Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple
March 26, 2010 by admin
Filed under Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple, Pilgrimmage
Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple – Cochin
Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple situated 17 kms from Ernakulam (Cochin) is one of the most famous Hindu pilgrimage centers of Kerala. Goddess Durga – the mother Goddesses is the presiding deity of the temple. It is said that this deity was brought from Mookambika Temple in Kollur, Karnataka and therefore there is a presence of Mookambika (Saraswathy) Devi till 7am in the morning.
The ‘Devi‘ in the temple is known for her healing powers, particularly related to mental illness and disorders. The temple is situated in a hilly region surrounded by greenery on all sides. The entry is through the west and the spiritual atmosphere in the temple gives mental peace and harmony to devotees. Many prominent classical performances are held here during the Navratri festival which comes in October to November.
In the main temple, the gold – plated idol of Bhagavathy 4 to 5 ft. high and is adorned with flowers, garlands and ornaments all over. The idol has four arms. The upper right holds the disc, the upper left bears the conch, the lower right hand is held in a boon-conferring pose and the lower left indicates the abhaya (fearlessness) pose. The Bhagavathy is worshipped in three different forms as Saraswathy in the morning clothed in an impressible white garment, Lakshmi at noon with crimson red cloth and Durga in the evening wearing a bright blue dress. Durga is a much milder form. The original idol of Bhagavathy, three or four feet high which faces east, is of lacerate and is believed to be self-born (swayambhoo). This image called ‘Rudraksha Sila’ is irregular in shape, red in colour and is untouched by the human sculptor. This image can be seen only during the early hours of morning at 4 am when the Nada (door of the sanatorium) opens for nirmalyam.
Adjacent to the image of Bhagavathy, to her right, there is an image of Mahavishnu in granite on the same pedestal. Vishnu and Bhagavathy together are referred to as ‘Lakshmi Narayana’. The trinity is worshiped with the mantra “Ammenarayana, Devinarayana, Bhadrenarayana, Lakshmi Narayana”. Along with Lakshmi and Narayana there are idols of Siva, Brahma, Ganapathi (Ganesh), Subramanya and Sastha on the same dais. Interestingly, the image here is not fixed to the ground and is mounted on loose sand. Water offered during ablution ceremonies trickle underground.
To the south is a platform known as “Pavazhamallithara” where the deity is believed to have appeared first. To the south west is the shrine of Shiva. To the north east there is a flight of steps leading to the Keezhkaavu, a shrine to Bhadrakali.
In the keezhkaavu shrine, there is a tree that is covered with long iron nails hammered on it by afflicted devotees with their foreheads. The practice of driving an iron nail into this tree indicates that the spirit is permanently made immobile. It is believed that this would help to get rid of evil influences, psychological ailments, evil spirits etc.