Kanakadasa- Adi Keshava Temple- Kaginele

Kanakadasa- Adi Keshava Temple- Kaginele

Kaginele is known as the birthplace of Kannada saint-poet Kanaka Dasa. Kaginele is located in Byadagi Taluk of Haveri district. Kanaka Dasa was an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna and all of his poems end with the ankitha name (pen name) Kaginele Adi Keshava. The village is known for Keshava (Krishna) Temple which served as an important place during the time of Kanaka Dasa. Today, Kaginele also has Kanaka Guru Peetha which is followed by Kuruba Gowda (Halumatha) community.

The great saint-poet Kanakadasa lived during the 16th century in Bada village (Shiggaon taluk, Haveri district). He was well-versed in academics, Vedas, literature and the art of war. Due to the early demise of his father, Kanakadasa, who was then called as Thimmappa, became the chieftain of Bada. According to a legend, while carrying out excavation in Bada, Thimmappa found a large treasure chest of gold, which he used for the cause of people. After this, people started calling him by the name Kanaka (golden) Nayaka.

Many believe that once, when he was critically wounded in the battlefield, Kanaka Nayaka felt a divine presence near him, when Lord Krishna asked him to become his dasa (devotee). Kanaka Nayaka then abdicated his chieftainship, became a hermit and called himself Kanakadasa. Thereafter, he immersed himself in authoring devotional songs, poems and other lyrical works and is believed to have been blessed with the darshan of Lord Krishna on many occasions.

Kanakadasa initially worshipped Lord Krishna as Adikeshava at a small shrine in Bada. He moved to Kaginele, a small village in Byadagi taluk, after giving up his princely life. He is said to have carried the idol with him to protect it from the invaders, and installed it at the present location in Kaginele. This ancient shrine of Kaginele Adikeshava stands in all its glory even today. The Adikeshava shrine has a small mantapa and a garbhagriha, where a panchaloha idol of the deity is installed in the vishvaroopa form. There is a neem tree behind this temple with a bench-like platform built around it. Called Kanakadasa’s bench, they say he used to deliver his sermons from here.

Kanakadasa is said to have performed many miracles to show to the world the supremacy of Sri Hari. The famous of them is the Kanakana Kindi, an opening in Udupi. As he belonged to a lower caste, the people of upper caste did not allow him to enter the Krishna temple to have darshan of Lord Krishna. The God who had realised that Kanaka is his real devotee gave darshan to him through a small opening, now famous as Kanakana Kindi.

Situated at a little distance away from the temple is a shrine called Saint Kanakadasara Gaddige, which has been built above the samadhi of the poet, with a statue of Kanakadasa holding the tanpura and cymbals installed within. A conch and the begging bowl, said to have been used by Kanakadasa, are exhibited here.