Chettikulangara Bhagavathy Temple Mavelikkara Kerala

Chettikulangara Bhagavathy Temple is a famous temple located at Mavelikkara in the Alappuzha district. The Kettukazhcha festival is one of the reasons that make this temple popular among many pilgrims. Thousands of devotees visit this temple during the annual festival in order to watch its festivities. The annual Chettikulangara Bharani festival is conducted during the Malayalam month of Kumbham (February-March). The festival is a spectacular one with decorated tall structures on chariots and fantastic cultural performances. People would also admire the beautifully decorated effigies of bullocks and horses arranged during the processions.

The main deity of Chettikulangara Bhagavathy Temple is Jagadamba or Bhadrakali. Thousands of devotees visit this temple to offer prayers to the goddess. It is believed that the goddess in the temple has amazing healing powers. There is a huge oil lamp in the temple with a capacity to light more than 1000 wicks. February and March are the best months to visit this temple as the Bharani festival is conducted during these months. A lot of festivities and grand feasts are arranged during this time.

Kuthiyottam and Kettukazhcha are two main attractions of the annual festival. Kuthiyottam is an art form performed in front of the deity. This ritual dance can be seen in many of the houses in the region. Kettukazhcha is a spectacular one that displays six skillfully decorated and sculpted structures of temple cars named ‘Kuthiras’. Five Therus (chariots) with effigies of Hanuman and Bhima also make the festival more impressive.

Affordable accommodation facilities are available for devotees who come to the temple from faraway places. Both the Kayamkulam and Mavelikara railway stations are around 6 kilometers away from Chettikulangara Bhagavathy Temple. The Thiruvananthapuram International airport is approximately 110 kilometers away.