Kolaramma

Kolarmma Temple, Kolar
Kolarmma Temple, Kolar - Full View.JPG (file)

Kolaramma is the presiding deity of the town of Kolar in Karnataka.[1] The Kolaramma temple is thousand years old and built by the Cholas in the South Indian style. Goddess Parvathi is worshipped as Kolaramma by the people of Kolar. The erstwhile maharajas of Mysore frequently visited this temple to get the blessings of Kolaramma. The temple itself has beautifully carved statues and designs all done using the abundantly available granite stones.

Another deity of this temple is Chelamma or the scorpion goddess. People believe that by praying at the Chelamma shrine a person will be guarded from scorpion bites by the deity. Another interesting thing about the temple is the Hundi(in Kannada) or the well which is used to collect money offerings from the people, and it is a tradition to at least put one coin into the small opening on the floor of the temple, which apparently is a large hole dug into the earth, one can still hear the clicking sounds of coins accumulated over hundreds of years.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kolar.
  1. Benjamin Lewis Rice. Epigraphia Carnatica: Inscriptions in the Kolar District. Mysore Government Central Press. p. 30-40.