatra.