KotilingeshwaraTemple is a popular pilgrimage place for believers of Lord Shiva. This temple is located in Kammasandra, a town in Kolar district of Karnataka state, India. It is famous for its huge lingam, which is said to be the largest in Asia.
Kotilingeshwara Temple Kolar complex is
spread over 15 acres of land and houses thousands of lingams. The main temple
is surrounded by many small temples for other Hindu gods like Brahma, Vishnu
and Maheshwara.
Several legends have
been associated with the temple. One of them is about the sage Gautama, who got
cursed by Lord Indra and offered prayers to Shiva to get rid of the curse. The
sage made a Shivalingam and anointed it with water collected from ten million
rivers. He then placed the lingam in the Kotilingeshwara temple and prayed to
Shiva.
There are various
festivals held in the temple, including Maha Shivratri. During these days, the
temple becomes crowded with people from all over the country.
In addition to the
main deity of the Kotilingeshwara Swamy Temple, there are also eleven other
smaller temples for other gods in the compound. These include Shivalingas for
the gods Ram, Krishna, Sita, Lakshmana and Pandurangaswamy. The temple also has
a big water tank where priests perform daily pooja and Abhishekam to the deity.
Lakhs of Shiva lingas in the temple
The Kotilingeshwara Temple Kolar has 90 lakh Shiva lingas installed in different sizes around the main
lingam. These lingas are in the form of pancha lingas (five-headed lion),
thirumana lingas (four-headed serpent) and others.
According to the
wishes of the devotees, lingas in various sizes can be installed at any point
of time. In the temple premises, there is a linga shop where the devotees can
purchase lingas for their own shrines.
There is a large
number of lingams in this temple because Bhakta Manjunatha, the patron of
Maharaja Ambikeshwaravarma, created these lingas and installed them at the spot
where the main Kotilingeshwara Swami Temple stands. It is believed that
Manjunatha had insulted Sri Kotilingeshwara ten million times in his life and
this was a way of acquitting him of all his sins.
Since then, the
Kotilingeshwara temple has become a place of worship for the followers of Shiva
and this temple is now visited by a large number of devotees from all over India.
This temple is a
popular destination for the pilgrims of the Hindu faith and it is renowned for
its huge Shiva lingam. The lingam is believed to be the largest in Asia and
attracts a lot of visitors every year.
The lingam is 108
feet tall and a statue of Nandi, the bull, is also present in the shrine. It is
said that this lingam is the most powerful among all the other lingams.
Moreover, it is said
that this lingam has spontaneous signs of Chandra Rekha, Bhasma Rekha, Parvathi
and Ganga Devi. Hence, it is very important for the devotees to perform their
poojas and Abhishekams regularly so that they can achieve a spiritual
enlightenment.
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