Mookambika Temple, Kollur
Kollur Mookambika Temple is located at Kollur, Udupi District in the state of Karnataka, India. It is a Hindu temple dedicated to the Mother Goddess known as Mookambika Devi.It is situated in the foothills of Kodachadri hills, on the southern bank of Souparnika River. Being situated in the land between Gokarna and Kanyakumari, believed to be created by sage Parashurama. The main deity of the temple is a swayambhu (self-born) jyotirlinga with a golden line cutting it into half, in which the left half represents Tridevis, and the right half represents Trimurtis. Along with this, a four-handed panchaloha idol of Goddess Mookambika is also installed. Rathotsava in the month of Phalguna and Navaratri in the month of Ashwina are the main festivals in this temple. Goddess Mookambika is said to be the name given to Goddess Parvati after she killed the demon Mookasura (also known as Kaumasura).
Every day morning at 5.00 am "Nirmalya Pooja" takes place and during that time the Devotees have an opportunity to see the Swayambhoo Lingam. Every day Trikala Pooja is performed in the Temple. Thousands of devotees visit the temple to find solace, from their problems, pains and difficulties or to dedicate their religious vows or to enjoy the natural scenic beauty of the environment. Thousands of devotees from various states are visiting the Shree Kshethra on every Tuesday, Friday, and during the month of Shravana or on the Moola Nakshathra day of the months of Phalguna (Which is the birthday of Shree Devi) Important Politicians (Representatives of People) Film Stars, major Industrialists etc are visiting this Temple regularly. The famous singer Mr. Jesudas is performs Chandika Homa seva and "darshan" of Devi, every year on his birthday. The Temple celebrates all traditional Hindu Festivals and during the days of Navarathri Festival the visits of the Devotees reaches the peak.
"D. Ella Vyalle" has written that being the abode of Mookambike, Kollur has become one of the important pilgrimage Centre. This place is very sacred and devotees from within and outside the Nation are visiting this place on pilgrimage and perform penance and other religious worships and return with protected feelings. About 50% of the devotees visiting this Temple are from Kerala and 25% are from Tamilnadu and 25% are from Karnataka. Devotees from Andhra and Maharashtra are also visiting the Temple.
It is believed that Adi Shankaracharya had a vision of Sri Mookambika Devi and installed the deity here. One day Devi appeared before Adi Shankaracharya asking for his wish. He revealed his wish to install the Devi idol in a place in Kerala to worship. Devi agreed but put forward a condition that she will follow Shankara and he should not look back till he reaches his destination. But to test Shankara, Devi deliberately stopped the noise of her anklets when they reached Kollur whereupon Shankara turned and looked back because of doubt. Devi then asked Shankara to install her vigraha at that very location at Kollur. The original temple where Shankara meditated and Devi appeared before him is at Kodachadri peak (1343 mt) which is at a distance of about 21 kms from Kollur, also visible as a large mountain peak from Kollur Shri Mookambika Devi Temple.
Source : Wikipedia
TrasnportBy Road: Kollur is connected by road from major cities such Shimoga, Mangalore, and Bangalore. It is a three-hour journey from Mangalore by bus. Direct buses are also available from Shimoga and Sagara and some other near places as well.
By Train: The nearest railway station is at Bijoor (BIJR) 20 km away from Kollur and Kundapura station at 40 km from Kollur. You can easily get taxis from the station to Kollur. The stations have waiting rooms for passengers.
By Air: The Airport close to the temple is Mangalore International Airport. One can avail pre-paid taxis from the airport to Kollur. It is approximately 150 kms from the airport and can be reached in three-four hours.