Pulimukam Temple is a

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 in

Thazhava Thazhava is a village in Karunagappally taluk, Kollam district in the state 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 passa ...

neighbourhood in the

Kollam district Kollam district (), (formerly Quilon district) is one of 14 List of districts in Kerala, districts of the state of Kerala, India. The district has a cross-section of Kerala's natural attributes; it is endowed with a long coastline, a major La ...

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 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Bhadra

Bhagavathi Bhagavatī (Devanagari: भगवती, IAST: Bhagavatī), is an Indian epithet of Sanskrit origin, used as an honorific title for goddesses in Hinduism and Buddhism. In Hinduism, it is primarily used to address the goddesses Sarasvati, Lak ...

is the presiding deity of the temple. The temple is situated at about 5 km north of

Karunagappally Karunagappally is a municipality in the Kollam district of Kerala, India. It is 24 km north of Kollam and south of Alappuzha. Karunagappally taluk consists of Alappad, Ochira, Adinad, Karunagappally, Thazhava, Pavumba, Thodiyoor, Kallalibh ...

and is reachable by National Highway 47.

Upadevatas

There are many Upadevathas (Sub-deities) adjacent to the temple, and a few Prathishtas were either revamped or added according to the Deva Prashnam by expert astrologers recently. The main upadevathas in the temple premises are Yakshi,

Ganesha Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

Nagaraja A Nagaraja ( ', ) is a king of the various races of the nāga, the divine or semi-divine, half-human, half-serpent beings that reside in the netherworld ( Patala), and can occasionally take human form. Rituals devoted to these supernatural being ...

, Naga Yakshi and Rekshas. A Kavu (a patch of small forest which houses the serpent Gods),

Karimbana ''Karimpana'' is a 1980 Indian Malayalam film, directed by I. V. Sasi. The film stars Jayan, Seema, Kaviyoor Ponnamma and Adoor Bhasi in the lead roles. The film has musical score by A. T. Ummer. The film was shot in Ayira, a village near P ...

tree and Ezhilam Pala tree are also worshipped on the belief that they house

Gandharva A ''gandharva'' () is a member of a class of celestial beings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, whose males are divine performers such as musicians and singers, and the females are divine dancers. In Hinduism, they ...

s and Yakshis.

Festivals

The temple celebrates a number of festivals as follows: Kettu Kala

;Parayeduppu In the numerous temples of Onattukara, the ''Parayeduppu'' period is the festive season. It all begins when the deity of Pulimukham temple is taken out in procession for Parayeduppu. The main part of ''Parayeduppu'' is the ''Jeevatha'' constructed in the model of the temple structure itself. This box-like carriage for the deity rests on two teakwood poles about two meters long, and is in the form of a palanquin. The front resembles ''Thidambu'' behind which is a kind of ''pettakam'' (small chest) built as per ''Thachusaasthra'' calculations. Up front is a woollen cloth embroidered with shining, colourful pictures and gold trinkets. Behind that is kept the deity's holy dress, starched and pleated, and decorated with small golden pieces. 3days long visit to the homes of people who lives in her ''Karas''. The rhythms used during ''Jeevatha Ezunnallathu'' (procession) are quite noteworthy. Starting with very slow beats, it builds up a crescendo and ends in fast beats. ;Meena Bharani The major festival at Pulimukham is Meena Bharani. This is in the month of march or April. The date is determined according to the

Malayalam Calendar The Malayalam Calendar, or the Kollam Era (), is a sidereal solar calendar used in Kerala. The origin of the calendar has been dated to 825 CE, commemorating the establishment of Kollam. There are many theories regarding the origin of t ...

''KollaVarsham''. The "Pulimukham Bharani" is in the month of ''

Meenam The Malayalam Calendar, or the Kollam Era (), is a sidereal solar calendar used in Kerala. The origin of the calendar has been dated to 825 CE, commemorating the establishment of Kollam. There are many theories regarding the origin of th ...

'' and the day which has the star ''Bharani'' and hence the name ''Meena Bharani''. The highlight of the festival is

Kuthiyottam ''Kuthiyottam'', sometimes spelled Kutiyottam, is a ritual youth dance, and in some cases of mock blood sacrifice, found at annual Pongala festival celebrations at some Hindu temples in Kerala dedicated to Bhadrakali or Durga – a warrior godde ...

and Kettukazhcha and Khosha Yatra and Pongala. ;Pongala Pongala festival. A morning visit to the temple will give you impressions of the festival, from the glowing faces of the devotees who throng the temple since the dawn.

References

External links

GeoHack - Pulimukham Devi Temple

Pulimugham Devi Temple Official site

Pulimukham Temple, Wikimapia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pulimukham Devi Temple Hindu temples in Kollam district Shakti temples Devi temples in Kerala

Upadevatas

Festivals

References

External links

See also