A Spiritual Adventure!

Approximately 135 kms from Mangalore and 450 kms from Bangalore, the temple is located at the valley of Kodachadri hills.Kodachadri hills forms a background to the temple of  Mookambika in Kollur - the sacred place of wisdom and performing arts.

Kodachadri is a mountain  with dense forests (elevation - 1,343 metres above sea level) with wild animals, it is about 21 kms from Kollur Mookambika temple. 

In the valley of Kodachadri mountain, at the base of the hills is Kollur Mookambika temple.
Temple is located besides holy souparnika river.

Souparnika river flows from the top of Kodachadri hills until the spot where the temple is located.
I encountered a miracle which we will explore in the later part of the post.

Sage Adi Shankara is said to have meditated at the peak of Kodachadri hills, a small temple called "Sarvajnapeetha" built with stone is dedicated to Adi Shankara at the top of Kodachadri hills, the place is known as “Sarvajnapeedam” means “Ultimate seat of wisdom”

A sage from Kerala - Adi Shankara's photo in his Ashram at the base of the hills.

Let’s explore the sacred place / temple of performing arts – “Kollur Sri Mookambika temple”

As soon as  you enter the temple you find Saraswati Mandapam besides the sreekovil (place where the main shrine is installed)

The great  Spiritual leader from Kerala "Adi Sankara" had written his famous work 'Soundarya Lahiri' sitting here. 

Saraswati Mandapam.

Main offering to the Goddess: 

On the Saraswati Mandapam - you can stage your performance as an offering to Goddess Saraswati , one can offer "dance , drama , singing , music , sketch , painting , literature as an offering to Goddess Saraswati"

Offering performance to Goddess will improve one's talent , knowledge , wisdom in arts and education.

Besides - singers and dancers can stage their maiden performance here as a dedication to the Goddess Saraswati .

I met with a Malayalam actress on the stage who had come there to perform.
Onto the left side you can see a famous Kerala Malayalam actress.

“(I meditate on Devi Sharada, To You, O Devi, I always pray (for knowledge); Please bestow on me the gift of that knowledge (which illumines everything from within))”

(I meditate on Devi Sharada Who is pure white in colour, and whose deepest essence can only be fathomed by enquiring into the nature of brahman (absolute consciousness); Who is supreme and primeval, and Her essence is spread across the whole universe (as consciousness); Who is holding a veena and book and displaying the gesture of fearlessness, Who removes the darkness of ignorance from our minds; Who is holding a garland of crystal beeds in Her hand and abiding on the seat of lotus; I extol and worship Her Who is the supreme goddess Who awakens our intelligence; I worship Devi Sharada.)

Mythology holds that Goddess Saraswati appeared before Sage Adi shankara at the top of kodachadri hills (Hence the top of Kodachadri hills is known as the seat of ultimate wisdom) and when Sage Adi  Shankara asked Goddess Saraswati to accompany him until Kerala, Devi Saraswati accepted his wish based on one condition that Adi Shankara would have to lead her way to the destination. On the way, he cannot doubt and look back to confirm her presence, if he does she will stop right there at the moment where he would place a temple. The temple is built at the border of Kerala and Karnataka at Kollur in the valley of Kodachadri hills about 21kms away from the peak (Sarvajnapeedam)

Goddess Saraswati  is said to be present in Kerala - Chotanikkara temple in the morning and after morning she is back at Kollur Mookambika.

If you are lucky you get to listen to some best musicians / artistes perform in front of Goddess Saraswati in this place to seek her blessings.

For the past 32 years famous south india singer K J Yesudas  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K._J._Yesudas) has been coming to Kollur Mookambika temple on his birthday to sing keerthanas as an offering to Saraswathi devi - the Goddess of letters, arts and music.

If you want to get a glimpse of  K.J. Yesudas , visit Kollur Mookambika temple on Jan 10th 

I offered 2 steps of namaskaram in bharathanatyam on Saraswati mandapam in the morning and then visited the sreekovil where the  main shrine of the Devi is located.

Mookambika Kashayam (holy wisdom water) is a sacred medicine made of herbs  to enhance wisdom.  It is offered only after 8.30 pm everyday, devotees wait until 9.30 pm to get a few drops of holy wisdom water.

But if you are lucky enough - out of thousands-lakhs of devotees who visit the temple -  the priest might call you personally and give you a bottle of holy water to take home.

The temple is dedicated to the female principle of Brahman.

Brahman is a fusion of 2 principles – a male principle and a female principle

Consciousness is emptiness – the male principal of Brahman.

Creativity, wisdom and arts – female principle of Brahman.

In order to enhance the power of female principle Adi Shankara later also installed Goddess Shakti (Power) and Goddess Wealth (Lakshmi) into the same Saraswati idol and hence the deity (Kollur Mookambika) became the manifestation of 3 different forces (Saraswati , Lakshmi and Shakti) and the 3 forces together is called as Kollur Mookambika.

The message which Adi Shankara wanted to spread by manifesting all 3 female forces in one idol is:

“That power should be gained with the help of – Knowledge and wisdom. Power that is gained without the knowledge and wisdom is equivalent to abusing Shakti and this power will destroy you and your family”. “Goddess Lakshmi should also be gained with the help of Wisdom and knowledge “

Blessings from Elephant, these elephants understand Malayalam and anyone can communicate with them in Malayalam.

After my morning prayer - I once again visited the temple in the evening at around 5.30pm and offered my prayers. I took my belly chain with me which has a custom made gold jewellery specially made by my Bangalore based astrologer after 11 days of  Special Puja for Mookambika, with Saraswati mantra written inside the gold jewellery.

Anything you offer to the Goddess for Pooja will be returned by the priest after performing the Puja.

I got back my chain after the puja.

Now let’s talk about the miracle which I encountered when I was inside the temple.

After my evening prayer at around 6.30pm - I came out of the sreekovil (sanctum sanatorium) , priest also came out and asked me in malayalam

Priest: Paer Enda  (means what is your name?)

Me: Sree Vidya

Priest: 8.30 manik vanna , oru bottle kashayam thera.

Translation : Come to the sreekovil after 8.30 pm and I will give you a bottle of kashayam  (holy wisdom water)

Isn't it a miracle? 

I was one of 5 lucky people out of the 1000 devotees who happen to receive a bottle of holy wisdom water.
This was a miracle to me. I dont know anybody in that temple.
Holy wisdom water is consumed to enhance wisdom and intelligence.

Temple premise,

Mookambika literally means "Goddess of speech Saraswati who has made a demon dumb"

Shabdh Brahman - Sounds OM.

There is a scared grove inside the forest specifically made to offer prayers to “Sree Nagaraja”.

This is because on  the Kodachadri hills inside the  dense forest (which is known as wisdom hills )  - Sree Nagaraja is said to be protecting Sree Saraswati.

It is challenging to reach the peak in winter and monsoon, because my nephew is too young and my mom cannot trek, this time we had to skip trekking to the top of the Kodachadri hills to view the “seat of ultimate wisdom “  but  next time we will explore the Ultimate seat of wisdom at the top of Kodachadri Hills.

"Ranga Mandira" inside the temple !

Meditation Hall !

Back home and i started practicing dance ;
Now that i have offered my prayers to Goddess Saraswati i can begin practicing dance.