Khandoba Temple,Mailara Linga Dharwad
Khandoba or Mailara is worshipped in a number of places, out of which eleven from Karnataka and Maharashtra are the most important. These are called the ‘jagrit kshetras’ (especially wakeful places) of Khandoba. The eleven ‘jagrit kshetras’ of the God claims to be the original place where he came to earth to conquer the two demons, Mani and Malla. The dominant among these in the northern part of the cult and throughout the whole of the Deccan is Jejuri in the Pune district of Maharashtra. |
|
The ones in Karnataka are Mangasuli in Belgaum district, Mailara-purpembar in Bidar district, Mailara-linga in Dharwad district, Mailaradevaragudda in Dharwad district and Man-mailara in Bellary district . Of all the festivals of Mailara, the two great festivals are Dussehra festival at Devaragudda (Dharwad district) and the eleven day festival in the month of Magha (February-March) at Mailara (Bellary district). The Mailara cult would have had a following at Vijayanagara for a number of reasons, for this site falls within the zone in the Deccan where the Mailara or Khandoba or Mallanna cult was, and still is, widely prevalent. Also the cult of this god was already popular in the Deccan between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries, that is, before the Vijayanagara Empire was established as well as around the time of its foundation. Mailara is a warlike deity, with a wide appeal to castes leaning towards martial activities.
|
