Mookambika Temple, Kollur

"It is not always the destination that makes the journey worthwhile." proverb [unknown]

Exactly my experience on travelling (Sep 16-18, 06) to the Mookambika Devi Temple at Kollur, South Karnataka.

After a 11 hr journey from Kerala we touched base at 12 in the noon, more than 3 hours late. Blame it on the rain and the sorry state of roads in the Kozhikkode - Mangalore section of the NH-17, especially Suratkal. In retrospect we would have been better off if we had come by rail upto Mangalore Junction (railhead for Kerala bound trains / 130 km by road) or either Udipi (70 km) or Kundapura (30 km) - all major stops on the Konkan Route. Bus services are aplenty from these locations to Kollur.

Awash in greenery after unexpectedly heavy rains, the last leg of the route from Kundapura to Kollur was a soothing sight to my jaded city bred eyes. Winding roads through forest area's with bridges over the Souparnika and Agnithirtha rivers and glimpses of Kodajadri hills through shifting fog are definite to gladden anyone's heart. The roads though narrow are in good shape. To really enjoy the trip, you have to go by bus, that too in the most old, rickety and "open to the elements" sort that you can find. This slow journey will surely beat zipping by in your car or the newer AC/ DVD coaches.

Though close to the Dassara festive season and despite being a weekend, there was not much of a rush at Kollur. The temple and town centre is a mere 10 minutes walk from the bus stand. Lodging is aplenty with the KTDC run Yatri Nivas and a couple other guest houses run by religious bodies at the upper end of the scale. Food, though might be a problem as nothing much of quality is available here. This seems to be a fallout of the free lunch provided at the temple and is availed of by a large no. of devotees as prasad. Consider yourself lucky if you chance upon tasty snacks at roadside shops.

The Goddess Mookambika is in the form of Jyotir-Linga incorporating both Shiva and Shakthi. The Panchaloha image of the Goddess on Shree Chakra is stated to have been consecrated by Adi Shankaracharya during his visit to this place. There is also an exquisite sculpture of Panchamukha Ganesha. River Souparnika right in front of the temple was in full flow fuelled by rain from the hills.

The temple is open from early morning till late evening for darshan except for a break from 1.30 pm to 3.00 pm. Though not in the scale of Thirupathi, the temple is fairly well organised. Various prasads can be paid for at the counters inside the temple and are issued after the poojas are over by around 7.30 both morning and evening. Many celebrities are regular visitors here and we were fortunate to glimpse veteran singer Yesudas alongwith wife and son Vijay during morning pooja's. As evident, there's no restriction on devotee's of other religions.

Aside from the temple, a few hotels and numerous shops selling religious trinkets there is not much to entice the regular traveller (as opposed to devotees) here. A visit to the temple can be coupled with a leisurely walk along the banks of Souparnika or the winding roads. For those of the tourist variety, there are numerous beaches like Marvanthe & Karupe enroute as well as the Mookambika Wild life sanctuary. You can hunt for curio's and might well chance upon something unique. I chanced upon an MP3 cd containing 100 odd renditions of devotional keerthana's by the Sax maestro Kadri Gopinath.

We had to forego a trip to the Kudajadri shrine again due to the rains. For those of a healthy disposition and willing mentality, an uphill trek is recommended. On the return we stopped by at Udipi, and visited the Sri Gopalakrishna temple. Had lunch at the famed Woodlands Hotel and caught another bus back home in the evening.

For travellers / devotees who want a regular darshan it is recommended to stay at Udipi and travel by bus to Kollur. That way you can enjoy the famed Udipi cuisine and also the urban amenities that some cannot do without. Also immensely commendable are the native population for their courtesy and helpfulness.