Lokanarkavu Temple is an ancient Hindu temple situated in

Memunda Memunda is a small village near Vatakara town in Kozhikode district of Kerala, south India. History The Story of Thcholi Othenan is related to Memunda. Many exploits of Tacholi Othenan, the hero of the ballads of north malabar (Vadakkan Pattuka ...

4 km from

Vatakara Vatakara, also spelled Vadakara (formerly Badagara), , french: Bargaret, is a Municipality in the state of Kerala, India. Vatakara is located between Kannur and Kozhikode. The municipality of Vatakara covers an area of and is bordered by Ma ...

, in

Kozhikode District Kozhikode (), or Calicut district, is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala, along its Southwestern Malabar Coast. The city of Kozhikode, also known as Calicut, is the district headquarters. The district is 67.15% urbanised. ...

North Malabar North Malabar refers to the geographic area of southwest India covering the state of Kerala's present day Kasaragod, Kannur, and Wayanad District, Wayanad districts, and the taluks of Vatakara, Koyilandy, and Thamarassery in the Kozhikode Distri ...

region 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 ...

state of south

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Lokanarkavu is a short form of ''Lokamalayarkavu'' which means ''lokam'' (world) made of ''mala'' (mountain), ''aaru'' (river) and ''kavu'' (grove). The closest railway station is at

, which is 5 km from temple. The nearest airport is

Kannur airport Kannur International Airport is an airport serving the North Malabar region of Kerala, Kodagu and Mysore districts of Karnataka and Mahé district of Puducherry in India. It is located east of Kannur, and east of Thalassery, near the municip ...

which is 54 km away. Pooram is the important festival here and it is conducted with great pomp and show. The week-long festival begins with Kodiyettam (flag hoisting) and concludes with Arattu. The 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 ...

has great historical importance as

Thacholi Othenan Vadakkan Pattukal (literally, ''the songs of the north'') are a collection of Malayalam ballads from the medieval period. The songs present stories of heroes such as Aromal Chekavar and Thacholi Othenan, and heroines like Unniyarcha. The storie ...

, the legendary martial hero of Kerala, used to worship here every day.

Lokanarkavu and Kalarippayattu

Thirty days Mandala Utsavam in Malayalam month Vrischikam (November–December) and pooram in Malayalam month meenam (March–April) are the annual festival at the Lokanarkavu Bhagavathy Temple. This is the only temple where a peculiar folk dance called

Poorakkali Poorakkali (meaning Festival Performance) is a traditional dance ritual performed by men during the nine-day Pooram festival in Bhagavathy temples across North Malabar in Kerala State of south India. The Pooram festival begins with the Karth ...

is presented during festivals. The dance, resembles the martial art

Kalarippayattu Kalaripayattu (; also known simply as Kalari) is an Indian martial art that originated in modern-day Kerala, a state on the southwestern coast of India. Kalaripayattu is known for its long-standing history within Indian martial arts, and is ...

. Even today, all Kalaripayattu artists seek the blessings of the deity before their debut due to the association of Lokanarkavu Temple with legendary hero thacholi othenan.

Gallery

File:ലോകനാർകാവ് ഭഗവതി ക്ഷേത്രം 01.jpg

External links

{{Hindu temples in Kerala Hindu temples in Kozhikode district Bhagavathi temples in Kerala

Lokanarkavu and Kalarippayattu

Gallery

See also

External links