1. CHERTHALA DEVI KATHYAYANI KSHETHRAM

1.CHERTHALA

Cherthala is along the NH 47, southwards, about  40 Kms from Eranakulam. . Its 1 hour by bus or 30 min drive from Eranakulam. Cherthala Karthiyayani Temple is located very close to the KSRTC bus terminus of Cherthala.

Of the 108 Devi temples in Erstwhile Kerala , the very famous ones are  Kanyakumari, Aattukal, Saarkara, Chengannur, Kumaranellur, Cherthala, Chottanikkara, Kodungallur, Angadippuram, Thirumaanthamkunnu, Chittoor &  Kollur.

FRONT VIEW

VIEW FROM LEFT SIDE

VIEW FROM RIGHT SIDE

FROM REAR RIGHT - while coming from Sastha temple

SREEKOVIL FACADE

ETYMOLOGY: Vilwamangalam Swamigal was returning from Trivandrum after the pradishta of Sri Padmanabahaswamy. He halts  at Cherthala for a while. He could see lots of swans around in a pond near by. But for the pond, it was a relatively dense forest all across. He noticed that on a gracious divine looking girl swinging in a swing on a Thamka tree. ( The tree remainant is still protected and is considered as Sree Moolasthaanam. Pic given below.

SREE MOOLASTHANAM - ( Reminants of Thambaka tree where Devi swung.)

THE TREE - (in close up)

 When he went near the tree, she jumped into the near by pond. Swamigal also jumped into, but couldn’t get any trace of her. This happened continously for 7 days. Everyday, she jumped into 7 different ponds. Swamigal was extreemly frustrated on the 8^th day. On the 8^th day, somehow, she jumped into a pond which was full of slush and mud. This time, Swamigal was able to catch hold of her hair. But he couldn’t catch hold of her. The hairs came off from her scalp. Out of rage he yelled at that girl. Later he realised it as Devi. Symbolising that, even now, during the 8 day annual festival, people call the diety with slang malayalam , like what Swamigal did.

Even now, this diety is located in a 4 feet deep pit. Only the head part is visible. Even in the Shila roopam of Devi, one can observe pits in a part of the head, symbolising the hair loss when Swamigal pulled her up from water, but in vain. So, after the daily abhishegam, the deity is dryed using a cloth, like we do for a child.

Since the land was having lots of swans earlier, now people give Cockerel as owe to the temple. This is offered to the temple, when people pray for the well being of their kids, especially for good health. Over a 1000 of the cockerels freely move around the temple, except into the sanctum sanctorum.

BLESSED ROOSTERS

THEY ARE FREE TO MOVE AROUND - Rear entrance of the temple

The 2^nd next temple in Kerala, where cockerel is offered to temple is the Bagavathy temple at Pazhayanoor, near Thrisur.

During the 8^th day of the temple function, a wooden cockerel is circumvented the temple.

THE WOODEN ROOSTER

The wooden face is Bhima ( Mahabharata) is also used during the festival.

BHIMA's FACE

We have deties of Shiva, Vishnu,Sarpa kaavu, Naga Lingam, Yakshi amma spread around the whole vast of the temple around the main temple.

SARPA KAAVU

NAGA RAJA DIETY

YAKSHI AMMA

Ganapathy & Sastha were earlier installed inside the Sreekovil only. But, once a Gandharvan was creating problem to the local people. Devi asked Sastha to go and get rid of him. Sastha killed the gandharvan and came back. That time Devi asked him to stay back and be a gaurdian for her temple. The present temple for Sastha is on the South west corner of the temple. Since he is protecting the temple he is known as Kaavudaiyon. Here there are 2 idols inside the Sastha temple. 1 is Sastha. The other is Kaavudiyon with a Mace in his hand. People who are affected by evil forces come to this Kaavudaiyon temple and offer him a wooden mace as owe for protecting them.  Every year in the month of March its festival period for this Sastha ending at Uthram of Meenam month / Panguni Uthram – his birth day

SASTHA TEMPLE ( South west corner )

2 IDOLS - SASTHA, KAAVUDAIYON

WALKING BACK FROM SASTHA TEMPLE - SARPA KAAVU (Rear view - on the right)

 SHIVA, VISHNU TEMPLE ( on the right side of the temple)

SHIVAN

VISHNU

 During the 8 day main function of the temple in the month of Meenam, Aaraatu ( taking the ulsava moorthy for holy bath in the temple pond) happens twice daily, morning and evening.  Rather this is the only Devi Kshethram where Aaratu happens twice in a day .

The 8 tanks of aaratu are

1.       Kali kulam

2.       Chera Kulam

3.       Kelan Kukam

4.       Pullan Kulam

5.       Palli kulam

6.       Karupa kulam

7.       Thiru poora kulam

8.       Palli kulam.

These were the 8 holy ponds where Devi went and hid herself

After the aaratu, they take the idol of Devi, Shivan and Vishnu on procession on the 8^th day.

On Magam and Pooram days, ‘ Velai ‘ is celeberated, wherein they pull huge wooden models of Cockerels. But now only smaller versions are used as seen in the picture.

Irati is the oblation offered to Devi. Thadi is offered as oblation to Sastha.

Worship of Maa Kathyayaini was more common during Lord Krishna period. Young gopikas used to worship Maa Kathyayani praying that they should get married to Lord Krisna himself. That practice was more for Devi worship. But in the past 1500 years, this early morning worship in the month of Maargazhi got extended to Saivites, Vaishnavites and even Jains in South.

The early morning pooja if done here at Cherthala Karthyayani temple, in the month of Margazhi will ensure that girls get married to good groomes. 

SWAYAMVARKALA MANTRA

‘Om hreem yogini yogini yogeshwari
yogeshwari yog bhayankari
Sakalsthavarjangmasya mukham
Hradyam mum ashmakarshayakarshaya
Swaha’

KATYAYANI MANTRA

‘Katyayani Mahamaye
Mahayoginiyadheeshwari
Nand Gop Sutam Devi Patim Me
Kuru te Namah’

Durga Gayatri

Om Katyayanyai ca vidhmahe
Kanyakumari ca dhimahi
Tanno Durga pracodayat

Vamana Puranam considers Kathyayani as the Thejo roopam of all Devathas. It goes like this -

 " Thachabi thejo varamuthamam mahath / naamnab rrodivya mamavath prasidim / Kathyayiniyeva ththbabau naam na sa devanaiva jagath prazeeda //

May the divine providence of Devi KATHYAYANI be with all.