Karthyayani temple- Cherthala, Kerala, Alleppey district

Karthyani temple, in Cherthala is a famous temple right in the center of the town near the KSRTC bus stand.

A powerful Goddess Vishnu Maya is worshipped here.

The sprawling grounds with salubrious environment  has a soothing and refreshing effect on the mind.  We do not see any idol as such in the temple but a small eruption on the floor like a swaymabhu decked with flowers. It is believed that, worshiping Goddess here will remove all obstacles one faces in life. She provides solace and comfort to all those who seek refuge in her.

Offering Kozhi ( fowl) in the temple in return for the favours received is very famous here,the temple is also known as kozhi ambalam.

Now as the number of fowls in the temple have gone up they have been caged in a separate enclosure so that they do not pose any threat to the devotees.

This temple has sub  shrines for Sasthavu, Nagas,Vishnu ,Shiva and Ganesha.
Pictures speaks more than the words..Please go through my album and enjoy.
check more pictures at this link.
https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipMBqZqZqmgTcYyXjn9gZ8cQWqHDq24Hf67xmIy0

Jain Monastery, Sittanavasal, Pudukottai, Tamil Nadu

 Not far away from the town of Pudukottai is Sittanavasal , abode of Jain  saints . 

Uneven rock cut steps, up a small hill leads one to  the monastery. The monastery is quite small, it has a small  sanctum with idols of 3 Jain Tirthankars. Just outside the sanctum too, there are two statues of Tirthankars.  The ceiling outside the sanctum has 7 th century frescoes.  Though we cannot identify the painting on our own, a good effort was made by the guide who is posted there.

Frescoes as mentioned by the guide are  - Fish floating in a pond, a lady adorned with jewellery ;   jewellery was very much in use in 7th century too :)  ,beautiful maidens plucking lotuses , a saint clad in saffron robes  and elephants playing in the pond. Some have started peeling off.

The monastery is in a rock cut cave . The unique thing about this place is- if one enters the sanctum and concentrates on one’s breath, inhales and exhales slowly then we can hear a humming sound something like vibrations reflecting from the wall.  The sanctum is a very small room with no windows. What baffles me a lot is, when we talk, it does not resonate. That small room might have been used by the sages living there. This looked as if abandoned and neglected for a few years and it has come under the  Archaeological department of India now. Have a look at pictures I could capture. Photography inside the monastery is prohibited.

Visiting time is 10 Am -6 Pm.  A small fee of Rs. 5  charged  per head, if one wants to enter the sanctum. We visited this in May and found it was not the right time to visit as the scorching Sun made the climb difficult.
Sittanavasal is about 15Kms frm Pudukottai town.

Arthungal St. Andrew's Basilica- Cherthala, Alleppey District,kerala

Arthungal village, lies very close to Cherthala town and this place is very famous for the holy Basilica which has Saint Andrew as its patron. But it is famous for the Feast of St. Sebastian which is conducted every year in January for about a week. 

St. Sebastian is considered to be guardian Saint of the village and thousands visit this church every year seeking the Saints blessings. People who are maimed, sick or going through difficulties visit the Basilica and find relief and solace at the feet of the saint.

During the Feast,  an idol of St. Sebastian is taken out in procession and thousands participate in the worship. Many devotees crawl on their knees or roll on the ground to express their gratitude to the Saint during the Feast for the favours they received.

There is an old church behind the main Basilica with excellent carvings and Altar.

Pilgrims from Sabarimala on their return trip visit this church to seek the blessings of the saint. 

In 1647 an of  idol St.Sebastian struck with arrows was brought from Italy in a ship and was placed in the church  and since then devotees believe He is the guardian angel of the village.

Officially it is known as the Arthungal St. Andrew's Forane Church and was elevated to the level of Basilica in 2010.

How to reach:The nearest railway station is Cherthala. .Arthungal is 8 Kms. from Cherthala town.Plenty of buses ply from Cherthala town.

Kanichukulangara Bhagavathy, Cherthala, Kerala

Situated about  8 Kms from the town of Cherthala en route to Alleppey is the residing seat of Bhadrakali, Kanichukulangara Bhagavathy.

This temple becomes a beehive of activity during the 21 day festival in the  Malyalam calendar month Kumbham. (February)

Parents with little children flock to this temple to seek the blessings of the Mother Goddess.

Parents with their wards camp  in and around the temple in small shelters provided to them during the brief stay and pray to Goddess for 21 days.

Children dressed in glittering costumes and ornaments and a red cloth tied on their head spend most of their time in the temple worshiping the Mother. This is known as Chikkara iruthal.

Chikara iruthal is belived to cure children from many ailments like walking disability or slow speech problems. Many parents also bring their children just to keep them in the care of the loving Goddess .

It was a great experience visiting the temple during this great festival.

This year about 3000 children are camping in the temple vicinity  to offer prayers and seek blessings.
Some clicks from my recent visit.

I have enabled comment moderation .