Information of Chettikulangara Devi Temple, Mavelikkara, Alappuzha, Kerala

This temple is located in the district of Alappuzha at Chettikulangara and is dedicated to the goddess which takes on the form of three deities that change according to the time of the day. The temple is known to have three Kara's or territories and this particular Chettikulangara Devi temple is at the centre of the four main territories. This temple is also known to be an ancient one dating back to almost 12000 years. This temple is known to be the highest revenue generating temple under the Travancore Devasom Board after the famed Sabarimala temple. This temple was also under the scanner of the UNESCO to convert it into a world heritage site in the recent years.

Chettikulangara Devi Temple Religious Significance

This temple is religiously significant because of the fact that the Goddess worshipped here takes on three forms i.e. the Maha Saraswati, Maha Lakshmi and Sri Durgeswari in the morning, noon and evening respectively. The temple also has festivals that it observes with much gusto and celebration. There are four main festivals of the temple and they are Parayeduppu, Kumbha Bharani, Ethirelpu Ulsavam and Aswathy Ulsavam.

Parayedeppu- this festival is celebrated during the Malayalam month of Makaram on the day of the Makayriam star by taking out the deity of the temple in a grand procession. The main attraction of the festival is the model of the temple constructed to carry around the idol in during the procession.

Kumbha Bharani- this festival can said to be the principal festival of the temple. The date of this festival changes according to the Malayalam calendar and is celebrated during the month of Kumbha when the star Bharani appears in the sky. This festival too has a procession where the Devi is taken out into the paddy fields and taken back the next day. There is also a special dance called Kuthiyootam which is performed by the boys before the deity.

Ethirelpu Ulsavam- this is celebrated on the 10th day of the Kumbha Bharani and is the annual festival of the temple. The festival is held for 13 days and is organized by people from kara number 13. There are cultural processions which depict scenes from Mahabharata and Ramayana, folk dances, classical dances and decorated elephants. There are other rituals which are carried out with the singing of Thottampattu which is a devotional song sung by a particular group of people residing in Trivandrum.

Aswathy Ulvasam- this festival is celebrated during the month of Meenom and is one of the most well attended festivals of the temple. This festival signifies the pain of separation of humans and the Devi. This festival is a colorful one with a 100 different effigies of the Devi being brought out in a procession by children during the evenings.

Chettikulangara Devi Temple Mythology & History

It is said that the local chieftains of this place went to see the annual festivities held at the Koypallikarazhma Bhagavathi temple where they were ridiculed. Vowing to get retribution they built the temple that we see today. It is said that the devi came in their dreams and told them she would be visiting Chettikulangara soon. A few days later the village boatman during the evening heard an old woman asking him to ferry her to the other shore. On enquiry she said she was going to Chettikulangara and he felt it was his duty to accompany her. They spent the night below a mango tree and when he woke up in the morning the lady had disappeared. When he related the story to the villagers they felt that the Devi had arrived. The next day when annual repairing for the roofs were being done and food was distributed to the workers a strange lady joined in for the food too. Soon after eating the lady got up and vanished with a bright glow from the western side of the house. This was witnessed by Antharjanam of the house and she related it to the village people. The same day she showed her presence to the local chieftians who consulted the astrologers who confirmed the arriving of the Devi.

Chettikulangara Devi Temple Architectural Significance

The temple has been built in the classical Kerala type architecture of the Travancore kingdom. Apart from the main shrine there are numerous other smaller shrines dedicated to different gods and goddesses.