Kolaramma
Encyclopedia
Kolaramma is the presiding deity
of the town of Kolar
in Karnataka
. The Kolaramma temple is thousand years old and built by the Cholas in the South Indian style. Goddess Parvathi is worshipped as Kolaramma by the people of Kolar. The erstwhile maharajas of Mysore frequently visited this temple to get the blessings of Kolaramma. The temple itself has beautifully carved statues and designs all done using the abundantly available granite
stones.
Another deity of this temple is Chelamma
or the scorpion goddess
. People believe that by praying at the Chelamma shrine a person will be guarded from scorpion
bites by the deity.
Another interesting thing about the temple is the Hundi
(in Kannada) or the well which is used to collect money offerings from the people, and it is a tradition to at least put one coin into the small opening on the floor of the temple, which apparently is a large hole dug into the earth, one can still hear the clicking sounds of coins accumulated over hundreds of years.
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
of the town of Kolar
Kolar
Kolara is a city in the South Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Kolar District. It is known for being one of the gold mining sites in India....
in Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
. The Kolaramma temple is thousand years old and built by the Cholas in the South Indian style. Goddess Parvathi is worshipped as Kolaramma by the people of Kolar. The erstwhile maharajas of Mysore frequently visited this temple to get the blessings of Kolaramma. The temple itself has beautifully carved statues and designs all done using the abundantly available granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
stones.
Another deity of this temple is Chelamma
Chelamma
Chelamma, is a Hindu goddess of the Southern Karnataka region of India.Chelamma is a Scorpion goddess and is worshipped along with Kolaramma in Kolar....
or the scorpion goddess
Scorpion goddess
The Scorpion goddess is a figure found in several cultures.*Chelamma - Hindu goddess of the Southern Karnataka region of India*Malinalxochitl - Aztec goddess of snakes, scorpions and insects*Hedetet - Egyptian scorpion goddess...
. People believe that by praying at the Chelamma shrine a person will be guarded from scorpion
Scorpion
Scorpions are predatory arthropod animals of the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by the pair of grasping claws and the narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back, ending with a venomous stinger...
bites by the deity.
Another interesting thing about the temple is the Hundi
Hundi
Hundis were legal financial instruments that evolved on the Indian sub-continent. These were used in trade and credit transactions; they were used as remittance instruments for the purpose of transfer of funds from one place to another. In the era of bygone kings and the British Raj these Hundis...
(in Kannada) or the well which is used to collect money offerings from the people, and it is a tradition to at least put one coin into the small opening on the floor of the temple, which apparently is a large hole dug into the earth, one can still hear the clicking sounds of coins accumulated over hundreds of years.