Chottanikkara Temple Travel Guide
Posted On January 13, 2012
Situated in the picturesque surroundings of God’s own country Kerala, the Chottanikkara temple is a great pilgrim spot for all the devotees of the Goddess Bhagawaty who is the presiding deity here. Located on the outskirts of the city of Cochin, in Kerala in India, this is an important religious locale in the central part of the state of Kerala. This absolutely fascinating hamlet lies in the Ernakulam district and has the best ambience and the most enthralling serenity that all tourists long for.
This village Chottanikkara is famous for the Bhagawaty temple that is the backbone of this place. Located on a hill, the luscious surroundings of this temple region and the beautiful golden farms that so much dominate the place give total solitude and peace to the devotees visiting this place.
A very important Hindu temple, this is a place that is thronged by thousands of devotees of the Goddess and they bring with them their respectful offerings and pray to absolve themselves of all sins and misdeeds that they might have done in their life. This temple is believed to relieve a devotee of all anguish and agony.
Chottanikkara is the peeth of the Goddess Rajarajeshwari who is a calmer form of Goddess Durga. There are many pilgrims who come here during the festival of Makam Thozhai which is held in the months of February and March and also during the months of October and November.
Often tourists coming to Ernakulam surely come to Chottanikkara due to its proximity and the green vegetation and the village ambience here renders the tourists and the pilgrim totally weak with devotion, pleasure and content. It is believed that a pilgrimage to Chottanikkara would beget the blessings for a lifetime if they visit the temple for 12 consecutive days.
There are other places of attraction near the Chottanikkara temple and these include the Thirupunithara hills, the Mattancheri harbour, the Travancore Fertilizers and many other temples like the Vaikam Mahadeva temple, and the Eranakulathappan temple.
Accessible by rail, road and air, Chottanikkara has Cochin as its nearest railhead and airport. All the highways running through Kerala connect the place by road to other cities.
The Chottanikkara Bhagavathy temple is one of the most revered spots in Central Kerala. The temple deity is believed to be worshipped in three forms-as Saraswati in the morning, as Lakshmi in the afternoon and as Durga in the evening. The deity is known by the name of Amme Narayana, Devi Narayana and Bhadre Narayana. There is another name the Lakshmi Narayana which is indicated to the idol of Lord Vishnu that is found in the same pedestal that Goddess Rajarajeshwari occupies.
Within the temple complex you would find a Brahma temple, a Shiva temple, a Ganesh temple besides a Subrahmanya and Sastha temple.
This Chottanikkara temple is one of the most important amongst the 393 temples found in the state of Kerala. Devotees and pilgrims visit this place to get ultimate peace and solitude. Very few places of worship exude this amount of tranquility and give this kind of mental peace to the devotees. Faith and worship are the mainstay of the temple and it is intriguing to find that the number of devotees is rising by the year.
Kerala is famous for its lush green surroundings and ideal travel pleasures. Coupled with this, the presence of such temple destinations makes a tour in Kerala very enriching and enlightening. Such destinations are the ones that make a trip worthwhile, and constructive.
