Mookambika Temple at Kollur, the world renowned place of worship of the presiding deity Devi Mookambika, situated at the captivating sylvan foot-valley of the Sahyadri mountain range, well-known for the thick collection of tall hefty trees, stretching around and swaying so rhythmically in the salubrious breeze, and modestly beckoning bands of devotees from all over the world every day !
The graceful, sprightly idol of the benevolent deity Goddess Mookambika seated in the lotus posture within the sanctum - sanctorum, holding, the divine Sankha and Chakra and bestowing propitious boons to millions of devotees, thronging at the temple well-known for the sacred environs and fascinating panorama !
The multitudinous influx of devotees, forgetting all their woes and worries standing so attentively before the Goddess , completely engrossed in a state of trance, inspired by spiritual inebriation for some moments, ecstatically dozing in the magic spell of devotion !
Then, the perennial Souparnika river, emanating from the Kutachadri hills magnificently, replete with waves surfing with coolness and rejuvenating herbal properties !
Whenever someone speaks about a pilgrimage to Devi Mookambika Temple, with all the ethos at the back of his mind, for a layman who has visited the temple at least once, all these thoughts, will suddenly start flashing before him. And, these thoughts of the temple , the verdurous kutachadri mountain range and the holy Souparnika river, transform into a combination of thoughts which generate ineffable spiritual intoxication or pleasure in the life of a devotee and this pleasure provides him an insatiable experience. There is no second opinion that in the life of a veritable devotee, devotion and means of developing devotion are the two important primary objectives. Right from the common man to the one who has scaled the pinnacle of glory , despite obstacles , every one leaves the temple with a sense of self content and carries the blessings of Devi Mookambika in abundance. The devotees line up patiently for hours together to capture a glimpse of the graceful Goddess Mookambika who is bounteously bestowing prosperity and spiritual serenity. After the prayers and the customary fumigation of camphor soon after the twilight, the devotees quietly disperse after receiving the prasadam which is served in the adjacent dining hall . Even after returning , every devotee's ardent prayer to the Goddess will be to grant another opportunity to have a glimpse of her radiant face. In short , it is the eternal seat of the ever resplendent deity whose temple surroundings are panoramic and endowed with scenic beauty which shines as the centrifugal force of attraction to the multitudes of devotees . The whole landscape in which the temple is situated is collectively known as Kollur village
The serenity -gifted Kollur village is situated at the foot -valley of Kutachadri Hills in the north east direction in the Udippi Dist 140 kms away from Mangalapuram which was the territory of mangala Devi . In this epoch of advanced transport facilities , devotees from all over the country as well as from other countries are flocking in myriads to the temple like the waves of the ever-flowing river Souparnika with all her splendor and mythological importance.
According to the legends available, this place was earlier known as 'Aranyapuram'. There was a sage by the name 'Kolamaharshi' who was once engrossed in a state of prolonged transcendental meditation on Lord Shiva. Having pleased with his undeterred devotion , Lord Shiva appeared before him and ordained him to worship devoutly Goddess Parashakti the omnipotent deity to invoke her blessings .. Lord Shiva also installed a Shreechakra on the self-evolved Jyotirlinga and admonished him to worship every day and disappeared. Lord Shiva had also advised him that there would be the everlasting presence of Goddess Parvati in the Jyotirlinga and should henceforth worship it intensely , besides the daily poojas as well as anointing and consecrations. Thus, it is believed that Kolamaharshi ardently worshipped the Jyotirlinga in the place which was initially known as Maharanyapuram and became Kolapuram subsequently .
It was during this period coinciding with the events narrated earlier that there reigned an atrocious demon by name Kamhasura, who by dint of his austere penance , propitiated Lord Shiva and acquired tremendous operational powers and potentialities and let loose a volley of atrocities and became an effing nuisance to the subjects .In order to put an end to all his misdeeds and restore peace , Parashakti assumed the form of Tripuradevi . Frightened at the sight of the Goddess in that form , Kamhasura embarked upon austere penance once again on Lord Shiva to achieve the boon of immortality .Seeing this , the scared devas started rigorous penance on Parashakti to find some viable solution to their woos. With the result, Devi cursed him and made him a permanent dumb. Thereafter, he was known as Mookasura the dumb demon. Even after becoming a dumb , he continued to terrorise the people . At this stage , annoyed with his cruelties, the Devi beheaded him and granted him moksha . Ever since his redemption , because She killed Mookasura , Devi was being known as MOOKAMBIKA. Besides the poojas performed for the Devi , rituals are performed every day for Mookasura too who attained a deity after he was slain by the Goddess .
The river ( Souparnika ) emanating from the crest of Kutachadri Hills splits into two holy rivers viz ,Kashi theertham and Agni Theertham which, by virtue of their confluence on reaching the precincts of Mookambika Temple , become the renowned Souparnika river . Agnitheertham is a small river flowing northwards, by the side of the eastern entrance of the temple.
Garuda or Souparna , the mythological vehicle of Lord Mahavishnu, meditated on Goddess Parashakti on the sacred banks of the river and also because the river is flowing through this holy land ,the river gradually acquired the name Souparnika . Garuda or Souparna is a significant icon in the Indian philosophy. The real meaning of the word Garuda is ' Truth .However, those important informations viz Kollur for the place where Kolamaharshi worshipped Parashakti , Souparnika for the river flowing through the region where Souparna meditated and Mookambika for Parashakti , who assassinated Mookasura (Kamhasura) and elevated him to the status of other divine forces , may be little known to many of the devotees who throng the temple every day.
On the crest of the Kutachadri hills , there is a very old Mandap (dais) constructed with granite . This Mandap is called the 'Sarvajnapeetam' or 'sankarapeetam'. it is believed that Adisankara did meditation in this Mandap, One can vividly behold stones arranged so gorgeously in an order in the shape of Sreechakra on the roof of the Mandap. There are other holy places in and around viz Ssidheswar Temple , Umadevi Temple ,Ganapathy cave,Chitramoola cave,Mahatheertham, Masthiktta etc. It is an irrefutable fact that however one makes efforts through out his life , he cannot cover all the temples on earth .Though it verily promotes augmentation of spiritual knowledge and devotion , a lay man who is already struggling in a whirlpool of problems ,cannot accomplish his desire for various social, economic ,official and other reasons or other inevitable responsibilities in life. It is believed that it was proximate to the site of the Jyotirlinga which is a personification of Adiparashakti , that Devi Mookambika made revelation of Her divine presence or identity with a graceful radiance around Her to Adi Sankara .It is also believed that Adi Sankara wanted to take Her to Kerala but , could not as he violated Her initial condition while accepting his request , not to look back while escorting Her . As Devi Mookambika did not accompany but disappeared abruptly , Adi Sankara , later with the power of his intuitive perception or subconscious image of mookambika, made the Quadri-handed panchaloha idol of the Devi, holding Shankha and Chakra and installed it just behind the Jyothirling . There is a Saraswati mandap adjacent to the sanctum-sanctrum where musicians ,poets and other erudites assemble and display their talents from time to time . As every one knows, world renowned songster and classical maestro Dr.K. J. Yesudas visits this temple and presents musical performances every year. In 2009, December also, his team consisting of seventy eminent musicians from Kerala presented music performance to mark his 70th birth day in the presence of a large audience .
It is traditionally believed that Goddess Mookambika leaves the temple at 7.30 in the night every day for Chottanikkara temple and returns before the next dawn . Chottanikkara temple is situated on the outskirts of Cochin and is a renowned and popular centre for pilgrimage where devotees from all over the country throng every day to get a glimpse of the deity known as Chottanikkara Bhagavati , the presiding deity of this temple .Soon after the departure of Devi , the priest of the Mookambika temple distributes a concoction, prepared by compounding the essence of ginger with jaggary and other spices , to the surging devotees. It is firmly believed that this concoction is a wonderful panacea for all stomach ailments and general health .
In close succession to this , the prasadam of rice , served in the adjacent hall , with some delicious dish usually Rasam , is also very important for which the devotees wait patiently in a queue for a long time . The prasadam , piping very hot , is served on clean plantain leaves very systematically , but so swiftly in batches . Unless one is so quick , he or she cannot finish consuming the full quantity . Exceptionally , one could see a few devotees generally , the women folk , consuming the prasadam on the bare floor after sprinkling some water and haphazardly bailing the mud or dust to either side. This strange practice which may surprise everybody , is said to be in return for some special favours received( mostly curing of some chronic ailments or overcoming some problems or marriage in the family ) on their vow made to the Goddess. Some people comment that this unscientific and unhygienic practice is the result of hasty vows without thinking about the practicability or the rationale behind it even in this advanced century .More also it drives home the fact that the people have not come out of their paradigms or are still slumbering within the strong barricades of superstitions .
Devi Mookambika is always regarded as the repository of wisdom ,solace and serenity and continues to be a cynosure to millions of devotees the world over who look upon Her for spiritual power , lore and inner happiness . Of course , no deity can ever remove the miseries and maladies of any body who has acquired them through his actions in his present or previous birth , but , continuous prayers and disciplined spiritual practices can alleviate the intensity and hardness to some extent and wishfully help look forward for a better life in the next birth . So one has to contribute regularly to his spiritual bank Account like a saving bank account , to draw whenever need arises. Goddess Mookambika who also helps the devotee to overcome limitations if any, in life and provides wisdom and all prosperity , is regarded as the divine combination of Goddess Saraswati ( Goddess Minerva identified with the Greek Goddess of wisdom Athena ) and Goddess Laksmi who grants both to the seekers .She is the Alpha and Omega .
Thus, as a beacon for the development of devotion and attainment of spiritual ecstasy, the Mookambika Temple is situated at the valley of the Sahyadri range of mountains, in the sacred lap of Kutachadri and on the holy bank of Souparnika with all its ravishing beauty and scenic splendor. Within the sanctum-sanctorum, gracefully seated is Devi Mookambia with all Her divine glories and resplendence as a cynosure to the whole world with an intuitive message to every devotee who leaves the temple after the darshan :
"Ye Devotee, come again and again"!
Let us all now recite this stanza with at most attention :-
NAMA: SHANKHACHAKRABHAYABHISHTA HASTHE
NAMASTHE AMBIKE GOURISHA PADMASANASTHE
NAMA SWARNAVARNE PRASANNE SHARANYE
NAMASTHE MAHALAKSHMI KOLAPURESHWAREE
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THODUPUZHA K SHANKAR
MOB:- / 09820033306
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