Kollur is one of the seven pilgrimages which were created by Parashurama. It is is situated at the banks of the never drying river Sauparnika. While the other pilgrimages created by Parashurama are devoted to Lord Shiva, Lord Subramanya and Lord Ganesha, this is the only one devoted to goddess Parvathi.  It is a belief that an eagle (Garuda) called Suparna performed penance on the banks of the river and attained salvation hence the name Sauparnika. It is a pleasant experience to take a dip in the holy river and then head for the darshan of the goddess.

The main statue in the temple is the Shiva linga called the Jyothirlingam. This Jyotirlingam in front of the image of the Goddess Mookambika is of great antiquity. A golden line divides this lingam into two unequal parts and is visible only in the light of reflected sunlight pointed at the lingam. The right portion of this lingam is said to represent Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva - as the conscious static principles and the larger left part Lakshmi, Saraswathi and Parvathi - the creative energy principles. It is a belief that the three goddess Lakshmi, Saraswathi, Parvathi and the three lords Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara emerged out of it. 

Adi Sankara the great religious leader is said to have installed the metal image of the Goddess behind the lingam. Adi Sankara is said to have spontaneously composed the classic work Soundarya Lahiri here. The idol that was installed by Adi Shankara is confined in a copper roofed and gold crested temples. 

There are couple of places worth visiting in the vicinity of the temple. One of them is Arasina Makki, a famous waterfall. The Kutachadri range is a beautiful place and attracts a large number of mountaineers and trekkers. Kollur is well connected to Mangalore, Bangalore and Mysore. Regular buses ply from Udupi.