Shri Rajarajeshwari Temple

Polali Rajarajeshwari Temple is a temple located in Polali, Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka. The primary deity of the temple is Shri Rajarajeshwari. The temple was constructed in the 8th century AD by King Suratha and has been developed by many dynasties which ruled over the region. The idol of Sri Rajarajeshwari, another name/form of the divine Goddess Sri Lalita Tripurasundari, is completely moulded from clay with special medicinal properties. The temple portrays Hindu architecture with roofs adorned with wooden carvings of gods and copper plates. Daily and special poojas are conducted in the temple under the auspices of the head priests K Rama Bhat, Madhava Bhat, Parameshwara Bhat and Narayan Bhat. Morning, afternoon and evening nitya (daily) poojas are conducted at 6.30 AM, 12.30 PM and 7.00 PM respectively. In normal days temple closes from 1.20 PM to 4.00 PM for cleaning and maintenance. Anna Prasadam or noon lunch is served 7 days of the week and all year around for everyone. Annual festivals are held in the temple with much fanfare. Polali Chendu festival is an important festive event where football is played to represent the fight of good over evil. The Chendu festival is followed by the annual festival in March, which lasts for a month and is attended by people from all over the world.Tipu Sultan was an admirer of Polali Chendu and had a platform built for him to watch the game. It is called Sultan Katte even to this day. There are four head priests (Pradhan