Description of the attraction
Temple of Chettikulangara Devi, or as it is sometimes called Chettikulangara Sri Bhagavathi, is located in the southern Indian state of Kerala, in the Alappuzha region, near the cities of Mavelikkara and Kayamkulam. It looks very modest, but it is famous for its vibrant festivals, which are held throughout almost the entire year.
The temple is very ancient - its history began more than a thousand years ago. At the moment, there are several versions of its appearance. According to one of the most common, several centuries ago, the local population went to the annual festival, which was held at the Koipallikarajma temple, which was located a few kilometers from Chetticulangara. But the visitors there were ridiculed by the residents there. The offended guests decided that they would build their own temple in revenge in their village, and went to the city of Kodungallur for the blessing of the Goddess, where they performed bhajan for 12 days - a special spiritual practice to please the Goddess. And so Devi appeared to them in a dream and agreed to go with them to Chettikulangar. Therefore, the delighted pilgrims returned home and immediately began to build a new temple. Later, many residents of the village claimed that they saw Devi herself in the form of an elderly woman in the temple and in its vicinity.
The main feature of the Chetticulangar temple is that several Deities are worshiped in it. So, in the morning hours the Goddess appears in the form of Maha Saraswati, at noon - as Maha Lakshmi, and in the evening - Sri Durga and Bhadrakali. The main shrine of the temple, located in the central hall, is called Chettikulangara Amma.
The temple is under the control of the Council of Travankor Devasvom (translated from Sanskrit - "property of the Lord"), which supports the country's Hindu religious buildings, and is one of the richest temples.
