Kollur is a temple town in Udupi District of Karnataka. This temple town is one of the prime attractions of the Hindu community.
Location of Kollur
Kollur is a small temple-town in Kundapur Taluk in Udupi district of Karnataka, South Indian state. Kollur is situated about 38 kilometres from Kundapur town and 40 km from Bhatkal town and 60km from Sagara City. The temple village of Kollur lies at the foot hills of Western Ghats Mountain Range. This place is famous for Mookambika temple, a Hindu pilgrimage centre. Kollur also called Kollapura one of the important places of pilgrimage in Karnataka State, which has a temple dedicated to Goddess Mookambika.
History of Kollur
The mythological history of Kollur goes that a monk named Kola was enchanted with nature"s beauty and decided to perform a penance on a rock near the Agnitheertham.
Lord Shiva or Mahadeva was delighted with Kola, appeared before him and blessed him. The monk wished for the welfare of mankind and nothing else. The Lord, happy with Kola, granted him his wish. He assured that a swayambu (autogenetic) Linga would appear for his daily worship. However, Kola wanted to worship Devi also. So, a swarna rekha (gold line) appeared on the Shiva Lingam, which is signifying Shakti. Thus, Shiva and Shakti are worshipped together in the Lingam. Besides this, a unique feature is that the other Gods and Goddess of the Hindu pantheon also believed to reside in aroopa (non-form) in the Shiva Linga. It is thus believed to be a spiritual residence of the entire celestial congregation.
Pilgrimage Tourism in Kollur
The village of Kollur is believed to be one of the seven pilgrimage centres created by Parashurama, a Hindu mythological figure. The temple is devoted to the Hindu goddess Parvathi, wife of Lord Shiva. While the other pilgrimages created by Parashurama are devoted to Lord Shiva, Lord Subramanya and Lord Ganesha, Kollur is devoted to goddess Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiva. The temple is constructed on the banks of a tributary of Souparnika River and in the middle of a forest. Just in front of the temple, there lies the Kodachadri peak and mountain is visible. It acts as a delightful sight. It is believed that original temple is on top of Kodachadri Peak, and to make it convenient for devotees to offer puja, the temple is constructed at Kollur. The devotees from all over South India and from the other states of India visit this temple with much devotion. There is a large number of pilgrims from Kerala who visit the temple and perform vidyaarambham during Vijayadasami or the day on the last day of Durga Puja here.