Karthyayani Devi Temple, Cherthala is a famous

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

located at

Cherthala Cherthala is a municipality in the Alappuzha district of Kerala, India and acts as a satellite town of Kochi. It is located north of the district headquarters in Alappuzha and about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 20 ...

. Iratti and Thadi are the famous vazhipadu, Cherthala pooram is the second famous pooram in Kerala. Kalabham, in familywise, can be held on there, kalabham is a famous vazhipadu.

Location

This temple is located with the

geographic coordinates A geographic coordinate system (GCS) is a spherical or geodetic coordinate system for measuring and communicating positions directly on Earth as latitude and longitude. It is the simplest, oldest, and most widely used type of the various ...

of () at an altitude of about 25.14 m above the mean sea level in Cherthala.

Legends and Beliefs

It is believed that the famous Indian Saint

Vilwamangalam Swamiyar Vilwamangalam Swamiyar was a saint that lived in India. Swamiyar was renowned all over India. Bengalis believe that he was born in Bengal while Odias believe in Odisha, though tradition in Kerala implies that he belonged to Panniyoor village. ...

consecrated

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

in this temple. While he was going back after consecrating 'Padmanabha Swamy' at Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple,

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...

he saw Devi at this place and consecrated her in this place is the popular belief. The deity 'Cherthala Karthyayani Devi' is famous as 'Mangalya Dayini' in the sense she provides welfare and prosperity for her devotees and removes obstacles for the marriage of young girls.

Deities and Sub Deities

The main deity is Karthyayani Devi, who is installed in a platform below the ground level, and is thus believed to be 'swayambhoo' (self-originated). The idol is in the form of a Shivalingam, and has no definite form. Other than Karthyayani Devi, there are numerous sub-deities like

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

Ganapathi Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), 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 the Ganapatya sect. His depictions are found throughout India. Hind ...

, Dharmasastha, Snake deities, etc. Among these deities, Dharmasastha, who is known as ''Kavudayon'' in this temple has more importance. He is given a special offering named ''Thadi'' here.

Offerings

Archana, Rakta Pushpanjali (flower offerings), Swayamvara Pushpanjali, Muzhukappu (adorning the deity with sandalwood paste),and so on for the Devi. For Lord Sastha 'Neerajanam' and a special offering known as 'Aalthadi' is performed. The 'vazhipadu' (offering) 'Aalthadi' is offered by the devotees in the belief that their physical ailments will be removed. ' Thalappoli' is also an important offering here: a lighted oil lamp is placed on a flower decorated plate and women carry them accompanying Devi's processions etc.

Festivals

Usually in other temples of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, 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 ...

, during the annual festival, 'Aarattu' is a ritual held once annually. At Chottanikara Devi Temple Aarattu is held every day during festival. At Cherthala Karthyayani Temple 'Aarattu' is held twice every day during the annual festival. Karthika Star day in the Malayalam month of Vrichikam is also well celebrated.

Connection with Gandhiji

This temple was the venue for one of the speeches given by Gandhiji, on January 18, in the year 1937.

References

External links

Cherthala Pooram @ Karthyayini Devi Temple

Description of annual temple festival and mention of the seven ponds
Hindu temples in Alappuzha district Devi temples in Kerala {{Kerala-hindu-temple-stub