The Ganesh Chaturthi celebration is just around the corner, and Indians are all set to welcome Lord Ganesha, also known as Vinayaka or Ganapati, into their homes. The festival celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesha, who is widely known as the remover of obstacles and giver of good fortune, success, and wisdom.
This year, the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations will begin on September 7, 2024. But do you know that in the Dakshina Kannada district there is a tradition that before Ganesha Chaturthi, the devotees participate in the celebration of the festival after taking a Tirtha bath in the water flowing from the groundwater?
According to reports, the people of the coastal areas, who believe in nature as god, have associated their rituals with nature. Even on the occasion of Ganesha Chaturthi, there is a tradition of engaging in the festival of Ganesha only after worshipping nature.
The tradition of Tirtha bathing is held in the cave in Sullamale Sanctuary in Bantwal, which is about 800 feet above sea level. This tradition has been going on for many years.
Devotees have the opportunity to take a Tirtha bath between Shravan Amavasya to Ganesh Chaturthi in this cave area, which is open for devotees only four days a year. On the day of Shravan Amavasya, the custodians of this cave and the Ullalti deity associated with the cave and the villagers together lower the kerpu (a natural step on a bamboo stick) into the cave for the devotees to perform Tirthasna.
After going down to a depth of about 50 feet from the earth and passing between two rocks for about 50 feet, one will see an underground waterfall inside the cave. It is also believed that during the Mahabharata, the Pandavas spent some days of their exile inside this cave.
In addition to this, there are also seven lakes believed to have been built by the Pandavas, and it is also believed that the wishes of the devotees who have bathed here are fulfilled. There is a gap of a few inches between the two rocks, and while walking between the rocks, only if you shout Govinda, you can easily walk between the rocks to the waterfall without any difficulty.
After Ganesh Chaturthi, there is a complete ban on public entry to this cave. It is possible to go to this Sullamale Cave from Dasarakodi on the Mangalore-Bangalore National Highway, and this cave can be reached by walking about 3 kilometres in the forest. Due to tradition, filming inside the cave has been banned for the past few years.
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