Kanipura Sri Gopalakrishna Temple, Kumbla

Kanipura Sri Gopalakrishna Temple lies in the centre of Kumbla, about eight miles north of Kasaragod, at the foot of a hill with the Kumbha Hole river along its northern side. Its black stone image of Bala Gopalakrishna is believed to be the one worshipped by Yashoda, and tradition credits the sage Kanva with installing it; Kanipura is taken to be a form of Kanvapura. Legend adds that the holy water he poured over the image became the Kumbha river, which gave Kumbla its name.

Records say King Jayasimha of the Kadamba dynasty renovated the temple in the 10th century, and the Kumbla Rajas were crowned here. Parthi Subba, called the father of Yakshagana, grew up in Kumbla and praised the deity in song. The five-day festival begins on Makara Sankramana and is known as Kumble Bedi for its long fireworks display before the deity. In 2012 large protests followed a plan to demolish the temple for a highway.