The place of a million lingas

Are you tired of the many trekking, rock climbing and wildlife spots in and around Bangalore, Do you yearn for something different. Something that is in the record books and something that you can relate to in everyday life.

All the better if you are religiously inclined. Then head for Kotilingeshwara in Kolar district of Karnataka which is now in the record books as having the most number of Shiva Lingas in India  or even abroad.

Yes, as the name itself suggest, you can view and count if you have the time and the inclination, the one crore or Koti Lingas. The Kotilangeshwara temple is in  Kammasandra village but the temple has become so famous that its very mention will draw pilgrims and tourists to this village.

The Kotilingeshwara temple is about 95 km from Bangalore and just six kms from Kolar  Gold Fields (KGF) . The temple can boats of so many lingas at one place that it at once creates a sense of awe and wonder.

The main deity is Kotilingeshwara and he is surrounded by a crore smaller lingas.  The Temple was constructed by Swamy Sambha Shiva Murthy and it is open to public from early morning till 9.30 p.m.

The main Linga is a mammoth 108 feet (33 metres) tall. This is not the only tall structure here. Just in front is a huge Nandi which is 35 feet (11 meters) tall. The Nandi is located atop a platform which is 60 feet (18 meters) in length, 40 feet (12 metres) in width and 4 feet (1.2 m) high.

This main temple is surrounded by eleven smaller temples, each dedicated to a different deity like Brahma, Vishnu, Venkataramani Swamy, Annapoorneshwari, Panduranga, Panchamukha Ganapathi,  Rama, Lakshmana and Sita Temple, Anjaneya, Kannika Parameshwari and Karumari Amma.

Lakhs of Lingas have been installed around the temple of Kotilingshwara and this is spread over13 acres. The first linga was installed in 1980 and since then this exercise has continued.

Howeverm not all the lingas are of the same height. They vary from one foot (0.30 m) to three feet (0.91 m).

The temple has two Naga Linga Flower trees or Cannon Ball Flower Trees. Unmarried women pray for a happy married life and tie a yellow thread around the tree.

Daily poojas are performed at 6 a.m., and 6 p.m., ever day.