A pilgrimage to Mookambika Temple, which is located at Kollur in Karnataka, will provide a positive vigour and keep your mind fresh. If you are planning to travel to the revered temple after disembarking from the train at the Baindur railway station, the 40km drive through the Kannada hamlets and forest paths can provide an exhilarating experience to you.
Once you reach the place of worship, you will be surprised to see many Malayalam-speaking devotees, Malayalam sign boards, and the ubiquitous short-stature cows. For a brief moment, you will get a feeling that you have stepped into a temple in Kerala. The stone walls, gigantic lamps carved out of stones and the golden chariot would leave a lasting impression on the pilgrims. And if you are visiting the temple, which is situated in the valley of the 4400ft tall Kodachadri hills, on the occasion of ‘vidyarambam’, you could find hundreds of children being initiated to the world of letters by writing ‘hari sree’ on the children’s tongues with a golden ring. One could also find scores of ascetics clad in saffron cloths on the temple premises.
The journey to Kodachadri, which houses the Ganapathy cave, Chitramoola and the Shankara ‘peedam’, from the Mookambika temple in a jeep on the extremely bumpy pathway can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It is pure bliss to be in the hills surrounded by verdant rainforests.
A dip in the cool waters of Souparnika River, which flows from the Kodacahdri Hills, is refreshing and soothing, to say the least. It is also a great feeling to dip your hands full of peanuts in the crystal clear waters of the river and see the swift swimming of small fish munching peanuts from your hands.
A spiritual trip to the Mookambika temple will indeed put you at ease and help to erase the negativities of life.