Kotilingeshwara Temple: Place of Largest Lingas

Kotilingeshwara Temple is located in a very small village in the Kolar area called Kammasandra. This temple is famous for Shivalinga, the largest and highest in Asia. More than 2 lakhs devotees visit this temple every year.

“Koti” in Kannada means “crore”, this temple project aims to install 10 million Shivalinga in the temple.  It is famous for 108-foot-long Shivalinga, which is the largest temple in world, and Nandi which is 35 feet tall at the front of the linga.

What is the History of Kotilingeshwara Temple?

This temple was built by Swami Sambha Shiva Murthy in 1980. The first Linga language was installed in 1980, and many Linga languages ​​have appeared in temples since then.

What is the History of Kotilingeshwara Temple
What is the History of the Temple?

A tall Nandi was also installed next to Linga. Nandi is 11 tons tall and sits on a huge platform.

Maha Shivaratri is a special occasion, and a large number of devotees make this festival an important day.

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The temple is easily accessible from the goldfields of Kolar. This is one of the most popular pilgrimage sites on a trip to Bangalore and one of the ideal day trips near Bangalore.

Inside the temple, there are about eleven other gods and temples. The first of them includes the Vishnu Temple, Brahma Temple, and Maheshwara Temple. This was followed by the temple of Lord Kotilingeshwara.

The cottage left by Sri Madanananda Swamiji has become Sri Sadananda Ashramam. The Ashram provides all facilities for Yathis, Swamis, Pandits, and believers from different distant places.

Many ceremonies and pujas every day and maintain Sadananda Vedic Patashala. Lingam has spontaneous signs of Chandra Rekha, Bhasma Rekhalu, Parvathi, and Ganga Devi.

Harikatha, Burra Kathas, Bhajan program are carried out here. “Akhanda Anandam” are also performed here. The Vedic ceremony was hosted by Brahma Sri Palakurthi Narsimha Rama Sindhanthi and Sri Gattepally Sharabharadyulu Garu.

The first temple was dedicated to Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwara. The main shrine is made up of Kotilingeshwara (the main deity), and the surrounding big Lingam is a small temple for other Hindu gods.

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You can also see shrines such as Goddess Annapoorneshwari Temple, Goddess Karumaari Amma Temple, Lord Venkataramana Swamy Temple, Lord Panduranga Swamy Temple, Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana Temple, Lord Panchamukha Ganapathy Temple, Lord Anjaneya Temple, and Goddess Kannika Parameshwari Temple.

How many numbers of Lingas are there in Kotilingeshwara Temple?

The holy place of the Kotilingeshwara temple houses about 900,000 grams of Linga in different sizes. The temple plans to install ten million lingas in this temple.

How many numbers of Lingas are there in Kotilingeshwara Temple
How many numbers of Lingas are there in Kotilingeshwara?

Due to the number of Shiva Lingas in the complex, it is known as Kotilingeshwara.

A water tank is set up close to the Linga, used by the devotees to perform Abhisheka. The idols vary between 1 foot (0.30 m) and 3 feet (0.91 m) in height.

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Kotilingeshwara Mahalingam in the temple is “Narmada Banam” brought from Varanasi. Gadi (representative seat) was assigned to Swamiji of Sri Sadananda Ashramam in Prajothpathi Samvastaram.

It later flourished in Swamiji to become the 68th Peetadhi Pathi of Sadananda Matt of Baswakalyan in Karnataka.

Sri Madanananda Swamiji, who completed this huge task, obtained Shiva Sayujyam (Vikramanama Samvastara Kartika Bahula Ekadashi) on November 11, 2000.

How to Reach Kotilingeshwara Temple?

You must first reach Kolar and then head to Kotilingeshwara. The temple is about 95 kilometers from Bangalore.

How to Reach Kotilingeshwara Temple
How to Reach Kotilingeshwara?
By AirThe closest airport to Kolar is in Bangalore. Passengers can rent a taxi from the airport or rely on public transportation to reach Kolar.
By TrainBangalore, Mangalore, Hassan, and Hubli all have a complete railway network with Kolar
By RoadIf you want to reach the temple by road, you need to reach Kolar. Kolar is 2.5 hours from Bangalore.
Modes of Transport and Travel

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Daily Pooja at the Kotilingeshwara Temple

Every day, the priest will perform puja in all the installed Shivalingas.

Daily Pooja at the Kotilingeshwara Temple
Daily Pooja at the Kotilingeshwara

The ceremony was performed with music and drums. All the priests recited mantra and poured water on the Lingas.

Devotees can also provide special pooja by installing Lingas. These Lingas ​​can be installed on any day the devotee chooses under his name. Regular services are held and provided to all installed lingas.

Timings6 am to 9 pm
Entry feesINR 20 per person
Camera FeesINR 100 per camera
Parking ChargesINR 30
Linga installation feesStarts from INR 6,000
Timings and Entry Fees

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Facilities at Kotilingeshwara

In the temple there are rest places built by devotees. Besides, free large-scale marriages are held here every year.

This is done by the priest with drums, music, and hymns. Currently, there are about 20 weddings per week.

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There is also a meditation hall specially built for believers who wish to meditate in peace.

What are the other major attractions near Kotilingeshwara Temple?

Visitors can stroll around Kolar and visit some major attractions. ChikkaTirupati or Bangaru Tirupathi is another major tourist attraction near Kotilingeshwara.

Chikka Tirupathi is 63 km from Kotilingeshwara, and the two temples can be covered within a day.

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Conclusion

Kotilingeshwara temple complex houses the largest Shiva Linga and Nandi (Bull-Shiva’s animal mount) and other Hindu gods. This holy place is one of the famous tourist destinations in Kolar.

This temple has an accompanying Basava statue, 11 mts high, surrounded by a large number of Shivalingas throughout the area.

The project involves the establishment of 100 billion shivalingas, so it is named Kotilingeshwara. Currently, there are about one hundred thousand shivalingas.

People Also Ask (FAQs)

How far is Kotilingeshwara temple from Bangalore?

Bangalore is located around 75 KM away from Kotilingeshwara Temple so if you travel at the consistent speed of 50 KM per hour you can reach Kotilingeshwara Temple in 1 hour and 46 minutes.

How many Lingas are there in Kotilingeshwara?

The holy place of Kotilingeshwara houses around 90 lakh lingas of different sizes. The temple project is to install one crore lingas in this temple.

Who built Kotilingeshwara Temple?

To acquit himself of his past sins, Bhakta Manjunatha, under the patronage of Maharaja Ambikeshwaravarma and the help of his family, created ten million lingas. Hence the name Kotilingeshwara, where Koti means crore and installed them in the area.

Is shivling a male organ?

According to Rohit Dasgupta, the lingam symbolizes Shiva in Hinduism, and it is also a phallic symbol. Since the 19th-century, states Dasgupta, the popular literature has represented the lingam as the male sex organ.

How can I go to Kolar from Bangalore?

The cheapest way to reach Kolar from Bangalore takes you 0 hrs 31 mts., which is to take a train with train number 56213 from Bangalore to Kolar. The fastest way to reach Kolar from Bangalore is also the same.