Goddess of Kodachadri

The strange legend of Swayambu Jyothirlinga has always intrigued me. I am talking about Mookambika Temple at Kollur in Karnataka. We have been regularly visiting this temple since many years. In fact, at one point of time, it was an annual “must-do” pilgrimage. I am an ardent devotee of Devi and firmly believe that SHE has been guiding me through the ups and downs of life.

This temple in Karnataka, located 135 kms from Mangalore and 80 kms from Udupi in the Kodachadri Valley of the Western Ghats was a charming and serene retreat once upon a time. The Sowparnika river flowing beside temple, was an added attraction .But sadly, over the years, like in most other places, commercialisation has spoilt the serene charm that attracted me once upon a time…

The Legend :

The legend of the Goddess is intimately connected to the Kodachadri hills near Kollur. There was once a demon here called Kaumasura who wanted to become invincible and towards this end, he prayed ardently to Lord Shiva. The Goddess in all her wisdom was aware of the evil designs of the demon and she made him dumb (mooka). Due to this, the demon was unable to ask Shiva for his wish to be fulfilled. This infuriated him and he harassed a sage by name Kola Maharishi who also used to pray to Lord Shiva. The Maharishi prayed to the Goddess for help and she vanquished the demon. Lord Shiva also appeared in front of the Maharishi who then requested that Lord Shiva and Devi should be there forever. The Maharishi’s wish was granted and that is how the Swayambu Jyothirlinga came to be. Significantly, this linga has a golden line in the middle. The right half stands for the conscious principle of Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. The left half represents creativity in the form of Lakshmi, Saraswati and Parvati. This linga is now worshipped as Moola Devi.

Another legend says that the Goddess appeared before Adi Sankara during his penance at Kodachadri. When he requested HER to come down to bless the common people, she agreed on one condition. SHE would follow Adi Sankara but at no time should he look back to check on HER. After some time, the sound of the Devi’s anklets were inaudible and Sankara reflexly looked back. The agreement was broken and Devi stopped there. That is the spot where the temple is located today at Kollur.

Though I used to wonder how the swayambu linga appeared, I learnt about this legend much later. Scientifically and objectively speaking, this is difficult to accept. And there in lies my intrigue!!

Adi Sankara

This temple is also linked to Adi Sankara. Even today there is a small shrine inside the temple called Sankara Peeta. It is believed that Sankaracharya meditated here and had a vision of Devi Mookambika . The four armed idol of Goddess Mookambika was installed by Adi Shankaracharya.

The Temple

The sanctum and the entrance to this temple are believed to be over 1200 years old. The parikrama and various other portions have been added subsequently. The temple was patronised by the several Hindu kings particularly the Bednore Rajas and many of the jewels adorning the Goddess were presented by them and the Vijayanagara kings. Photography is not allowed inside the temple and so, the images of various Gods sculpted on the pillars of the mantapa in front of the shrine remain just descriptions. Besides the main sanctum housing both the swayambhu lingam and the idol of the Goddess, shrines of Balamuri Ganapati, Veerabhadra swamy and the Sankara Peeta lie along the inner parikrama (circumambulatory path)

A panoramic view of the temple complex from an adjoining building

The entrance to the main shrine

A beautiful Deepa Sthambha ( lamp tower) adorns the front of the parikrama as you enter the temple complex. All the lamps on this tower are lit in the evening giving a very divine feel.

The lit Deepa Sthambha

The Saraswati Mantapa

As we enter the main temple, there is a small shrine to our left which is in the form of a stage. This is the Saraswati mantapa. Goddess Saraswati is the God of learning and also of the various arts like dance and music. Many artists give performances here as an offering to Goddess Saraswati. The first stage performances of students of dance are also conducted here. During the festival of Navratri; Vidyarambham (children are initiated into learning by holding their hands and making them write on rice) is performed here.

Vidyarambham

The Shiveli (Ceremonial Procession)

A smaller image of Goddess is taken in a ceremonial procession daily around the outer parikrama. Sometimes she is carried by one of the priests , at times in a palanquin and on special occasions on a chariot. These are all ceremonial rituals followed here.

The ceremonial procession

The Sowparnika River

This serene river that flows in front of the temple is as much a part of the temple as is the main shrine. Flowing down from the verdant forests of the Kodachadri hills, in the Western Ghats , it’s waters are enriched with the medicinal properties of the various plants that lie along it’s banks and a bath in this holy river is believed to relieve one of many diseases.

Sadly, the river today is polluted at various places and is a far cry from what she was a few decades ago!!

Sowparnika river

Olden times

During the early days of my visit to this temple, there were no hotels and lodges at Kollur like it is today. The priests of the temple would offer rooms in their house for us to stay and even the food was provided by them. Many of the conveniences we have today was a far cry then. But the serenity and peace used to fill us with devotion . Today, lot of hotels and commercial establishments have sprung up adding to the conveniences but the place has lost its old world charm!

The trek to Kodachadri

A visit to Mookambika temple is considered incomplete without a visit to Kodachadri.

As I said in my opening remarks, this temple and it’s legends have intrigued me for some reason. Even after several visits to the temple over the years, I had not been able to visit Kodachadri. Finally, we undertook this trek in 2018.

A jeep ride from the temple precincts takes one to the sarvagnya peetam (a small shrine) on the Kodachadri hill. That ride was one of its kind. A short distance on a normal tarred road and the driver took a turn on to a stone ridden path. There was no road and we were literally riding on some rocks and at places, the condition of the track had us call out to the Goddess from the bottom of our hearts. After this arduous drive of about an hour and a half, we reached the starting point of the trek.

One of the better parts of the road on the jeep ride

The trek itself was not as arduous as the ride. It was a mud road and we had to keep clear of stones and poky twigs from the bushes at places. After about an hour of this walk, the views of the valley below made us forget the difficulties of the trek.

Views of the valley from the Kodachadri hills

The trekkers and the destination at a distance on the hillock

Finally we could see the sarvagnya peetam and that instilled some more enthusiasm in us.

Sarvagnya peetam

Sarvagnya peetam

A small temple at the peak in Kodachadri where Adi Sankara meditated is called the Sarvagnya peetam. It was while meditating here that the Goddess appeared in front of Adi Sankara and they started their journey to the valley from here. Thus this temple has a special significance .

We offered prayers there and meditated for some time and started our return trek . Coming down can be more tricky at places as we tend to slip on the slopes. However, we managed to reach back and took the jeep back to Kollur.

After a couple of days of stay at Kollur we returned back feeling rejuvenated after this spiritual experience.

I am an ardent devotee of Devi but I must admit that all that is said in the legends is difficult to accept entirely. But faith and religion are always like that and so, I leave it to you to follow your own minds….

After two episodes dedicated to Devi, coinciding with the Navratri festival, we move on next week to the glory of the Pallava dynasty…

Meanwhile, do continue your feedback and comments on my blog….