KOLLUR MOOKAMBIKA TEMPLE

Perched on the banks of Souparnika River, this temple is hailed as one of the seven Mukti Stalas which were constructed by Parashurama. It is one of the most famous places to visit in Murudeshwar in the valley of Kodachadri Peak. The famous place of pilgrimage attracts many devotees throughout the year because of its temple that is dedicated to Goddess Parvathi. It is said that this is the place where Goddess Parvathi killed the demon Kamsasuran after he was made  dumb by Veerabadra, Ganesha and Shiva and got to be called Mookasuran. Later, the Goddess came to be known as Mookambika and the place where he was killed got popular as Marana Katte.

The temple is well known for housing the Panchaloha(five metals) that are a gift of  Adi Shankaracharya along with a Shiva Lingam which is worshipped here. Other popular deities see here include those of Ganesha, Subrahmanya, Naga, Mahishasura Mardini, Partheeshwara, Chandramouleeswara, Prana Lingeshwara, Nanjundeshwara, Anjaneya, Venkataramana, ThulasiGopalakrishna.

The temple is a stunning example of Dravidian style of architecture with a beautiful vimanan, a sanctum in quadrangular shape and a grand mantapa that rises to 135 feet. Believed to be 1200 year old, the temple is supposed to have gone through major enhancements in its design during the 15th and 16th century.

Location: Kollur Mookambika Temple, Kollur, Udupi District, Karnataka

Timing: 5:00 am to 9:00 pm