Chettikulangara Devi Temple, Hindu temple in Alappuzha district, India
Chettikulangara Devi Temple is a Hindu temple in Alappuzha district, Kerala, about 4 km west of Mavelikkara and 7 km north of Kayamkulam on SH6. The main deity is Bhadrakali, installed as a wooden image carved from a jackfruit tree, with a small mirror image and a gurus image. The temple is the centre of 13 karas, or territories, and is believed to be 1,200 years old.
Local accounts hold that the shrine was consecrated in 843 CE, in the Makara month, by Padmapada Acharya, a disciple of Adi Shankara. Other traditions trace its origin to chieftains from the four oldest karas who, ridiculed at the Koypallikarazhma temple festival, made a pilgrimage to Kodungallur and returned with the goddess's sword. The present structure has been rebuilt and altered over the centuries.
The temple is called Onattukara's family deity, and its Kumbha Bharani festival falls on the Bharani day of Kumbham (February–March), drawing lakhs of visitors. Households prepare konchumanga, a dish treated as the goddess's prasadam. The Kettukazhcha procession and the Kuthiyottam ritual are among the customs UNESCO examined for World Heritage listing.
Visitors are expected to wear appropriate clothing such as dhoti for men and saree for women when entering the shrine. The temple grounds are usually open from early morning until evening and welcome both pilgrims and tourists.
The temple's Kuthiyottam and Kumbha Bharani customs were documented by UNESCO, which collected details to assess eligibility for the World Heritage List. Ten names tied to the temple, including Chettikulangara Amma and Kettukazhcha, are registered under trademark and patent rules by Sree Devi Vilasam Hindu Matha Convention, an organisation of the 13 karas.
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