
The temple is one of the most popular Hindu temples devoted to the Goddess Durga. The immediate vicinity of the temple is Neerathupuram. The location of the temple is most idyllic as the two renowned rivers called Pamba and Manimala run on both sides of the temple. The entire temple exudes the divine power of the Mother Goddess Durga.
Story associated with the Temple
The Chakkulathukavu Bhagavathy Temple in Kerala is known to have a very special attribute. It is one of those temples where women come to pray to seek Divine intervention from the Goddess for getting their husbands out of the clutches of alcoholism and substance abuse of any form. According to several devotees the women worshippers bring their husbands to the temple on Friday. They ensure that their husbands are in a fully inebriated state when they take them before the Goddess. Once they are in the presence of the imposing majesty of the Mother Goddess. Idol they are made to touch the sword of the Goddess and take a vow to never ever touch the adverse habit forming substance again.There have been innumerable instances when the men have not returned to their bad habits. The total aura during these Friday sessions is so charged with the chanting of hymns and invocations by the women and the priests that it make a deep impression on everybody. After having made the relevant offerings the devotees swear upon touching the sword of the Goddess that they will never again succumb to the lure of the bad habits of alcoholism, drugs or even gambling. It has been said that once they have sworn before deity they have been purified for life.
The temple is also renowned for another remarkable aspect. The high priest can conduct predictions of an individual’s future on the basis of seven betel leaves and two areca nuts which have come to gain a reputation as being absolutely correct usually. the senior priest makes these predictions and one of the associate priests helps conduct the various rituals suggested by the senior priest for warding off the bad effects of certain stars and times.
Festivals at Bhagavathy Temple
The main festival that is held at this Bhagavathy temple is the Pongala festival which is held in the month of November- December or the Malayalam month of Vrischikam. There are certain specific offerings made at this temple to appease the deity. Even the manner of making the offerings is different. It is a spectacle beyond any other. The twenty kilometers from the temple entrance pathway is filled with thousand of devotees, primarily women. The main offering of Pongala is cooked immediately on the roadside stoves that are lighted with the divine fire taken from the main fire place that is lit within the sanctum sanctorum and is taken from stove to stove down the line. The devotees prepare the Pongala with rice, coconut and jaggery. This is an unusual sight as thousands are cooking simultaneously and offering up the freshly prepared sweet to the Gods. The devotees assemble at the temple almost a week before the main festival days.Another festivals held at the temple is the Panthrundu Noyampa. It is a form of fasting for seeking the lifelong blessings of the Goddess. This fasting has been held annually for twelve days. It begins from the first day of the month of Dhanu according to the Malayalam calendar.
Also Read:
- Ambalapuzha Sri Krishna Temple
- Kanichukulangara Devi Temple
- Mannarasala Sree Nagraja Temple
- Mullakkal Bhagvathy Temple
How to Reach Chakkulathukavu Bhagavathy Temple
The temple can be reached by air from the nearest International airport at Cochin which is at a distance of about ninty kilometers from the temple.By train the temple can be reached from the nearest railway station located at Thiruvalla which is merely nine kilometers from the temple.
By road there is a rich road network that can be used to reach the temple. The state and private bus services ply on several routes. However, the Thiruvalla bus terminus is just a fifteen minutes drive to the temple. By road the temple is a pleasant drive from several nearby places like from Kuttanad it is merely thirteen kilometer, from Alappuzha it is just thirty two kilometers and from Kottayam it is thirty six kilometers away. Also the temple lies at a distance of forty six kilometers from Kumarakom; seventy three kilometers from Kollam and eighty six kilometers from Cochin. Among the places that are within one hundred kilometers from the temple, is Ernakulan which is ninety three kilometers.
Timings: In the morning from 4.30 am to 1.00 pm and in the evenings it is from 4.30 pm to 8.00 pm.
Address: Chakkulathukavu Bhagavathy Temple, Neerettupuram PO, Thiruvalla, Kerela, India
Phone No.: 0477-2213550, Mobile: 9447104242