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Purusha and Prakriti are twin aspects of Divine glory manifest in the universe
 Prakriti has an existence, like Purusha, through ephemeral. The latter appeals to some, while the former to some others. It is all a question of one's outlook and one's perspective. Shiva is often referred to as "Ardhanareeshwara", and the feminine part of him embodying Parvathi is thought of as being more effective and powerful. It is whereupon, perhaps, the worship of the Mother Goddess has become increasingly popular and pronounced.
Religion is man's life long quest to seek "solace" and protection in a Supreme Being, by way of a refuge from the turmoil's and tribulations of existence. God, the Supreme Being, as he is addressed in simple terms, forms the central point of religious experience. God can be viewed as "personal", symbolised in a male or female power. But, God, seen from the philosophical gaze, is purely "impersonal" and "absolute". He is in the nature of "a sprit" or "chethana" as termed in Sanskrit. To look upon God as "a person", however is an error.
In the coastal belt of the western part of the land of Baratha is situated the harbour town of Mangalapuram, or the city of Mangalore, which is
eternally blessed by the benign Mother Goddess, Mangalamba. This region, given away as a reward to sage Parashurama by Samudraraja, is well known for its Kadali fruits. It is the land of enchantment of Sahyadri mountains, where the great sages Kanva, Vysa, Vashista, Vishwamitra and other in the Loral past spent their days of meditation. Bountiful rivers dance down the mountains here and nature is attired in all her lush-full greenery. The people of "Chaturvarna" live in harmony and bliss.
This land is hailed as "Parashurama Srusti". On one of the mountain tops Lord
 Vishnu is enshrined in his incarnation of Varaha. Holy Netravati flows from his eternal eye gushing down the Sahyadri mountains into the plains to form a sacred conjunction with Kumaradhara to ultimately be in union with the Lord of the western sea. Manjunatha and Sahasralingeshwara are the hallowed divinities that bless the devotees in this region, as they throng in their ever increasing numbers, year after year.
The Taulava kings ruled this land of beauty and plenty in the days of yore. Goddess Devi who is Vindhyavasini, in her resplendent glory, once felt an irresistible desire to grace the Taulava kingdom by her holy presence. Accordingly she chose her benevolent "adsthana" the place situated to the south of the Kadali Kshetra of Lord Manjunatha. Sage Parashurama, through his perspective gaze of knowledge, came to know of the Transcendental Mother's bening arrival. Offering his obeisance to her, he hailed the
goddess in slokas of scintillating brilliance and charm.
The divine mother was immensely pleased with the devotion of Bhargava and told him that she would dwell in his place as "Mangala Devi" to be worshipped by devotees, with "Pujas" and "Utsavas" in the ages to come. She also ordained that since she would well in all her spiritual glory, Bhargava would receive her choicest blessings, for his "aradhana" of her in a mind that is chaste and pure.
Bhargava, in fullest obedience to her dictate, enshrined the goddess, as per her divine instruction, in a temple carved to perfect design by none other than Vishwakarma himself. It is thus that the holy shrine came to be established by the great sage
Bhargava.
The transcendental glory of Mangala Devi is revealed to millions of devotees in many a miraculous happenings. There was once, in the days of yore, a king called Veerabhahu who was ruling the coastal country of Tulu Desha. He was a great bhakta and ardent disciple of sage Bharadwaja. In his old age renunciation came to him as befits a great devotee. With the kind permission of his guru Bharadwaja, he handed over his kingdom to the Anegondi king, Bhangaraja, and went to the forest with his queen, for spending the rest of his life in solitude and meditation.
Bhangaraja kept up the tradition of the Talava kings by giving a very good government to his subjects. The glory of tulu desha rose to such a ecliptic heights that Lord Vinayaka thought it fit to take a decision to establish himself in the sacred abode of sharapura, (Sharavu,) which formed a part of the holy land of Mangalamba. To fulfill his divine wish Vinayaka approached Goddess Mangala and appealed to her to appear in the dream of Bhangaraja to ordain him to build a bountiful city in her name, so that Vinayaka, too could dwell in that prosperous city along with his Sire, Sharabheshwara, and his Matre, Mangala. The Goddess, pleased with the divine wish of her beloved son, ordained the king Bhangaraja to construct the marvelous city of Mangalapura in her name so that his name too might reverberate in the distant corners of Baratha Varsha with its echoes of resonance. Bhangaraja, awoke from his dream, offered his prayers to the Goddess, and immediately set upon himself the task of rebuilding the temple and along with it the beautiful city, in the hallowed name of the divine mother. He was indeed the chosen man, twice blessed, for the performance of a duty par excellence, which history record in letters of gold.
His task done, the blessed king Bhangaraja in utmost humility and devotion, offered his prayers to the goddess, with a stator of unparalleled beauty and charm. Goddess Mangala Devi supremely pleased with his devotion blessed the king with a promise to preside over the destiny of the bountiful city named after her, even and anon. For himself Bhangaraja built a palace at the heart of the harbour-land. The city so built by the ancient king extended from Kaladi Kshetra to Bharadwajashrama, where people of all castes and creed lived in blissful harmony and peace.
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Dharmasthala
About 75 Kms from Mangalore, this place has the famous temple of Lord Manjunatha. An outstanding example of religious and cultural tolerance where charity is a way of life, extended to all without discrimination. Lord Manjunatha temple is a famous pilgrim center. Sri Dharmasthala which is one of the sacred places in South India is well known to all pious people. It is situated in the village of Dharmasthala, in Beltangady Taluk of South Canara district.
Subramanya
About 120 Kms from Mangalore, Kukke Subramanya is situated in the picturesque surroundings at the feet of western ghats in the Sullia Taluk of Dakshina Kannada district. The Lord Subramanyaswamy temple is one of the famous temples of South India. It is believed that the Lord has made his spiritual presence in this shrine along with his wife Devasena and Vasuki. Every year a famous car festival is being held here on 'Margashira Shuddha Shashti' with special poojas to the Lord.
Kateel
About 30 Kms from Mangalore, Goddess Durga Parmeswari has made Kateel her home. The history of this place is that after the Goddess Ugra Bramari killed the rakshasa or the demon, she was possessed with anger, then the Devas led by Jabali performed abhishekam with tender coconut water and requested the Ugra Bramari to bless the world with her 'Sowmya Roopa'. Goddess Durga then appeared in her 'Sowmya Roopa' in middle of the river, where present structure of the temple imparts its glory to the world. 'Kati' being the word which means 'center' (midway between the 'Kanakagiri' the place where the river was born, and the end, Pravanje, where the river joins the sea) and 'lla' means area. Thus the place is called 'Kati + lla' Kateel.
Udup
About 60 kms from Mangalore, Udupi is a fairly large and upcoming town that was sanctum of Madhvacharya, the great Sanskrit Philosopher. The famous temple here, has a fascinating idol of Lord Krishna that is richly adorned with jewels. The main attraction of this temple is the 'Kanakana Kindi' -a small window through which Krishna is believed to have given darshan to his ardent devotee, Kanakadasa.
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Manjunatha. Installed by a Siddha (Sage) by name Machendranatha, this temple is believed to be of the - 10th Century. The salient feature of this temple is the ever flowing water from the "Gomukha" meaning "from the mouth of cow's idol", It is believed to have curing properties for some skin diseases. These days the water is utilised for farming nearby. This temple also has a cave called "Pandava Guhe" it is believed that the Pandavas came to this cave & stayed there. Another unique feature of this temple is that the temple tank or the "Kalyani" is at a higher level than the temple itself which is not the case in any of the other temples where the tank is situated much below the temple height. 
About 2 Kms from the city centre, this temple is the abode of Lord Gokarnatha. This temple has a very short past, founded by the Billawa Community of Mangalore this temple belongs to era of modern architecture.