Sri Mookambika Temple, Kollur, in Kollur in Karnataka, is a shrine to Goddess Mookambika (a unified form of Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati). It is also known as Kollur Mookambika Temple.
One of the seven Mukti Sthalas of coastal Karnataka (Parashurama Kshetras) and a major Shakti/Devi shrine drawing pilgrims from across South India, especially Kerala; revered as a goddess of learning, and Vidyarambham (initiation into learning) is performed here. Located at Kollur in Udupi district at the foot of the Kodachadri hills, the temple is dedicated to Goddess Mookambika.
Karnataka carries a distinct temple identity of its own: Vijayanagara grandeur at Hampi, Hoysala artistry at Belur, and living coastal shrines at Udupi, Kukke and Kollur, Karnataka is a museum of South Indian temple genius.
Darshan hours and daily worship
| Session | Timing (as published) |
|---|---|
| Morning | Opens around 5:00 AM |
| Evening | Until around 9:00 PM |
IMPORTANT CORRECTION: the previously-listed officialWebsite (mookambika.co) is NOT the temple's official site - that site's own FAQ states in plain text 'This is not official site of Mookambika Temple' and that 'Mookambika Infoline does not represent any temple, trust or organization.' The genuine official site is kollurmookambikatemple.org, which identifies itself as 'Maintained by Shri Kollur Mookambika Temple' with a temple Executive-Officer contact address (eosmtkollur@gmail.com). It confirms a daily 5:00 AM Nirmalya Pooja and that Trikala Pooja (three-times-daily worship) is performed, consistent with the existing 'opens around 5:00 AM' note. The official site went into scheduled maintenance (HTTP 503) partway through this research pass, so its full 'Darshana Timing' and seva-price pages could not be captured this round; overall roughly 5:00 AM-9:00 PM with midday/afternoon breaks remains the best-available estimate and should be reconfirmed once the official site is back up.
Poojas and daily rituals
Daily abhisheka, archana and multiple poojas; Vidyarambham (initiation into learning) is a signature ritual, especially at Vijayadashami
Festivals and special-day timings
Regular darshan hours are usually extended, or set aside entirely, on these dates.
| Festival | Period | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Navaratri / Vijayadashami | September/October | The main festival, when Vidyarambham (initiation into learning) draws large numbers of children and families |
| Rathotsava (Car Festival) | Annual | Chariot procession of the Goddess |
History and architecture
Architecture
Coastal Karnataka temple on the banks of the Souparnika river below Kodachadri hill; the sanctum enshrines a swayambhu Jyotirlinga with a golden line dividing it, before the Panchaloha idol of the Goddess
History
Located at Kollur in Udupi district at the foot of the Kodachadri hills, the temple is dedicated to Goddess Mookambika. Tradition holds that Adi Shankaracharya consecrated the idol here after a vision of the Goddess. The Souparnika river beside the temple is considered holy.
Planning your visit
How to reach
Nearest railway station Kundapura (about 40 km) or Byndoor; nearest airport Mangaluru (about 130 km); reached by road from Udupi and Kundapura.
Sri Mookambika Temple, Kollur in photographs
4 freely-licensed photographs of this temple, from Wikimedia Commons. Each is credited to its photographer.
Where this information comes from
Confidence: Medium. The previously-cited officialWebsite (mookambika.co) was found to explicitly disclaim being the temple's official site and has been replaced with the genuine official site (kollurmookambikatemple.org, run by the temple's Executive Officer), which confirms the 5:00 AM Nirmalya Pooja. However that site went down for scheduled maintenance during this research pass before its full ritual-schedule and seva-price pages could be captured, so exact seva windows and fee tiers still could not be independently confirmed and are left as a documented gap rather than guessed at.