Kodungallur Bhagavathy Temple

Kodungallur Bhagavathy Temple is a renowned temple located in Kodungallur town in Thrissur District of Kerala, India. The temple is also known as Sree Kurumba Bhagavathi Temple Kodungalloor. The temple is dedicated to Bhadrakali, which is one of the incarnations of the great Goddess Devi. In Kerala, goddess Bhadrakali is believed to be auspicious form of Kali. The goddess is also well known as Kodungallooramma in this temple. The idol of the goddess Bhadrakali worshipped in this temple has eight hands. One of the hands of the deity holds the severed head of Darikasura (a demon), while the other hands hold weapons and symbols such as sword, spear, discus, bow, pestle and Chelambu. Kodungallur Bhagavathy Temple follows a strict daily routine of rituals that starts from early 3 a.m. and ends at 9 p.m.

Establishment
There is a very interesting history behind the establishment of Kodungallur Bhagavathy Temple. It is said that after the formation of Kerala by Parasurama, he was troubled by a devil called Daruka. For assassination of the devil, Parasurama worshipped Lord Shiva for help. Then the Lord Shiva asked him to build a temple and to consecrate the Shakti Devi as Bhagavathi. The Devi herself is considered to be Parashakthi. Consequently, Bhadrakali killed the devil Daruka.

Key Features:
Sree Kurumba Bhagavathi Temple Kodungallur is spread across 10 acres of land. The whole temple is surrounded by banyan trees. The Sreekovil of the temple faces the north. The western hall of the inner temple is the seat of Sapthamatrukas (Seven Mothers) who also faces the north. The idols of Lord Ganapathi and Veerabhadra in the shrine face towards the east and the west, respectively. To the left of the temple, there is a Samadhi of Vysoori. The idol of Kodungallooramma is 6 feet tall, built using wood of jackfruit tree.

Turmeric is chiefly offered to the Goddess Bhadrakali by her devotees. Countless devotees come to this temple and worship the goddess wholeheartedly. A Holy pond called Pushkarini is just 50 meters away from the temple, where devotees take holy dip before entering the temple. It is assumed that this pond came into existence when the goddess touched the land with her sword.

Kodungallur Bharani
Kodungallur Bharani is the major temple festival of Kodungallur Temple. It is grandly celebrated in the temple between the months of March and April. The festival mainly begins with a ritual namely 'Kozhikkallu Moodal' that involves killing cocks and shedding their blood to make blood offering to the Goddess kali. This ritual is performed to please the mighty Goddess Kali and her devils with the offering of blood.

How to Reach Kodungallur Bhagavathy Temple
Kodungallur Bhagavathy Temple is easily accessible from the nearby towns, cities and districts of Kerala. Nedumbassery International Airport in Cochin is the nearest airport to the temple. It is located at the distance of 60 km of north Thrissur. The nearest railway station is located at Irinjalakuda, which is 20 km away from the temple. Thrissur is a significant railhead of the southern railway and is connected to a number of towns and cities within and outside Kerala. The temple can also be reached via road. There are frequent bus services from Thrissur along NH47 to different destinations. Private buses can also be boarded from the temple, to reach nearby places like Guruvayur, Malapuram and Shornur.