Kotilingeshwara Temple: Unique Unknown Facts About This Kolar Temple

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Koti' when translated to Kannada means a "crore" and Kotilingeshwara means the lord who owns 1 crore Shivalingas. The temple of Kotilingeshwara is located in Kammasandra village in Kolar and is conspicuous for over 90 lakhs of Shivlingas in varied sizes and the worlds tallest Shivlinga installed in the premises. The 33 metres high Shivlinga and 11 metress high Lord Nandi, the Bull never fail to stun and mystify the visitors.

People can donate Shivlingas of the size they prefer with their name embedded on it. Maha Shivratri attracts a huge crowd and fortunately all amenities are made available to the devotees since it is not a very old temple. A marriage hall, meditation hall, and an exhibition centre are found on the premises. You can also find a small market that sells puja ingredients and curios. Parking space is provided and foot stalls are also found in plenty here. These mundane details apart, let us find out what demarcates this temple from the rest of the temples and what is unique about this temple. Here are a few interesting facts that prove this point.

Unique Facts About Kotilingeshwara Temple At Kolar

1. This temple for Lord Shiva is home to about 10 million Shiva Lingas. The Linga that you see here is one of the biggest in entire Asia. Height of this massive Shiva Linga is 108 ft (33m).
2. The Kotilingeshwara temple, apart from the huge Shiva Linga, consists of a large statue of Nandi which is 35 feet tall and seated on a huge platform. There is no statue for Nandi that is bigger than this in this whole world.
3. In the premises, you can see 11 temples for different Gods. There is a temple for Lord Vishnu Lord Brahma and Lord Maheshwara as well. And is followed by a temple of Lord Kotilingeshwara. Other Temples are dedicated to Goddess Annapoorneshwari , Goddess Kanika Parameshwari, Lord Anjaneya, Lord Rama, Sita and Laxman , Lord Padurangaswamy, Goddess Karumari Amma , Lord Venkataramana Swamy and Lord Panchamukha Ganapathy.
4. All the Lingas have been placed in an area that measures 15 acres.
5. Two trees of special significance can be spotted in the temple premises. As per the devotee belief, by tying Yellow thread on two trees you can fulfil any wish on your mind. It works miraculously for removal of hindrances to marriage. Temple authorities conduct marriages for the poorer section for a reasonable fee. There is a good food and lodging arrangement for devotees coming from a long distance.
6. The Kotilingeshwara temple is situated in a very small village named Kammasandra in the Kolar district. Apart from the gold mines, this temple is famous for the largest and the tallest Shivalinga in Asia.
7. For the residents of Bangalore, a car ride can be availed which can take you there within 2.5 hours. This spot is declared by the Government as a tourist spot and now people from all over the world are allowed to visit for a darshan of the Linga.
8. All the installed Shivlingas receive daily regular pujas by priests. The puja The pooja is carried out with music and drums and all the priests recite mantras as well as pour water on the Lingas.
9. The devotees can also offer special poojas by installing the Lingas. These Lingas can be installed on any day chosen by the devotees in their names. Regular poojas will be carried out and offered to all the Lingas installed.
10. Manjunatha Sharma or Bhakta Manujnatha was born in a devout Brahmin family. Although a man of good intentions, he did not believe in the existence of God. He also used to insult Lord Shiva when he was a growing child. One day, everything changed and he realized how indispensable was Lord Shiva to his life, and changed into a devotee overnight when one day, he visited the Shiva temple with his family. On that day he witnessed only bad omens including the temple lamps extinguishing on their own. Everyone pointed out a finger at Manjunatha for this unsavoury incident. A local viceroy for Rashtrakutas, who was present there, took it upon himself to prove Manjunaths innocence. Both the Viceroy and Manjunath sang a devotional song Mayaka deepam together and the lights immediately lit up in the temple. This made people accept that Manjunath had indeed turned a new leaf in his life.Disclaimer: The information is based on assumptions and information available on the internet and the accuracy or reliability is not guaranteed. Boldsky does not confirm any inputs or information related to the article and our only purpose is to deliver information. Kindly consult the concerned expert before practising or implementing any information and assumption.