Kollur
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kollur is a tiny hamlet situated 40km Kundapur Town, about 140 km away from Mangalore City in Karnataka state in Southern part of India. This Village is Lying at the foot of the Western Ghats, Kollur is very famous for the Mookambika temple, a Hindu pilgrim centre.
Contents |
[edit] Myths and Legends
Kollur, an important seat of Shakti worship, is tucked away in the picturesque Western Ghats. The rivers Sowparnika and its tributary Agnitheertham flow with amazing speed embracing the temple.
The temple is rich in puranic lore. Maharishi ‘Kolan’ was enchanted with nature’s beauty and decided to perform a penance on a rock near the Agnitheertham. Lord Shiva, delighted with Kolan, appeared before him and blessed him. The Maharishi wished for the welfare of mankind and nothing else. The Lord, happy with Kolan, granted him his wish. He assured that a ‘Swayambu Lingam’ would appear for his daily worship.
Kolan wanted to worship Devi also. The ‘Swarna Rekai’ (gold line) embedded in the Lingam signifies Maha Sakthi. Thus Shiva and Shakti are worshipped together in the Lingam. Besides this, a unique feature is that the Gods and Goddess of the Hindu pantheon also reside in ‘aroopa’ form in the Lingam. It is an abode of the entire celestial congregation.
It is believed that Sri Adi Shankaracharya had a vision of Sri Mookambika Devi and he installed the deity here.
[edit] History
Thousands of years ago this place was once a big city with population over a million. the jungle surrounded to this hamlet holds ruins and age old trees of more than 100 years stand evident in the jungle as proof.
[edit] Places of Interest
- Mookambika Temple
- Devotees from all over South India visit this temple. Kollur is believed to be one of the seven pilgrim centres created by Parashurama, a Hindu mythological figure. The temple is devoted to the Hindu goddess Parvathi, wife of Shiva. While the other pilgrimages created by Parashurama are devoted to Lord Shiva, Lord Subramanya and Lord Ganesha, this is the only one devoted to goddess Parvathi.
- Arishna Gundi Water falls
-
- Scenic waterfall inside the deep jungle only approachable by trekking and due to the special effect of sunrays falling on the water droplets around the waterfall looks orange/yellow the name is Arishna (Turmeric/yellow).
- Kodachadri Mountain on Western Ghats
- Adi Sri Shakthi Mookambika Temple is on the top of mountain believed to be the real abode of Devi from where Adi Shankara re-established it at foothills at Kollur.
- Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary is world Wildlife Fund Aided. This sanctuary is home for endangered species animal called Lion tailed monkey.
- Spread along the Kundapur-Kollur- Shimoga road, this sanctuary is generally off the tourist map.
[edit] How to reach Kollur
Kollur is around 36 km from Kundapur, the taluk head quarters. From Kundapur, one can take three different routes to reach Kollur.
- One route is via Tallur-Hattiangadi-Karkunje-Vandse.
- Second route via Hemmadi-Vandse and third one is via Byndoor.
- However, the shortest route is through Hemmady. On the National High 17, after around 7 km from Kundapur, at Hemmady one has to take right deviation to reach Kollur.
- The nearest railway station is Kundapura (40 km) where a few long-distance trains halt. You can get taxis from the station. The station has a waiting room for the passengers. Railway Station Phone no: +91-8254-237365.
The nearest Airport is Mangalore - bajpe: International flights are operated by Air India Express. There are pre-paid taxi to kollur from Airport and it is a 3 hours drive.
Kollur is a 2 hour drive from Udupi, so a visit to Udupi can include Kollur. The drive is a very scenic one.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| Hindu Holy Cities in India |  |
|---|---|
| Allahabad • Ayodhya • Badrinath • Dharmasthala • Dwarka • Gaya • Guruvayur • Haridwar • Rishikesh • Kalahasti • Kanchipuram • Kedarnath • Kollur • Mathura • Mayapur • Nashik • Nathdwara • Puri • Rameswaram • Sabarimala • Somnath • Sringeri • Srirangam • Tirumala - Tirupati • Ujjain • Varanasi • Vrindavan |
