Kotilingeshwar - A temple with a crore Shiv Lings!
Sunday morning we planned a trip to Kotilingeshwar, a temple in Kammasandra, in Kolar district of Karnataka. Its around 73 kms from our apartments! So a kind of very short tour for us! We started very late, around noon. Sunday being a lazy day.
The drive down was smooth and quick, and before we realized, we were in Kolar. We drove straight to the temple. Summer is early this year, the day was scorching! There is a parking fee of Rs 30. We parked the car and left behind our shoes in the car itself, walking bare foot into the temple. And must say, the floors were blazing! The entry had all sorts of shops, we typically see in any temple entry in India! Idols of God, feng shui items, fake flowers, gift items, food. In short, you name it, you get it kind of shops! The only thing missing was a ATM! As we were passing the sub entry, there were few lady hawkers who had all ways to convince us and all people that we would not get anything inside the temple and hence we should buy flowers, diya etc from them, there itself! I didn't feel like believing them and hence went in.
Now, it was entry into the main temple premises. I just entered, passed by a sort of window. I didn't notice if anyone was sitting inside. Suddenly I heard a voice shouting at me "Ticket, Ticket"! Wondering where the voice is coming from, I peeped into the window. A lady was seated inside. She asked me "How many?" I robotically replied "2". Couldn't help but ask her "Tickets for what?" And her reply was "Enter!" Entry into a temple in India has entry fee! WoW.
We bought diyas, flowers, etc from a lady who was carrying a infant. Maybe the infant drew me towards them. I felt like helping them more then anyone else out there! So bought offerings worth Rs 250 from her. She sold one diya for Rs 50, too much but all in the name of God! And more, for the little infant.
So, we were inside and we entered the first temple where in the priest was more interested in what we were carrying in our hands! He took, almost pulled the packet out of my wrist and mechanically put the flowers into the dump that was already there behind him. He threw the incense sticks into a drum over which he had placed the aarti plate. He forwarded the plate to us, we offered some dakshina,, and bowed our heads and were immediately asked to move!
So we were out of the first temple and in queue to the second temple. This one was little more offensive. The priest literally uttered "Dakshina" while forwarding the aarti thali to us. Again we prayed to God, the Murudeshwar. The priest uttered everything in local language, so we couldn't understand anything. All I could grasp was maybe that was the first ling laid. The lingam was decorated with a very beautiful mask, giving a face to the lord. Lovely flowers adored the sides. It was pleasing to see the inside!
Special privileges were given to visitors, who probably shelled out more out of their purses! We saw a family standing inside, very close to the Murugeshwar idol. Anyways, we didn't mind and moved on. Next were other such temple within the premises. One particular which needs mentioning is one which had a sort of lingam installed in a higher platform. Some person standing there asked us to offer abhishek on the lingam and it seems it reaches Kedarnath, Badrinath. Another way to bluff the innocent people visiting a temple!
We however stood in queue. One couple, more like two friends, offered their abhishek and moved on. The priest told "Dakshina" but the kids just moved. The priest then started reprimanding the two. He got so furious and castigated the young couple so bad, that I frankly lost my desire to stand there another second. We walked out.
Every other temple within the premises, had the same story. Dakshina, dakshina, dakshina! However, not spoiling our moods, we moved on, clicking pics of the place with so many shiv lings. The place is amazing. Kotilingeshwar literally means 1 crore lings! To be surrounded by so many Shiv lings was wonderful!
Believed to be initially installed by Manjunatha, a atheist turned theist! He installed one crore shiv lings since he had insulted the lord around a crore times! The temple was built late in 1980s. One of the biggest Shiv Ling in the world, measuring 108 ft tall with a 35 ft tall Nandi idol is here. Being surrounded by Lakhs and lakhs of Shiv Lings, a wonderful experience in itself!
All in all, time well spent in the name of Shiva!
The drive down was smooth and quick, and before we realized, we were in Kolar. We drove straight to the temple. Summer is early this year, the day was scorching! There is a parking fee of Rs 30. We parked the car and left behind our shoes in the car itself, walking bare foot into the temple. And must say, the floors were blazing! The entry had all sorts of shops, we typically see in any temple entry in India! Idols of God, feng shui items, fake flowers, gift items, food. In short, you name it, you get it kind of shops! The only thing missing was a ATM! As we were passing the sub entry, there were few lady hawkers who had all ways to convince us and all people that we would not get anything inside the temple and hence we should buy flowers, diya etc from them, there itself! I didn't feel like believing them and hence went in.
Now, it was entry into the main temple premises. I just entered, passed by a sort of window. I didn't notice if anyone was sitting inside. Suddenly I heard a voice shouting at me "Ticket, Ticket"! Wondering where the voice is coming from, I peeped into the window. A lady was seated inside. She asked me "How many?" I robotically replied "2". Couldn't help but ask her "Tickets for what?" And her reply was "Enter!" Entry into a temple in India has entry fee! WoW.
We bought diyas, flowers, etc from a lady who was carrying a infant. Maybe the infant drew me towards them. I felt like helping them more then anyone else out there! So bought offerings worth Rs 250 from her. She sold one diya for Rs 50, too much but all in the name of God! And more, for the little infant.
So, we were inside and we entered the first temple where in the priest was more interested in what we were carrying in our hands! He took, almost pulled the packet out of my wrist and mechanically put the flowers into the dump that was already there behind him. He threw the incense sticks into a drum over which he had placed the aarti plate. He forwarded the plate to us, we offered some dakshina,, and bowed our heads and were immediately asked to move!
So we were out of the first temple and in queue to the second temple. This one was little more offensive. The priest literally uttered "Dakshina" while forwarding the aarti thali to us. Again we prayed to God, the Murudeshwar. The priest uttered everything in local language, so we couldn't understand anything. All I could grasp was maybe that was the first ling laid. The lingam was decorated with a very beautiful mask, giving a face to the lord. Lovely flowers adored the sides. It was pleasing to see the inside!
Special privileges were given to visitors, who probably shelled out more out of their purses! We saw a family standing inside, very close to the Murugeshwar idol. Anyways, we didn't mind and moved on. Next were other such temple within the premises. One particular which needs mentioning is one which had a sort of lingam installed in a higher platform. Some person standing there asked us to offer abhishek on the lingam and it seems it reaches Kedarnath, Badrinath. Another way to bluff the innocent people visiting a temple!
We however stood in queue. One couple, more like two friends, offered their abhishek and moved on. The priest told "Dakshina" but the kids just moved. The priest then started reprimanding the two. He got so furious and castigated the young couple so bad, that I frankly lost my desire to stand there another second. We walked out.
Every other temple within the premises, had the same story. Dakshina, dakshina, dakshina! However, not spoiling our moods, we moved on, clicking pics of the place with so many shiv lings. The place is amazing. Kotilingeshwar literally means 1 crore lings! To be surrounded by so many Shiv lings was wonderful!
Believed to be initially installed by Manjunatha, a atheist turned theist! He installed one crore shiv lings since he had insulted the lord around a crore times! The temple was built late in 1980s. One of the biggest Shiv Ling in the world, measuring 108 ft tall with a 35 ft tall Nandi idol is here. Being surrounded by Lakhs and lakhs of Shiv Lings, a wonderful experience in itself!
All in all, time well spent in the name of Shiva!
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