The everyday drudgery that fills us with so much stress has also locked us inside its own vicious circle so much so that we have forgotten the ultimate solace: God. We have accepted this so much that it doesn’t seem strange that we have little time for ourselves even on our holidays and time for God becomes a far cry in that situation. It is to break away from this vicious circle that we need to embark on a spiritual journey.
Kollur is a perfect combination of divinity and nature’s green cover. One of the most important pilgrimage points of India, the place blessed by the loving presence of Godess Mookambika, is also surrounded by dense evergreen forest, Kodachadri peak and other peaks of the Western Ghats.
The place can be reached quite easily while driving on the highway from Kundapur towards Goa. If the coffee and arecanut plantation beckons the romanticist in you, it is the chirping of birds which invites you into the village.
The pilgrims, who come in search of serenity and calmness, find it in Kollur which welcomes them to one of the prominent shrines in India.
The view of Mookambika temple is breathtaking. As one enters the picturesque temple premises surrounded by the Sauparnika River, the idol of the deity Mookambika moves the pilgrim to her shrine.
To experience the serene silence in the temple is nothing but bliss. The 1,200-year-old deity is believed to be installed by Adi Shankaracharya at Kollur.
There are many mythological stories associated with the temple. Goddess Parvathi, wife of Lord Shiva is said to have killed Kamasasura, who attempted to become all powerful through his powerful penance. Goddess initially made him dumb, which is why he was named Mookasura. On the Shukla Astami, Mookambika killed Mookasura with her weapon, Chakra.
Various homas and rituals take place especially during Dasara festive season. And Navarathri is celebrated in Kollur with great pomp and fanfare. According to another story from the mythology, it is believed that the temple is created by Parashurama as one of the seven pilgrimage centres.
Here, the idol of the Goddess is adorned with flowers and the fresh and uncontaminated water of Souparnika river is used for pooja purposes. The temple is coated with a gold plated crest and copper roofs. The main statue of the temple, Jyothirlingam, is in front of Goddess.
As sunlight reflects on the lingam, a golden line divides the lingam into two halves. The right half of the lingam signifies the trinities of the universe — Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara and the left portion indicates Lakshmi, Saraswathi and Parvathi. It is also believed that these Gods and Goddess have emerged out of this lingam. On the whole, the temple is immersed in aesthetic beauty.