Information of Vellayani Devi Temple, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

This temple is located in the state of Kerala at a place called Vellayani which is located at a distance of about 12 kilometres from the city of Thiruvananthapuram. The temple has been built on the eastern bank of Vellayani Lake and is one the most revered temples in the state. The presiding deity of the temple is the Goddess Bhadrakali who is the daughter of Shiva. The temple has been built in the Dravidian form of architecture which illustrates traditional art work at its finest. At present the temple is looked after by the Travancore Devasom Board.

Vellayani Devi Temple Religious Significance

The temple is a highly revered one and visited by Hindu devotees from all over the country. The temple is most well known for its idol of Goddess Bhadrakali who is also the presiding deity of the temple. The idol is referred to as Thirumudi in the local dialect. The idol that is worshipped in the temple is the largest one in all of the Goddess Kali temples situated in Kerala. Devotees from all over come to pay their respects and to see the idol which is covered in gold and precious stones.

The other deities that are worshipped here are Lord Shiva, Nagraja and Ganesha. Within the temple there is another shrine where another deity known as Madan Thampuran is housed. The temple also has an antler which is worshipped and it is believed that the antlers invoke the divine spirit while a new temple is being instated.

Vellayani Devi Temple Mythology & History

This temple has a legend attached to it which states that a blacksmith by the name of Kelan Kulasekhara saw a frog embodying the divine spirit of a goddess. He along with the help of his assistant caught the frog and took it to the Nair Chieftains of the locality. The Nair chieftains then helped the blacksmith Kulasekhara to evoke the divine spirit in the idol known as Thiru Modi. Till date the right to evoke the spirit is held by the Nair family.

Another legend known as the Kali- Darika myth is also very popular here. This legend says that Darika a demon received a boon from the god Brahma wherein he could not be defeated by any man living in the fourteen worlds of the Hindu mythology. This boon made the demon arrogant and proud to an extent that he went on to conquer the world and even succeeded in defeating the King of Gods, Indra. When Indra was defeated a sage named Narada asked the lord of destruction, Shiva to stop the demon. Shiva wittily found a way against the boon by declaring that the Goddess Kali would defeat and kill Darika. The Goddess not being male or a human killed the demon by beheading him. However the rage within her could not be contained and she went on a rampage destroying land and humans. None of the Gods could stop her and therefore Shiva lay on the ground in submitting to her which finally calmed her down.

Vellayani Devi Temple Architectural Significance

The temple is built in the classical Dravidian style architecture which is common for temples in the Southern part of India. The temple also has two entrance gateways that are known as Gopurams. These Gopurams are well sculpted and decorated with figures of different gods and goddesses. These gateways are located towards the eastern and northern side of the temple. These gateways also function as gateways between the walls for the temple. The roof of the temple is constructed out of bronze and is inlaid with traditional art work reflecting Dravidian architecture.