Challenging Star Darshan Thoogudeepa is on a spiritual journey, marked by a series of temple visits across India. His latest pilgrimage was to the revered Kottiyoor Shiva Temple in Kerala, one of the most sacred and historically significant shrines in South India. This visit to the Kottiyoor temple comes shortly after Darshan completed dubbing for The Devil, his upcoming film directed by Prakash Veer.
The Kottiyoor Temple is famously open to devotees for only 30 days a year, during the annual Vaishakha Mahotsavam. Known as Dakshina Kashi (Kashi of the South), the temple is believed to be the site where Lord Shiva meditated. The pilgrimage holds immense cultural and religious value, with traditional rituals that include devotees walking through water to reach the sanctum sanctorum. Darshan, accompanied by his wife Vijayalakshmi, son Vineesh, and fellow actor Dhanveer Gowda, participated in these time-honoured practices with deep devotion.
This is not Darshan’s first spiritual visit to Kerala. In March 2025, he visited the Madayi Kavu Bhagavathy Temple, also in Kannur, along with his family. There, he performed a Shatru Samhara Puja, a powerful ritual believed to provide spiritual protection and strength. His wife, Vijayalakshmi, has also recently visited the Kamakhya Devi Temple, and the couple together visited the Kashi Vishwanatha Temple, indicating a consistent spiritual inclination.
Photos and videos from these temple visits — especially from Kottiyoor — have garnered attention across social media platforms, showing Darshan in traditional attire, deeply immersed in prayer and ritual.
Darshan's recent visit to temples is shaped in part by his legal entanglements and rooted in personal devotion.
As for his films, Darshan's next film will be seen in Devil, which has him portray a dual role — a don and a politician — adding to the intrigue among his fans. The film, also starring Rachana Rai, Mahesh Manjrekar, among others, is currently in post-production, with its release expected later this year.