Aroor Karthyayani Temple Alppuzha Kerala

Aroor Karthyayani Temple Alppuzha Kerala

Located on National Highway 47. The main deity is Karthiani. Shiva and Ganapathy are accommodated as sub-deities. It is one of the 108 Durga temples. Villwamangalam, the ancient Vedic exponent, en-route to Aroor noticed a light below a Chootha tree. He grasped it is divine and emanated from godly Devi. He lost no time to erect a temple to install an idol of Devi. Later this temple was destroyed by Dutch. There are conflicting versions about the re-emergence of the temple. The more plausible version is that Kannamkulangara Kaimal rebuilt the temple. He requested the Devi to be there until he returns with a tender coconut. Instead of returning he committed suicide by hanging in order to retain the Devi in the present place. It is believed, Kaimal’s soul is resting in the bottom of the palm tree in the temple compound. This tree is known as Arukola Ammavan and rituals are performed here. There is a festival prolonging to 8 days in the month of Meenam (March/April) which is attended by several thousands. Etymology According to the local legend, once Vilwamangalam Swamiyar, the well known Kerala Hindu Saint, while travelling through Cherthala, found an idol of the Devi with its head immersed in a muddy pond. The swami understood the divinity of the idol, took it out from the mud, cleaned it and consecrated it in a temple near the pond.Thus the place is believed to have got its name as Cher means Mud and Thala means Head in Malayalam and the deity of the temple got the name as Cherthala Karthiyayani.[1] The word put together means Head from the mud. Unlike in other Kerala temples, the idol of Cherthala Karthiyayani Devi is consecrated in the Sreekovil just below the ground level and cannot be directly viewed by the devotees. There is another story that says that the former name was Karappuram and this part of land was gifted by the erstwhile State of Cochin to the erstwhile State of Travancore for protecting it from enemies. The place got its name as Chertha (joined) Thala (abutting land).

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