Achankovil Sastha Temple is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hind ...

and one of the 108 Sasthalayas, located in Punalur Taluk tehsil of

Kollam Kollam (), also known by its former name Quilon , is an ancient seaport and city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The city i ...

district in the Indian state of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. It is also one among the famed ''Pancha Sastha'' temples in Kerala, the other four being

Kulathupuzha Kulathupuzha is a small town in the eastern part of Kollam district of Kerala, India. It is one of the important pilgrim spots linked with the legend of Sabarimala. Kulathupuzha is also the birthplace of the Malayalam music legend Raveendran. Kul ...

, Aryankavu,

Sabarimala The Sabarimala Temple (; ml, ശബരിമല ക്ഷേത്രം) is a temple complex located at Sabarimala hill inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve in the Perinad Village, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India. It is one of the largest ...

and Kanthamala temples. An important river named after the locality, Achankovil river, originates near the temple.

Temple

As in

temple, Achankovil temple also have eighteen steps.

Ayyappa, the Mahavaidya

Lord

Ayyappa Ayyappan an incarnation of dharma sastha, also called Manikandan, is a Hindu deity popular in Southern India, He is considered to be the epitome of dharma, truth, and righteousness and is often called upon to obliterate evil. Although devotion t ...

/ Aiyanar presides there in the form of ''grihastha'' (householder) and the idol faces east. It is believed to installed by Lord

Parasurama Parashurama (), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Veerarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. He is believed to be one of the ''Chiranjivi, Chiranjeevis'' (Immortals), who ...

himself. The ''pratishta'' of Lord Ayyappa here is quite unique from that of other

Sastha Shasta (IAST Śāstā) is a Hindu deity of Dravidian origin, usually associated with Shiva and Vishnu. In Hindu mythology, Shasta is considered to be another name of Ayyappan, described as the offspring of Shiva and Mohini. His principal fu ...

shrines in Kerala. The idol is known as '' Rudraksha sila''. He is depicted as a '' grihasthashrami'' (one who leads a married life) along with his two consorts ''Poorna'' and ''Pushkala''. The temple is famed for curing poisonous Snakebites and thus Ayyappa is often portraited as a '' Mahavaidya'' (great physician). The right palm of the idol always keeps ''Chandanam'' (

sandalwood Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus ''Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for us ...

paste) and ''

Theertham Theertham (Theertha or Tirtha) literally refers to water. In Hindu sacred literature, it is referred to as the physical holy water body associated with a temple or deity. As per Hindu religious belief, water is the principal purification mechanis ...

'' ( sacred waters) which is thought to have medicinal properties.

Access

The temple is located near the banks of Achankovil river in the dense forest regions of eastern Kollam, about from

Punalur Punalur is a Municipality in Kollam district of Kerala State in India. It is the headquarter of the Punalur Taluk and Punalur Revenue Division. It's situated in the eastern part of Kollam district of Kerala, on the banks of the Kallada River a ...

, from Kollam and from

via Aryankavu,

Thenmala Thenmala is a tourist destination in the eastern side of Kollam district in Kerala, India that is home to the first eco-tourism centre in India. The word 'Thenmala' means "'Honey hills" in Malayalam language. The town is 66 km away from Ko ...

and

Shenkottai Sengottai (also known as Shencottah, Chenkotta or Shenkottai) is a town in the Tenkasi district, of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the gateway to southern Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Spread over an area of 2.68 km2 with a population of over 26,823, t ...

. There is a route through the forest from Alimukku near Pathanapuram to the temple. The panoramic Kumbuvurutty and Manalar falls are on the route to this shrine.

Distances to the temple from various places

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

:(124 km) via Nedumangad - Kulathupuzha - Thenmala - Chenkottai *

:(85 km) via Kottarakkara - Punalur *

Pathanapuram Pathanapuram is a Town in Pathanapuram Taluk Kollam district, Kerala, India. Pathanapuram is a part of Grama Panchayat and Block panchayat of same name and part of Kollam District Panchayat. History The history of Pathanapuram goes back to T ...

:(45 km) via Konni - Achankovil road *

:(63 km) via Thenmala - Aryankavu, Shenkottai *

Konni Konni may refer to: * Konni (dog), Russian President Vladimir Putin's dog (1999-2014) *Konni, Kerala, a town in Kerala state in India * Konni (Hausa state), a traditional Hausa state in south central Niger * Birni-N'Konni (shortened to Konni), a to ...

:(41 km) via Kalleli - Kadiyar - Uliyanad - Mannarappara - Thura *

:(43 km) via Kumaramkudy-Mullumala route. * Tenkasi:(25 km) via Achankovil - Panpoli - Tenkasi Railway: The nearest railway stations are at

Tenkasi Junction railway station Tenkasi Junction railway station is a junction railway station serving the town of Tenkasi in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The station is a part of the Madurai railway division of the Southern Railway zone. It is the junction point for Viru ...

, Sengottai , Thenmala, Kottarakkara and Punalur. Airports: Thiruvananthapuram international airport is about 140 km and

Cochin Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

international airport about 180 km.

Festivals

The ''Thiruvutsavam'' (annual festival) and ''Mandala pooja'' is hosted in the

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

month of ''Dhanu'' (December to January) for 10 days and celebrated in grand style. The ''Thiruvabharanam'' (sacred ornaments) procession to the temple via Punalur, Aryankavu, Shenkottai and Tenkasi is another attraction. ''Pushpabhisheka'' is conducted on 8th of Makaram. ''Revathi'' festival is hosted during the months of January and February. The main offering of the deity is '' Karuppanootu'' to appease ''Karuppaswami'', a great friend of Ayyappa. The ''Therottam'' (chariot festival), ''Karuppanthullal'' and ''Chapparam'' procession held on the 9th day of festival is very much similar to the rituals in

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

Subordinate deities

The temple holds a number of sub-deities like Malikappurathamma,

Durga Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around co ...

, Nagaraja, Nagayakshi,

Ganapathi Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu de ...

Muruga Kartikeya ( sa, कार्त्तिकेय, Kārttikeya), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha (), and Murugan ( ta, முருகன்), is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Parvati and Shiva, the brother of Ganesha ...

, Karuppaswami, Karuppayi amma, Cheppanimundan, Chappanimaadan, Madanthevan, Kalamadan, Kochattinarayanan, Shingali bhootathan and Arukola. The back portion of the temple has a ''

Kavu Kāvû is the traditional name given for sacred groves across the Malabar Coast in Kerala, South India. Kavus are notable for Theyyam, the centuries-old ritual dance. Snake Groves A Sarpa Kavu (meaning ''Abode of Snakes'') is a traditional n ...

'' where the Naga (serpent) deity is worshipped for the welfare and sake.

References

{{reflist Hindu temples in Kollam district ml:അച്ചൻകോവിൽ ശാസ്താക്ഷേത്രം