Chakkulathukavu Bhagavathy temple- Alleppey district, Kerala

Chakulathukavu is a famous Durga temple in Alleppey district,Kerala.

 Devotees   pray fervently to Mother Goddess here  and she answers all their prayers.

This temple is believed to be  3000 years old  and  Pongala festival is very famous here. During the  festival  lakhs of women devotees  converge  here and prepare Pongala and  offer  it to Goddess. They also observe  fast  during the worship and partake food and water only after the ceremony. 

Pongala  is a sweet prepared by mixing rice, jaggery, coconut and is cooked in fresh earthen pots.

  This festival falls in the month of  November -December.

Read about Attukal  Bhagavathy temple which is also very famous for Pongala festival which attracts devotees from all over the world.

Temple Timings:

04:30 - 13:00 hrs

16:30 - 20:00 hrs

Contact Details:

Chakkulathukavu Sree Bhagavathy Temple

Neerettupuram P.O., Thiruvalla

Kerala

Ph: + 91 477 2213550

Check my pictures. These were captured a few years back

Chottanikkara Bhagavathi temple- Kochi

Chotttaikkara Bhagavathi temple is a very famous and ancient temple in Ernakulam district. It is situated 15 Kms. from Erankulam(Kochi). Bhagavathi is the synonym for Amman. There are two temples here, one for Chottanikkara Amma and other one for Keezhkavilamma which is at a lower elevation .One has to descend few steps to reach this temple.

The Goddess here is very powerful and Chottanikkara Bhagavathy is worshipped as Saraswati (Goddess of learning) early in the morning, Lakshmi (Goddess of wealth) in the noon and as Durga (Goddess of power) in the evening. The deity is adorned with white sari when she is worshipped as Saraswathi and for the other two worships, She is decked up with colourful silks and ornaments. The main idol here is a Swayambhu and does not have a regular shape. What is generally visible is the deity adorned with golden kavacham with conch and discus in her hands.There is also an image of Vishnu inside the sanctum hence people refer to the Goddess here as Amme Narayana Badre Narayana.

Keezhkavu temple (the temple at the lower elevation) , the deity is Bhadrakali , another form of Mother Goddess and it is believed that a worship here for a period of 41 days removes mental ailments and rids one of evil spirits. Even now we come across mentally deranged people praying here. There is a tree inside this temple with hundreds of nails driven into it as a mark of devotees being exorcised here. See the last two photos with nails driven into the tree. Navarathri and Magam thozhal are two famous festivals here. Another interesting sight here is devotees offering vedi vazhipadu ( bursting of fire crackers called Kadina).

There are sub shrines for Sastha (Ayyappa), Siva, Nagas and Ganesha. The temple attracts a lot of devotees on Tuesdays and Fridays.

How to reach: Chottanikkara is just 15 Kms. from Kochi ( Ernakulam railway station.)

Excellent transport facilities are available as number of private buses ply on this route.

The nearest airport is Nedumbassery ( Kochi international airport)

Accommodation - Visitors are advised to stay in Kochi where excellent hotels are available of all ranges.