About Kollur
Located in the Udupi District of the south Indian state of Karnataka, Kollur, or Kollapura, as it is popularly known, is a famous pilgrim town in the entire state of Karnataka.
Lying on the foothills of the Western Ghats, Kollur has a list of holy Hindu temples, out of which the most famous is The Mookambika Temple—dedicated to Goddess Mookambika, an incarnation of Goddess Parvati.
According to Hindu mythology, Goddess Mookambika was named so for the fact that she defeated a powerful demon called Mookasura. Also, her idol form is in the form of a Jyotirlingam—which is fundamentally a manifestation of Lord Shiva and Shakti.
The reason for this amalgamation worship is explained by the legend in the following way: Long back, a monk named Kola, mesmerized and awestruck by the beauty of Mother Nature started performing penance on a rock near Agneetheertham.
His penance was so devoted that Lord Shiva was extremely pleased and said he would grant any wish that the monk would ask for.
When the monk asked for nothing but the welfare and peace of humankind, Lord Shiva was elated beyond measure and granted his wish.
The lord also told him that a lingam would appear where the monk could perform his daily worship rituals. To that, the monk replied that he would want to worship the Devi as well along with the lord, and hence, a golden line popped up in the lingam, making it a fine amalgamation of both Shiva and Shakti.
Later, popular theologian and philosopher Adi Shankara saw Goddess Mookambika in a dream and soon after, he installed the idol of the deity here.
Other than the main Mookambika Temple, kollar also has other popular temples and holy places like the Annegudde Vinayaka Temple, Arishna Gudde Waterfalls, Kashi Teertha, Souparnika, and many others.