History Of Chottanikkara Temple
Chottanikkara Bhagwati Temple is one of the oldest temples in Kerala. This temple is dedicated to the Shakti form of the Goddess, and here the three main forms of Goddess Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Maa Durga are worshiped. In the temple, Mother Saraswati is worshiped in the morning, Goddess Lakshmi in the afternoon, and Mother Durga in the evening.
Chottanikkara Temple is one of the most beautiful temples in Kerala. It is believed that this temple was built by Lord Vishwakarma himself, who is the God of architecture. The idol of the Goddess enshrined in the temple itself is embodied. Just as the temple is worshiped a day thrice, the decoration of the temple also changes three times. In the morning, the Goddess is worshiped in white clothes, in the afternoon in a dark red dress, and in the night in blue clothes.
There are two main places of this temple which are known as Kizkavu and Melukavu. Maluku is the main temple where the Goddess dwells, and the Kijkavu temple is dedicated to Bhadrakali. It is situated right near the pond of the temple.
It is said that the place where the present temple is located today used to be the forest of the first place, and many evil spirits and tribal people wandered here. One of these tribals was Kanappam, who was a devotee of Mother Kali and sacrificed a cow every Friday to please mother, Kali.
This Story Is Related To The Temple
One day he saw a cow’s calf in the forest and decided to sacrifice it to Mother Kali. He was about to sacrifice the calf that his daughter stopped him from doing so. Kanappam loved his daughter very much, and so she allowed her daughter to keep that calf. A few days later, his daughter died, leaving Kanappam completely broken.
He started rubbing his knife on that stone, and he noticed that the stone was starting to bleed by rubbing the knife on the stone. Seeing this, he was surprised and went and told this to others. Then a Pandit told him that this stone is divine, and from that time, he started worshiping it. Today, the same stone is worshiped as a major ritual in the Chottanikara temple.
Mookambika Temple Of Chottanikkara
Adi Shankaracharya realized that there is not a single temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati in Kerala. To find out the reason for this, he walked towards the Chamundi Hills of Karnataka and went there and started meditating on the Goddess. Pleased with Adi Shankaracharya’s penance, Devi appeared to him and asked him what he needed. Shankaracharya said that he wants to take them to his hometown Kerala so that the people there do not have to go too far places to worship him as the aged people have difficulty traveling to far-off places.
After many efforts, Devi agreed to go with Shankaracharya Ji, but she also kept a condition. Devi told Shankaracharya that I would follow you, but you do not have to look back whether I am following you or not. Devi said that if you do something like this, then I will stop there, and then I will not move forward. Shankaracharya agreed on this and started the journey. As soon as both reached the Kodachadri mountain, Shankaracharya stopped listening to the tinkle of Devi’s anklet.
The only hint of Devi’s anklet was the only indication that Shankaracharya Ji would know that Devi was following him. After Payal’s tinkle stopped, for some time, Shankara Ji stopped and started making arrangements, but when he could not hear the tinkle of his mother’s anklet, he immediately looked back. At the same time, the Goddess stopped there, and today Kollur Mookambika temple is established at the same place.
Shankaracharya realizes his mistake and apologizes to the Goddess, and begs him to continue with him. After praying to Shankara Ji for a long time, the Goddess agreed and said that she would come to Chottanikara temple at the time of sabak and return to the temple of Kollur in the afternoon after seeing the devotees. Open so that the Goddess can enter here to see her devotees. In this temple, mother Saraswati is worshiped in white clothes.
Discharge From Mental Disorders
Chottanikkara in Kerala is famous all over the country for getting rid of mental disorders and ghosts and evil spirits. The victim is brought to the priest in the temple here. The priest then talks to her and asks her to surrender to the Goddess. The priest takes one part of the victim’s hair and hangs it on a tree in the temple. This indicates that the evil spirit has been imprisoned and that the person is now free from his disease.
Major Festivities Celebrated In The Temple
Main Festival of the Temple (Makom Thozal) – February-March
Vishu – middle of April
Onam – At the end of August
Navratri – October
Who Is Bhagavathi Amman?
The principal goddess of the Kanyakumari temple is Kumari Amman, also known as Bhagwati Amman. The attractive idol of Goddess Kanya Kumari is characterized by the diamond ring of the goddess. There are many popular stories related to the glow of the nose. According to the legend, the nose was obtained from King Cobra.
