Chottanikkara Temple
| Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple | |
|---|---|
ചോറ്റാനിക്കര ഭഗവതി ക്ഷേത്രം | |
 Chottanikkara Temple | |
  Bhagavathy Temple, Chottanikkara, Ernakulam, Kerala | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Ernakulam |
| Deity | Chottanikkara Bhagavathy (Lakshmi) with Narayana |
| Festival | Makam Thozhal, Navarathri, Thrikkarthika, Deepavali |
| Location | |
| Location | Chottanikkara |
| State | Kerala |
| Country |  India |
| Coordinates | 9°55′59.4″N 76°23′29.1″E / 9.933167°N 76.391417°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Traditional kerala architecture |
| Specifications | |
| Temple | Two |
| Elevation | 52.47 m (172 ft) |
| Website | |
| chottanikkarabhagavathy | |
The Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Bhagavathy, located in the village of Chottanikkara within the Ernakulam District of Kerala, India.[1][2] Managed by the Cochin Devaswom Board, it is one of the most significant shrines among the 409 temples under the board's administration.[3]
The temple's central deity is the Divine Mother, worshipped as Rajarajeswari (Adiparashakthi) in three distinct forms throughout the day: Saraswathi in the morning, Lakshmi at noon, and Durga in the evening.[1][4] An idol of Mahavishnu shares the same pedestal, leading to the collective nomenclature of Lakshmi Narayana, Ammenarayana, Devinarayana, and Bhadrenarayana.[1][5] The same pedestal also houses idols of Brahma, Shiva, Ganapathi, Subramanya, and Sastha. Structurally, the deity is a Svayambhū (lit. 'self-manifested') laterite formation known as the Rudrākṣa Śilā.[1][5]
Legend
[edit]The area in which the temple is situated was once a dense jungle. A tribesman named Kannappan used to live in this forest.[5] He was a devout worshipper of the goddess Mahakali, and would ritually sacrifice a buffalo to her every Friday (the day of the Goddess). One day, he found a calf near the forest. He kidnapped the calf and took her to his stone altar. Just before he is about to sacrifice the calf, his daughter Pavizham stepped in and pleaded to him to stop the sacrifice. The man loved his daughter and thus let her keep the calf as a pet. Unfortunately, Pavizham died some days later, possibly due to a snake bite. Kannappan broke into tears and decided to cremate her body. To his surprise, his daughter's corpse disappeared. A nearby priest told him the reason for such an occurrence; Kannappan used to forcibly take young calves from their mothers and sacrificed them. As punishment, he met the same fate when his daughter died. When the tribesman looked for the calf, he found the sacrifice altar shining in its place. The priest explained that the calf represented the divine couple, Lord Vishnu and Lakshmi. He asked Kannapan to pray before the alter everyday to undo his sins.[6][5]
Film adaptation
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 "Chottanikkara Bhagavathy". www.chottanikkarabhagavathy.org. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
- ↑ "Experience the Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple Kochi". Incredible India. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
- ↑ "About CDB - Cochin Devaswom Board". www.cochindevaswomboard.org. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
- ↑ Mangattu, Manu (July 2013). "Chottanikkara Temple – God's Abode in God's Own Country". ResearchGate. doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.13450.36806.
- 1 2 3 4 admintest (11 July 2024). "Chottanikara – ecoheritage.cpreec.org". Retrieved 15 June 2026.
- ↑ "Removing Evil Spirits at Chottanikkara Temple In Kerala". Indus Scrolls. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ↑ "Chottanikkara Amma". www.malayalachalachithram.com. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- ↑ "Chottanikkara Amma". .nthwall.com. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Amme Naaraayana". www.malayalachalachithram.com. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- ↑ "Amme Naaraayana". malayalasangeetham.info. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
External links
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