''Chakkulathu Kavu'' is a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

temple, dedicated to goddess

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 ...

. The temple is located Near Thiruvalla in Neerattupuram,

Thalavady Thalavady is an Upper Kuttanadu village and Panchayat located in Kuttanadu Taluk, Alappuzha district, Kerala, India. The village was ruled by King of Chembakassery Kingdom. Its geography is dominated by its vast lush green paddy field, unique ...

panchayat, Alappuzha District,

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 ...

,India, and is one of the most popular temples in the state.

is one of the most popular deities in the area. Pilgrims from all over South India visit and worship the

Devi Devī (; Sanskrit: देवी) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is ''deva''. ''Devi'' and ''deva'' mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism. The conce ...

. The temple was less known even to the local residents and lay as a family temple of a local resident. This remained until it was renovated a few decades before. Located on the banks of the holy

Pampa River The Pamba River (also called Pampa River) is the longest river in the Indian state of Kerala after Periyar (river), Periyar and Bharathappuzha, and the longest river in the erstwhile former princely state of Travancore. Sabarimala temple dedicat ...

, this temple has attracted pilgrims all over Kerala and became one of the most popular pilgrim centers of the state.The Temple Is Located Just 9 km From Thiruvalla Railway Station,KSRTC & Thiruvalla City Centre .KSRTC Buses Ply Every 7 Minutes From Thiruvalla To Alappuzha Via Chakkulathukavu . The major festival is

Pongala ''Pongala'' is a harvest festival of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The name 'Pongala' means 'to boil over' and refers to the ritualistic offering of porridge made of rice, sweet brown molasses, coconut gratings, nuts and raisins. Generally women devotee ...

which takes place in the temple during the month of Vrischikam (November/December). This is the time when the glory of the Goddess is at its peak.

Lakhs A lakh (; abbreviated L; sometimes written lac) is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand (100,000; scientific notation: 105). In the Indian 2,2,3 convention of digit grouping, it is written as 1,00,000. For ex ...

of women devotees gather around the temple as early as even one week before the function. The temple premises will be overcrowded and the devotees arrange places for offering the pongala on both sides of the main streets. The queue usually extends to a surprising length of 20 km. Rice, coconut and jaggery are brought by women devotees along with round earthen pots for cooking. The Chief Priest lights the main hearth from the divine fire inside the sanctum sanctorum. This fire is exchanged from one oven to another. ''Panthrandu Noyampu'' is another festival celebrated at the temple. This is the type of

fasting Fasting is the abstention from eating and sometimes drinking. From a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (see " Breakfast"), or to the metabolic state achieved after ...

and prayer that qualifies the devotee for eternal blessings of Chakkulathamma. This fasting starts every year from the first day of the Malayalam month of Dhanu until the twelfth. The other festivals are '' Naree pooja'', '' Thrikkarthaka''.

External links

Official website:www.chakkulathukavutemple.orgPonkala Date 2017
{{Hindu temples in Kerala Hindu temples in Alappuzha district Durga temples

See also

External links