Chottanikkara Temple

Chottanikkara temple is located near Ernakulam. The Chottanikkara temple enshrines Bhagawati - the mother Goddess, one of the most popular deities in Kerala. En-route is the Poornatrayesa temple at Tripunittura. The Devi is worshipped along with Lord Vishnu. Together, they are known as Lakshminarayana. People who have mental illness seek refuge in the divine mother, who graciously cures all her devotees. Goddess Rajarajeswari is the presiding deity. This deity is worshipped in three different forms - as Saraswati in the morning - draped in white, as Bhadrakali at noon draped in crimson, and as Durga in the evening decked in blue. It is believed that the deity appeared in front of Vivamangalam Swamigal who was a famous saint associated with this shrine. The main attraction of the temple is that the image in the shrine is not fixed to the ground but mounted on loose sand. Water offered to the deity during ablution ceremonies seep into the ground. The temple complex consists of Kizhukkavu Bhagavathy temple, temples for Sastha, Siva, Ganapathi, Nagas and other Upa-Devas. The yearly festival of the temple comes in February- March and starts with Kodiyettu on Rohini day and lasts for 7 days and concludes on Uthram star. A special feature of the ulsavam is the daily Para ezhunnellippu and Aarattu.

Air :  Nedumbassery, 22 kms away from Ernakulam, Kochi.

Rail :  Ernakulam about 17km away from Chottanikkara.

Road :  KSRTC Central Bus station is near the Ernakulam Junction railway station. It runs express and fast services from Ernakulam to other major cities within Kerala and into the neighbouring states.