Attukal Bhagwathy Amman Temple

BHAGWATHY AMMAN TEMPLE 

Among the Bhagwathy Amman temple the 'Attukal Bhagwathy Amman' temple at Tiruvandrum is unique. Parasuramar is consisdered to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He is said to have established 108 Shiva temples and 108 Bhagwathy Amman Temples in present day Kerala. Kerala came to be known as the 'Nation of God' because of the rule of God and the rule of nature. There are no separate names for the Amman Temples in kerala. All the goddesses are associated with the name of the town and are known as 'Bhagwathy Amman'.

The Pongal festival, which is held here every year, is one of the highlights of this temple. Within a radius of about 10km around the temple, women gather in Tiruvandrum for roadside gatherings, houses and streets.

This festival is a Pongal festival which is celebrated only by women for millions of people. The Pongal festival is also listed in the Guinness Book of Records. The temple is listed in the Guinness Book of Records for having a Pongal festival in 1997 with over 15 lakh women in attendance. Similarly, in 2009, 30 lakh women participated in the pongal, breaking the previous record. The number of Pongals in this temple is increasing every year.

It is said that after the burning of Madurai, Kannaki went to Kerala. It is said that many women used to perform Pongal for Goddess Kannaki to achieve peace of mind. Ambal, who had killed Mahishasura, appeared before the devotees. To welcome her, many of the women put on a pongal. Another legend says that this Pongal festival is held to commemorate it.

HISTORY

Kannaki, the heroine of Silappathikaram and the chaste one, is said to be the goddess of the river Bhagwathy. After proving to the pandya King that her husband was not a thief, Kannaki set Madurai on fire. Then from there on the way to Kodungallur in the state of Kerala via Kanyakumari, she rested at a place called Attukal. It is said that the river Bhagwathy Amman Temple was built here in its memory.

Apart from this another story is told about the appearance of the river Bhagwathy goddess. A devotee of Parasakti was bathing in the river Killi. Then there came a beautiful little girl who matched the divine aspect. The devotee who saw the girl thought that the mother had come in the form of a girl.

But the devotee who saw the girl as an image of the mother did  not want to part with her. So he decided to take her to his house and treat her. When he tried to tell it to the girl, the girl disappeared. The devotee was amused, thinking that it was Ambal who came in the form of a girl. The same girl who appeared in the devotee's dream that night said, "Three lines will appear in the dense area of the coconut trees. Build a temple on that place and settle me."

The next day the devotee went to the place pointed out in the little girl's dream, and rejoiced to see that there were three lines. He then built a small temple at that place and worshipped the goddess. According the river Bhagwathy Amman Temple was established in the course of time.

ARCHITECTURE

The entire river Bhagwathy Amman Temple is made of copper. Adisankar has dedicated the Sri Chakra where the temple is located. On the pillars and walls of the temple are sculptures of Mahishaasuramartini, Kali, Rajarajeswari and Shiva Parvati. In one part of the tower, sculptures depicting the history of Kannaki are carved.

At the top of the entrance of the temple, the river goddess Bhagwathy carries a sword, shield, scepter, utensil, etc, and subdues the monster and bestows blessings on her sitting position. There are two goddess statues in the sanctum sanctorum. The original idol is studded with gems and has a gold robe. The sanctum sanctorum is called 'Srikovil'. The temple complex is surrounded by shrines of Ganapati, Shiva, Nagar, Dakshinamoorthy and Anjaneyar.

IMPORTANT FESTIVALS

• Attukal Pongala

OPEN IN ALL DAYS OF THE WEEK

FROM 5:00am to 12:00pm

             5:00pm to 8:00pm

LOCATION - https://goo.gl/maps/kiGMZoTcJYsDFhTm6