Tirtha Atlas

The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.

1805 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Early medieval · Hindu · India

Kanipura Sri Gopalakrishna Temple

Kumbla, Kasaragod district, Kerala · 12.5949°, 74.9424°

Gopalakrishna (Balagopalakrishna, Krishna)Kadamba
Sacred since
900 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
ancient; renovated 10th c. under Kadamba king Jayasimha
Kadamba

History & significance

An old Vaishnava temple at Kumbla in Kasaragod district holding a jet-black granite Balagopalakrishna, renovated in the 10th century by the Kadamba king Jayasimha whose capital was Kumbla; it is reckoned an Abhimana Kshetram.

Sthala katha — the legend

Krishna is said to have given the image to the sage Kanva in the Dvapara Yuga; the water that flowed from the sage's rites became the Kumbha Hole river, and the town grew around it.

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Related sites

Mahabaleshwar Temple, Gokarna
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Tulja Bhavani Temple
Tuljapur, Dharashiv · India
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Mahadev Temple, Tambdi Surla
Tambdi Surla · India
13th c. (Kadamba)
Kamala Narayana Temple
Degaon · India
1174 (Kadamba)
Banavasi Madhukeshwara Temple
Banavasi · India
2nd c. (Kadamba)

Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Kadamba