Kodungallur Kurumba Bhagavati Temple.. Sri Kurumba Bhagavati Temple is located at Kodungallur, Thrissur District, Kerala state. It is dedicated to the goddess Bhadrakali, a form of Shakti Devi, who is worshipped and dwells in Kerala. The goddess is known also by the names “Ma Kurumba Bhavani”, which means, ‘The Mother of Kodungallur’. This temple is one of the Bhadrakali temples in Kerala. This Mahakali temple is one of the ancient temples in India. The goddess of the seems to appear in her fierce form, though she is a kind mother for the devotees like us. The temple worship starts at 03:00 and ends at 21:00.
The priests of Kodungallur temple convey the story that this temple was, in the olden days, was a Shiva shrine and it was Parasurama who installed the idol of Ma Bhadrakali close to one of Shiva. The pujas are being conducted, as per the direct instructions from the goddess herself. Five ‘Sri Chakras’, were said to have been installed by Sri Adi Shankaracharya. It is in this temple Ma Kannaki Amman, worshipped to Bhadrakali of Kodungallur and thereby merged into the idol of Ma Bhadrakali.
It is said that the temple was constructed by Cheraman Perumal. In ancient times, animal sacrifices were offered at the temple, mostly in the forms of birds and goats, by devotees seeking protection and the fulfillment of their prayers. But later on, the government of Cochin banned animal sacrifice in any form at this place. At present, only red-dyed dhotis are offered to the deity. Many devotees offer rich presents and gold ornaments, which highly pleases the holy mother Bhadrakali..
We can also find the images of Sapthamatrukas (Seven Mothers) such as Brahmi, Vaishnavi, Maheshwari, Indrani, Varahi, Kaumari and Chamunda (Kali) and Ganapathi and Veerabhadra There is also a sacred pond called (Pushkarini), where the devotees used to take bath, before entering into the main shrine. It is believed that this pond was created by the goddess by striking the ground with her sword. The Bharani festival and the Thalappoli festival are the main festivals celebrated in this temple. The Bhagavathi temple is one of the richest temples in Kerala.
SONGS IN PRAISE OF MA BHAGAVATHY AMMAN
Victory to You, Holy Goddess, the Giver of Luck,
Victory to You Devi, the Destroyer of Sins and the Giver of Many Fruits,
Victory to You O Devi, who wears the heads of the sinful Demons.
I Bow to You Devi, You Are Truly A Giver of Human Pain.
Victory to You O Devi, who holds the Sun and The Moon as her Eyes,
Victory to You Devi, Your Beautiful Face Decorated with The Glory of Fire,
Victory to You O Devi, who is united with Lord Shiva.
Victory to You O Devi, who removed the darkness of the evil demons, by the way of destroying them with her tender hands.
Victory to You O Devi, who pierces the Demon Mahishasura With her powerful Trident,
Victory to You Devi, Who Destroys Sins of all in the World,
Victory To You O Devi, Bowing Down Pitamaha Brahma and Sri Vishnu.
Victory To You O Devi, To Worship The Sun And Other Devas.
Victory to You O Devi, praised by her sons, Vinayaka and Shanmukha who can be seen Armed with Various Weapons on her hands,
Victory to You O Devi, praised by King Shiva for seeing You Flow towards the sea like the Ganga River (for humanity),
Victory to You Devi, Who Destroys All Suffering and Poverty,
Victory to You O Devi, Increase Our Luck by Giving Us noble Sons and Daughters.
Victory to You O Devi, Who Wears All Bodies (remaining as a basis for Pure Awareness),
Victory to You O Devi, Who Gives a Vision of the Spiritual Sky (during meditation), thus destroying the Origin of our Tribulation (of spiritual ignorance),
Victory to You O Devi, Who Destroys Disease (hinders our spiritual progress) and finally Gives Deliverance (from samsara deception),
Victory to You O Devi, Who satisfies our reasonable needs and desires like giving us a good health, wealth and a satisfactory marriage life.
“OM MA KODUNGALURALE POTRI”
COMPILED BY
R. HARISHANKAR