Temple Description

In Kannada, ‘Koti’ means a crore, and Kotilingeshwara Temple is renowned for its collection of one crore Shivalingas. It houses the tallest Shivalinga in the world, standing at 33 meters, along with over 90 lakh (9 million) other Shivalingas of varying sizes. The temple also features an impressive 11-meter-high Lord Nandi, the Bull. Established in 1980 by Swami Sambha Shiva Murthy, the temple invites donations of Shivalingas of different sizes, which can be installed with the donor’s name inscribed on them. Located in the small village of Kammasanadra in Kolar District, the temple is easily accessible by road. While it sees a steady stream of devotees daily, it draws millions of tourists during Maha Shivaratri, a festival dedicated to Lord Shiva that typically falls in February or March. The temple complex also includes 11 smaller temples dedicated to other deities such as Lord Vishnu, Brahma, Mahesh, Rama, Goddess Annapoorneshwari, Goddess Karumaari Amma, Lord Venkataramani Swamy, Lord Panduranga Swamy, as well as Lord Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana Temple, Lord Panchamukha Ganapathy, Lord Anjaneya, and Goddess Kannika Parameshwari.