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According to the sthala purana of Southadka, a Ganapati temple revered by a royal family was once destroyed by enemies. Not to let the enemies destroy the beautiful idol of Ganapati that was at the temple, cow herds of the place carried it along with them and installed it in a place where cucumber was grown in plenty. Since southe means cucumber and adka means meadow in Tulu, the place soon gained popularity as Southadka. The farmers of the place reaped huge harvests of cucumber, offered it to Lord Ganapati and even wished to build a temple there. But, according to a popular belief, Ganapati graced their dreams and asked them not to build a temple for him at Southadka as that would mean restrictions on devotees visiting the place to seek his blessings. The Lord expressed his wish to remain in open air with no formal structure surrounding him so that devotees could access him round-the-clock. Lord Ganapati’s wish was the farmers’ command and to this day the Lord sits majestically in the lush green surroundings of Southadka, blessing his devotees 24/7.

According to temple authorities, of the many sevas offered at the temple, the most popular one is the avalakki panchakajjaya seva (a delicious mixture of beaten rice, jaggery, til (sesame), coconut, honey and banana) performed on a regular basis. The laddu prasada too shouldn’t be given a miss. One word of caution though: whoever performs the avalakki panchakajjaya seva has to share a fair amount of Lord’s prasada with the many cows around.