Kollur Mookambika Temple is located at Kollur in

Byndoor Byndoor is a taluk and Town Panchayat in Udupi, Karnataka, India. Byndoor is located on NH-66 which is between Panvel and Kochi and is one of the main stations along the Konkan Railway line after Udupi and Mangalore. Railway station Byndoor ...

Taluk of

Udupi District Udupi district (also Udipi () in Kannada or Odipu () in Tulu language) is an administrative subdivision in the Karnataka state of India, with the district headquarters in the city of Udupi. It is situated in the Canara old north Malabar c ...

in the state of

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

Tulunadu Tulu Nadu, or Tulunad, is a region and proposed state on the southwestern coast of India. The Tulu people, known as 'Tuluva' (pl. 'Tuluver') are speakers of Tulu, a Dravidian language, and are the predominant ethnic group of the region. Sou ...

region,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It is a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

temple dedicated to the mother goddess Mookambika. Mookambika is the union of Adipara Shakthi and Parabramha as the Linga has integrated on its left side "Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi and Maha Saraswathi". The temple is very special because it is part of the 108 Durgalayas and 108 Shivalayas. It is situated in the foothills of

Kodachadri Kodachadri is a mountain peak with dense forests (elevation - 1,343 metres above sea level) in the Western Ghats in South India (Shivamogga District, Karnataka), 78 km from Shimoga. Kodachadri is the highest peak in Shivamogga district. ...

hills, on the southern bank of

Souparnika River Souparnika River or Sowparnika nadi is a river flowing through Byndoor taluk in Karnataka, India. It joins with the Varahi River, Kedaka River, Chakra River, and Kubja River known as Panchagangavali river and merges into the Arabian Sea. It fl ...

. Being situated in the land between

Gokarna Gokarna may refer to: Places * Gokarna, Karnataka, a town in Karnataka, India * Gokarna, West Bengal, a village in West Bengal, India * Gokarnamatam, a village in Andhra Pradesh, India * Trincomalee, a city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka also k ...

and

Kanyakumari Kanyakumari (Tamil; / kəɳjɑkʊmɑɾiː/; referring to Devi Kanya Kumari, officially known as Kanniyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin) is a town and a municipality in Kanyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the ...

, believed to be created by sage

Parashurama Parashurama (), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Virarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. Hindu tradition holds him to be the destroyer of the evil on Earth. According t ...

Idols, Sub- Shrines and Festivals

The main deity of the temple is a

swayambhu Svayambhu () is a Sanskrit word that means "self-born", "self-manifested", "self-existing", or "that that is created by its own accord". Various deities and entities featured in Hindu literature and tradition are regarded to be svayambhu, such as ...

(self-born)

linga A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Upanishads and epic literature, wher ...

with a golden line cutting it into half, in which the left half represents the goddess triad - the

Tridevi The Tridevi are a Triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity in Hinduism, joining a Triad (religious), triad of eminent goddesses either as a feminine version of the Trimurti, or as consorts of a masculine Trimurti, depending on the d ...

s, and the right half represents their consorts - the male triad - the

Trimurti The Trimurti ( /t̪ɾimʊɾt̪iː/) is the triple deity of supreme divinity in Hinduism, in which the cosmic functions of creation, preservation, and destruction are personified as a triad of deities. Typically, the designations are that ...

s. A four-handed

panchaloha ''Panchaloha'' (), also called ''Pañcadhātu'' (), is a term for traditional five-metal alloys of sacred significance, used for making Hinduism, Hindu temple ''murti'' and jewellery. Composition The composition is laid down in the ''Shilpa sh ...

idol of the goddess Mookambika is also installed. Mookambika is seen seated in the Padmasana position with four arms, with two arms holding a

Shankha A Turbinella pyrum, shankha () has religious ritual importance in Hinduism. In Hinduism, the shankha called panchajanya is a sacred emblem of the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu. It is still used as a trumpet in Hindu ritual, and in the past was us ...

(conch) and

Chakra A chakra (; ; ) is one of the various focal points used in a variety of ancient meditation practices, collectively denominated as Tantra, part of the inner traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. The concept of the chakra arose in Hinduism. B ...

(divine discus). The other two arms hold the Abhaya mudra and the Abheestha mudra (Varada mudra). There are sub-shrines for

Ganapathi Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions are found throughout India. Hind ...

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

Hanuman Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...

Subrahmanya Kartikeya (/ kɑɾt̪ɪkejə/; ), also known as Skanda ( /skən̪d̪ə/), Subrahmanya (/ sʊbɾəɦməɲjə/, /ɕʊ-/), Shanmukha ( /ɕɑnmʊkʰə/) and Murugan (/ mʊɾʊgən/), is the Hindu god of war. He is generally described as the ...

Virabhadra Virabhadra (), also rendered Veerabhadra, Veerabathira, and Veerabathiran, is a fierce form of the Hindu god Shiva. He is created by the wrath of Shiva, when the deity hurls a lock of his matted hair upon the ground, upon hearing of the self- ...

and

Snake gods Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have skulls ...

(Naga Devathas) in the temple. Rathotsava (Chariot festival) in the month of

Phalguna Phagun () is a month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Phalguna is the twelfth month of the year and corresponds with March/April in the Gregorian calendar.Henderson, Helene. (Ed.) (2005) ''Holidays, festivals, and ce ...

and

Navaratri Navaratri () is an annual Hindu festival observed in honor of the goddess Durga, an aspect of Adi Parashakti, the supreme goddess. It spans over nine nights, first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calendar), and aga ...

in the month of

Ashwin Ashvin or Ashwin or Ashwan (; ; Malay/ Indonesian: ''Aswin''; Thai: ''Asawin''), also known as Aswayuja, is the seventh month of the lunisolar Hindu calendar, the solar Tamil calendar, where it is known as Aippasi, and the solar Indian nation ...

are the main festivals in this temple. Goddess Mookambika is said to be the name given to Goddess

after she killed the demon Mookasura (also known as Kaumasura). Though the temple is located in Karnataka, most number of devotees coming here are from the neighbouring state of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

. It is also one among the most popular shrines visited by

Malayalis The Malayali people (; also spelt Malayalee and sometimes known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian languages, Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala and Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India, ...

(People of Kerala) irrespective of religion and caste.

Mythology

The present deity in form of a devi was established by Adi Shankaracharya. The linga is worshipped as Moola Devi and the representation of devi as a four armed goddess was installed by Adi Shankara. Once, Sage Kola Maharishi was performing Tapas here when he was persistently troubled by a demon. This Demon had also been praying to Lord Shiva to get powers that would make him invincible and let him do whatever he wanted. Knowing the evil mind of this demon, Devi Shakthi made him Mooka (Dumb). So, when Lord Shiva appeared before him, he was unable to ask for any boon. Enraged by this, the Demon began to harass Kola Maharishi, who was also praying to the Lord. Kola Maharishi appealed to the Divine Mother for help. So, Devi Shakthi came down and vanquished the Demon, Mookasura. Henceforth, in this region, she came to be known as Mookambika. Lord Shiva also appeared before the sage. Maharishi Kola asked that the Lord with His Consort should remain here forever. To grant his wish, a Jyotirlinga appeared, with a Swarnarekha (golden line) in the middle. Thus, one half of this Linga stands for the conscious principle as embodied by Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma, while the other stood for the Creative Principle in the form of Parvati, Lakshmi and Saraswathi. Goddess Uma appeared here with Lord Shankara and slayed Mukasura. The Goddess Mookambika is in the form of Jyotir-Linga incorporating both Shiva and Shakthi. Thus the temple forms a part in both 108 Shivalayas and 108 Durgalayas of ancient Kerala'. ''Mother Son Relationship: Goddess Mookambika and Shri Brahmalingeshwara, Maranakatte'' According to

Skanda Purana The ''Skanda Purana'' ( IAST: Skanda Purāṇa) is the largest '' Mukhyapurāṇa'', a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text contains over 81,000 verses, and is of Shaivite literature, titled after Skanda, a son of Shiva and Parv ...

, Goddess Mookambika performed a Marana Homa here after killing Mookasura. After slaying the demon, the divine mother granted divinity to the demon's soul and blessed him to be known as Brahmalingeshwara, to which his temple is located in Maranakatte, 20 kms away from the Goddess. In Maranakatte, the main lord is Shri Brahmalingeshwara, besides him there is Malayali Yakshi & vata Yakshi & also two Dwarapalakas. To the right of the Sanctorum there is a ''katte'' (colloquial

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

) in which

Sri Chakra The Sri Yantra, Shri Yantra, or Shri Chakra (Sanskrit: श्री यन्त्र, IAST: śrī yantra) is a form of mystical diagram (''yantra'') used in the Shri Vidya school of Hinduism. Comprising nine interlocking triangles, it embodies ...

yantra is established by

Adi Shankara Adi Shankara (8th c. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya (, ), was an Indian Vedanga, Vedic scholar, Hindu philosophy, philosopher and teacher (''acharya'') of Advaita Vedanta. Reliable information on Shankara's actual life is scant, and h ...

. Beside the "Brahmalingeshwara Gudi" there is a 'Daivadha mane' of Hashaiguli (who came from Kashi or

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

), Haiguli, Chikku and other parivara daivas.

References

External links

BooksComplete Guide of Mookambika Temple KollurSri Mookambika Temple Kollur
{{Hindu temples in Karnataka Lakshmi temples 108 Shiva Temples Hindu temples in Udupi district Devi temples in Karnataka

Idols, Sub- Shrines and Festivals

Mythology

See also

References

External links