Introduction to the Chottanikkara Temple
The Chottanikkara Temple near Ernakulam in Kerala is one of the well-known temples in Kerala where the principal mother Goddess of the temple is considered to cure all kinds of mental illnesses of the devotees who line up for her blessings.
History of Chottanikkara Temple
According to legend, a notorious dacoit called Kannapan was chasing a cow to slaughter it when he found his daughter playing with the same cow at home. So he abandoned the idea of killing. Later after his daughter died, he was greatly grieved. It was then that Goddess Bhagwati appeared and said it was she who had come in the form of a cow. Kannapan found two images, in his cowshed the next day, one of the Goddess and the other of Lord Vishnu. This was the root of the shrine that came to be the Chottanikkara Temple.
Description of Chottanikkara Temple
The Chottanikkara Temple in Kerala is dedicated to the mother goddess Bhagawati, one of the most popular deities of Kerala. The Chottanikkara Temple is the place for worship of the Bhagawati along with Lord Vishnu. The principal Deity here is Goddess Rajeshwari. There are three different forms in which the deity in this temple in Kerala is worshipped. She is the Saraswati in the morning, draped in white, the Badrakali in the afternoon in crimson while in the evenings, draped in blue, she is the goddess Durga. An interesting feature of the image is that it is mounted on sand instead of being fixed on the ground.
Festivals of Chottanikkara Temple
The annual festival here is celebrated during the month of Kumbha, February to March. The Maasi Makam coincides with the full moon and this festival of Chottanikkara Temple attracts vast crowds.
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