Tamil Nadu Chief Minister ‘Thalapathy’ Joseph Vijay is scheduled to make his maiden official visit to neighboring Karnataka on Friday. He will visit the historic, 1,200-year-old Kollur Sri Mookambika Devi Temple in Udupi district to offer special prayers and seek blessings. According to his travel itinerary, Vijay will fly from Chennai to Mangaluru, from where he will travel by road to Kollur. After performing special rituals at the shrine at 3:00 PM, he will return to Chennai by evening. In anticipation of large gatherings of fans and supporters along his route, Karnataka Police have made strict security and traffic arrangements upon a formal request from Tamil Nadu officials.
Visiting the Kollur Mookambika Temple is strongly believed by political, film, and business elites to ensure immense success in their respective fields. Consequently, it has become a traditional rite of passage for Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers. In the past, AIADMK founder and legendary leader M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) visited the shrine and gifted a 1.5 kg golden sword (Suvarna Khadgam) to the goddess. His wife Janaki Ramachandran also visited the temple during her brief tenure as Chief Minister. Later, J. Jayalalithaa famously performed a special Chandi Yagam here in 2004 and donated funds for the temple’s free meal distribution (Annadanam) program, a spiritual sessional legacy that CM Vijay is now continuing.
Considered one of the seven Mukti Sthalas (abodes of salvation) in Karnataka, the Sri Mookambika Devi Temple is nestled amidst the scenic Kodachadri hills on the banks of the Souparnika River. According to mythology, this is the sacred site where Goddess Parvati slew the demon Kaumasura, who had been terrorizing local sages after being turned mute—earning him the name Mookasura. Legends state that centuries later, when Adi Shankaracharya was meditating on the Kodachadri hills, the goddess appeared before him and was subsequently consecrated as Mookambika at Kollur following his guidance. The historic temple attracts hundreds of thousands of devotees annually from across Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh.
