This is my second pilgrimage to Mookambika. Mookambika is in Kollur towards the north east of Karnataka. Kollur isn’t an attractive place except for the temple. I traveled all alone from Mysore and met my parents as planned at Kollur. The trip was as much a pilgrimage as a family get together.
I was supposed to go by the 7:15 pm bus to Kollur but for some reason the bus was cancelled by KSRTC. So waited for the next bus at 9:30. I was lucky that the 7:15 pm bus was cancelled since it was a local bus and the next few hours would have been terrible. The Rajahamsa executive service is worth the money and the only reason it is considered next to Volvo is because it is not air conditioned. The service was till Mangalore. I reached Mangalore at around 4:30 am.
I was new to this place and the only people I could see around were the newspaper boys busy setting the newspapers to be distributed and emaciated beggars. I was drowsy and staggered around looking for the Kollur bus platform. The bus arrived shortly after and there was only one vacant seat and 5 people waiting to occupy it. I pushed them all behind to occupy the seat. From there it was 5 hrs journey to Kollur. There was some foul smell in the bus and so I couldn’t stinking sleep! May be because there was a shabby fellow prowling around in the bus. Not being able to find a seat to sit he disembarked. Once the bus started off I dozed off again and woken up by the co-passenger when the bus finally reached kollur at around 8:30 am.
I was supposed to go by the 7:15 pm bus to Kollur but for some reason the bus was cancelled by KSRTC. So waited for the next bus at 9:30. I was lucky that the 7:15 pm bus was cancelled since it was a local bus and the next few hours would have been terrible. The Rajahamsa executive service is worth the money and the only reason it is considered next to Volvo is because it is not air conditioned. The service was till Mangalore. I reached Mangalore at around 4:30 am.
I was new to this place and the only people I could see around were the newspaper boys busy setting the newspapers to be distributed and emaciated beggars. I was drowsy and staggered around looking for the Kollur bus platform. The bus arrived shortly after and there was only one vacant seat and 5 people waiting to occupy it. I pushed them all behind to occupy the seat. From there it was 5 hrs journey to Kollur. There was some foul smell in the bus and so I couldn’t stinking sleep! May be because there was a shabby fellow prowling around in the bus. Not being able to find a seat to sit he disembarked. Once the bus started off I dozed off again and woken up by the co-passenger when the bus finally reached kollur at around 8:30 am.
A big inconvenience here is that there is no mobile network coverage. As per the plan I was supposed to call up my parents once there, but was lost since there was no network coverage. So I waited in front of the temple main gate for nearly half an hour to meet my parents. 50 yards away from where I stood was an elephant - the temple property, the interesting thing about her is that she gives blessings to all devotees with a gentle touch of her trunk. I was shocked to see people having their babies bow their head down in front of the elephant to get the blessing...how dangerous could this be!....after all it’s a cult.
Mookambika goddess is considered to be a powerful reincarnation of goddess saraswathi. The temple owes its mythological origin to Shankaracharya, a renowned religious leader. The scholar-sage prayed to the goddess of Sringeri, to go with him to his hometown. The goddess accepted it on a condition that he does not dare to turn back at her. Shankara took the goddess to Kerala. He could hear the divine anklets chiming behind him. When they reached Kollur the sound could no longer be heard. Shankara was confused and turned back. The goddess was still there behind him but she refused to go any further since he broke the condition and thus Kollur became home to the powerful goddess.
About 40 kms from the temple is the kodajadri peak, which houses Sarvajnapeetham, the divine seat of the scholar commemorating his invincible speech near Srinagar in Himalayan valley.
People flock to this place to make their children write the first few letters in the belief that this would help them do well in their studies.
People flock to this place to make their children write the first few letters in the belief that this would help them do well in their studies.
Iam rather agnostic about the existence of god but like the serene ambience that pervades the temples. Mookambika is an ideal pilgrimage spot because of the sacred and tranquil atmosphere.
The next day morning we had to leave early since the bus to Mangalore was at 7:45 am. There were only private services to Mangalore. We have taken the ticket and asked the conductor to let us know once at the Mangalore bus stand. I had to catch the next bus from Mangalore at 12:05 pm for which the ticket was taken in advance. The bus went past the Mangalore bus stand – I didn’t know it did, and when it reached the last stop at 11:55 am the conductor grinned and said that the city bus stand is only 6 kms from there and that it takes only 15 min in an auto rickshaw to detour, but I was left with only 10 min to catch the next bus.
I took a rickshaw to the bus stand. The auto driver was another dump head. I asked him to take me to the bus stand and he took me to the railway station instead! By then it was almost certain that I would miss the bus. I was not ready to give up and persuaded the auto driver to drive even faster, and to my surprise he drove fast and furious, not caring for the traffic signals. I was expecting a mishap any time because of the reckless driving. Once at the bus stand I dashed off after paying him 20 bugs, I thought that would be fair enough. Fortunately I reached the bus stand just in time.
The next day morning we had to leave early since the bus to Mangalore was at 7:45 am. There were only private services to Mangalore. We have taken the ticket and asked the conductor to let us know once at the Mangalore bus stand. I had to catch the next bus from Mangalore at 12:05 pm for which the ticket was taken in advance. The bus went past the Mangalore bus stand – I didn’t know it did, and when it reached the last stop at 11:55 am the conductor grinned and said that the city bus stand is only 6 kms from there and that it takes only 15 min in an auto rickshaw to detour, but I was left with only 10 min to catch the next bus.
I took a rickshaw to the bus stand. The auto driver was another dump head. I asked him to take me to the bus stand and he took me to the railway station instead! By then it was almost certain that I would miss the bus. I was not ready to give up and persuaded the auto driver to drive even faster, and to my surprise he drove fast and furious, not caring for the traffic signals. I was expecting a mishap any time because of the reckless driving. Once at the bus stand I dashed off after paying him 20 bugs, I thought that would be fair enough. Fortunately I reached the bus stand just in time.
I was about to board the bus when some one patted me from behind. Standing behind me was the auto driver. He demanded more money and it was then that I realized I had not checked the fare meter. He asked for 60 bugs and I had no other go but to pay him, after all the exiting auto drive was worth the money!
Back home I was tired but couldn’t resist watching a movie lately downloaded – ‘Dead Man Walking’. Half way through the movie I was sound asleep and woke up 2 hrs after the movie was over! The holy spirit filled my dreams for the next few days.
