The Attukal Bhagavathy Temple is a Hindu religious shrine at Attukal, Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala. Goddess Bhadrakali (Kannaki), mounted on ‘vethala’, is the main deity of this temple. Bhadrakali, a form of Mahakali, killed the demon king Daruka, who is said to have been born from the third eye of Lord Shiva. “Bhadra” means good and “Kali” means goddess of time. Thus Bhadrakali is considered the goddess of prosperity and salvation. Goddess Attukal Devi, herself is the supreme mother ‘Bhaadrkali Devi, the goddess of power and courage. She is often called Kannaki, the heroine of “Silapathikaaram” by Ilanko Adikal.
Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple is 2 km from this kali temple. The structure of the temple displays a confluence of traditional Tamil and Kerala architectural styles. The beautifully carved figures of Goddess Kali, Sree Parvathy, Lord Shiva and the ten incarnations of Sri Vishnu are other attractive sights in the temple.
The temple is famous for the annual Attukal Pongal festival, in which over three million women participate. Lord Shiva, Lord Ganapathy, God Nagar and Lord Masan Thampuram are the Upadevas in this temple.
Devotees believe that all of their wishes will be fulfilled by the goddess, provide prosperity and can attain salvation. Attukal Devi is often worshipped in 3 forms such as Maha Saraswati (goddess of knowledge, arts, and language), Maha Lakshmi (goddess of wealth, auspiciousness, and power) and Mahakali/ Parvathy (goddess of marriage, time and death).
The Pongala festival is the largest gathering festival for women in the world. This Event entered the Guinness Book of World Records in 1997 and 2009 for gathering 15 lakhs and 25 lakhs women respectively.
Attukal Temple Timings:
Morning: 5:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Evening:5:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Attukal Temple Daily Rituals:
| Pooja Timings | Pooja/ Darshan |
|---|---|
| 4:30 AM | Palliyunarthu (Waking of the Goddess) |
| 5:00 AM | Nirmalyadarshan |
| 5:35 AM | Abhishekam (ablutions of the idol in oil, milk etc.) |
| 5:45 AM | Ganapathi Homam (specific offering to God Vinayaka) |
| 6:00 AM | Deeparadhana (burning incense and lighting lamps to the Honour and Glory of the Almighty) |
| 6:30 AM | Usha Pooja (Morning rite) |
| 6:40 AM | Deeparadana |
| 6:50 AM | Usha Sreebali (morning Sreebali) |
| 7:00 AM | Kalabhishekam (consecration by pouring liquid sandal) |
| 8:30 AM | Pantheeradi Pooja (special rite) |
| 12:00 Noon | Ucha Pooja (Noon rite) |
| 12:00 Noon | Deeparadana |
| 12:10 PM | Ucha Sreebali (Noon Sreebali) |
| 12:30 PM | Sreekovil closing hours |
| 12:30 PM to 5:00 PM | Temple remains closed |
| 5:00 PM | Nata Thurappu (Opening of Sreekovil) |
| 6:45 PM | Deeparadana |
| 7:30 PM | Athazha Pooja (Night rite) |
| 8:00 PM | Deeparadana (Night rite) |
| 8:05 PM | Athazha Sreebali |
| 8:30 PM | Sreekovil Closing Hours |
Note: The above-mentioned timings may change on festival days and other important days without any prior notice.
Bhagavathy Temple History:
The mythology behind the temple relates to the story of Kannagi, who was married to Kovalan, the son of a wealthy merchant. After the wedding, Kovalan met the dancer Madhavi and spent all his wealth and forget his wife. But when he ran out of money, he returned to Kannagi. The only valuable thing left for sale was Kannagi’s pair of anklets. They went to the king of Madurai to sell it. But an anklet that looked like Kannagi’s was stolen from the queen. When Kovalan tried to sell it, the king’s soldiers took him for stealing and beheaded him.
Kannagi was furious when she heard the news and rushed to the king with the second pair of anklets. She broke one of the anklets and it contained rubies while the queen’s contained pearls. She cursed the city of Madurai, and it is said that because of her chastity, the curse came true and Madurai burned down. Kannagi is said to have gained salvation after the city goddess appeared before her.
It is said that on her way to Kodungallur, Kannagi passed Attukal. She took the form of a little girl. An old man was sitting on the banks of a stream when the girl went to him and asked him whether he could help her cross it. Surprised to find the young girl alone, he took her home. After a while, she disappeared. She came back in his sleep and asked him to build a temple where he found 3 golden lines in his grove. He went ahead and did the same, and it is said that this is at the location of the present Attukal temple. Goddess Attukalamma (Bhadrakali/Kannaki) is believed to be present at Attukal during the festival days. Ponkala is offered to celebrate the victory of Kannaki over king Pandya. Another story says that ‘Attukal Devi is Bhadrakali, born from the third eye of lord Shiva to kill the demon king Daruka. Mother Bhadrakali is a form of Shakthi Devi (Mahakali) worshipped mainly in Kerala. ‘Bhadra’ means good and ‘Kali’ means goddess of time. So Bhadrakali is often referred to as the goddess of prosperity, time and salvation.
Bhagavathy Temple Festivals:
- Pongala – the most important festival celebrated for 10 days
- Mandala Vratham – Festival in connection with the annual Utsavam of Sabarimala
- Vinayaka Chathurthi
- Pooja Vaypu – Identical to Dussera festival
- Sivarathri – Siva Pooja- Special poojas are arranged in Siva Temple
- Karthika – (Devi’s star) in November – December – Karthika Deepam
- Ayilya Pooja – Milk, flowers etc. offered to serpent God and special rites
- Aiswarya Pooia – On all Fullmoon (Pournarni) days
- Nirayum Puthariyum – Ramayana Parayanam
- Akhandanama Japam – 4th Sunday of every month
- Ramayana Parayanam- During Karkadakam
- VISHU
- Sahasrakalasham
- Narayaneeyam
- Geetha Class and Geetha teaching class
Attukal Temple Accomodation:
Dormetries and rooms are available in the Temple premises on a daily rent basis.
A/ C Double Room = Rs-1,120/-
Double Room = Rs-400/-
Dormitory = Rs-2,800/- Available for 50 Persons
Dormitory = Rs-3,360/- Available for 50 Persons. Only 16 Beds are available
Dormitory = Rs-1,680/- Available for 25 Person
A/C Dormitory = Rs-2,240/- Available for 5 Persons, Only 4 Bed are available
Dormitory = Rs-2,240/- Available for 10 Persons, Only 8 Bed are available
Note: All the above prices are Inclusive of GST.
How to Reach Attukal Temple:
By Air:
The nearest airport is Thiruvananthapuram International Airport which is just 6.5km to the temple
By Rail:
The nearest railway station is Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station which is 2.9km
By Road:
The temple is just 1.5 km from the east fort bus stop. The Trivandrum central bus stand is at 2 km from the shrine. Metered autos can take you around the city. Tourists can also hire cabs to reach the temple. The temple authorities have also arranged regular bus service. Tourists can pre-book the bus tickets from the temple.
The temple is only 1.5 km from the east fort bus station. Trivandrum Central Bus Station is 2 km from the shrine. The temple authorities have also organized a regular bus service. Private Taxis and autos are also available from the bustand.
Attukal Temple Address:
P.B.No. 5805,
Manacaud P.O.,
Attukal,
Souparnika Nagar,
Thiruvananthapuram,
Kerala – 695 009.
Phone: +91-471- 2463130 (Off) 2456456 (Temple)