Kukke Subramanya and Dharmasthala
Udupi and the temple coast · 12 hrs · Cab included · Pickup from your stay
From ₹2990 for the whole vehicle, up to 8 people. The price is per car, not per person.
Vehicles
- Swift Dzire: Sedan. Best for a couple or a small family. ₹2990 for the vehicle.
- Tata Sumo: Rugged 8-seater. The most room for the money. ₹3490 for the vehicle.
- Innova or Ertiga: The comfortable one on a long hill day. ₹4990 for the vehicle.
Two ghat temples, ordered by their doors
Kukke Subramanya and Dharmasthala are an hour and a half apart in the Dakshina Kannada hills, and for most people visiting the coast they are one trip. They are nearer Mangaluru than Udupi, so this day starts in Mangaluru.
Kukke goes first because it is the farther one and the busier one: three hours out at dawn, darshan before the day's queue builds, and the old shrine at Adi Subramanya next to it. Then down through the forest roads to Dharmasthala, which on most days keeps its doors open into the early afternoon and serves its free meal at that hour. Bahubali's hill is last, on the way out of town.
Both temples sit at the end of narrow ghat roads, with buses that run on their own schedule and no taxis to call between them. The car is yours from half past five at one flat price for the vehicle.
Your day, stop by stop
1. Kukke Subramanya Temple
The temple of Subramanya as lord of serpents, in forest at the foot of the Kumara Parvatha range, on the Kumaradhara river. Men take off their shirts and vests for darshan. It is busiest at weekends and on festival days.
Seva and special darshan tickets at the temple counters
2. Adi Subramanya
The older shrine a short distance from the main temple, which many pilgrims visit as part of the same darshan. Quieter, and a few minutes away.
3. Dharmasthala Manjunatha Temple
A Shiva temple run for generations by a Jain family and served by Vaishnava priests, on the Netravati river. The queue can be very long. The free meal served to every visitor is part of the visit.
4. Bahubali statue, Ratnagiri hill
A 39-foot monolith of the Jain saint Bahubali on a small hill above the temple town, reached by steps. Ten minutes up, and the best view of Dharmasthala.
In your price
- Private vehicle with driver for the day
- Pickup and drop at your stay in Mangaluru
- Fuel, tolls, driver allowance and parking at every stop
- Kukke first, so Dharmasthala is reached inside its morning session
- GoExplorer support number for the day
Not included
- Seva and special darshan tickets
- Sarpa Samskara and other multi-day sevas at Kukke
- Meals other than the temple's own
- Anything personal
What you pay on the day
- Seva and special darshan tickets, if you want them
- Footwear deposits at the temples
- Breakfast and anything personal
Who this suits
Pilgrims, and families travelling with them. It is a long day with about six hours of driving, three of it on ghat roads, so anyone prone to car sickness should pick the Innova and sit up front. The sedan seats four, the Tata Sumo eight and the Innova six, each at one flat price for the car.
What to bring
Temple dress: men in a dhoti or trousers, ready to remove shirts and vests for darshan at both temples, no shorts. Women in a saree or salwar with a dupatta. Cash for sevas and deposits. Something for car sickness on the ghat road.
Ghat roads in the monsoon
June to September is heavy rain in these hills and the day runs in it, a little slower. If a landslide or a red alert closes the Kukke road you get a full refund or a free reschedule.
Cancellation
- More than 24 hrs before: Full refund
- Within 24 hrs: 50% refund, or reschedule free once
- No show: No refund
Safety and the operator
Run by a licensed local ground operator, one driver per vehicle, commercially registered and insured. The roads to Kukke are narrow, winding and shared with pilgrim buses; drivers on this route know them well. Queues at both temples are long on weekends and festival days.
Questions
Is the price per person?
No. It is one price for the whole vehicle for the day. Eight of you in the Tata Sumo pay ₹3,490 between you, not each.
Can we do the Sarpa Samskara at Kukke on this day?
No. It is a ritual over more than one day, booked with the temple, and it needs you to stay at Kukke. This day covers darshan only.
Can we start from Udupi instead?
Only by adding about two hours of driving. Udupi is about 100 km from Dharmasthala and 160 km from Kukke, which pushes the day well past twelve hours. We run it from Mangaluru for that reason.
What are the dress rules?
Men remove shirts and vests for darshan at both temples, and shorts are not allowed. Women should be in traditional dress. The rules are enforced at the door.