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Ayyanthole Karthyayani Temple - Story - Gods Worshipped - Festival

Ayyanthole Karthyayani Temple is located one kilometer northwest of collectorate in Thrissur District in Kerala. The annual festival is observed with kodiyettam on Makayiram nakshatram and ends with arattu on Uthram Nakshatra in Medam month.

The annual Makam thozhal in the temple in Kumbha Masam (February - March) is famous. Thrikarthika festival in Malayalam Vrischika Masam (November - December) is of great significance in the temple.

Ayyanthole Karthyayani temple is one among the 108 Durga temples in Kerala. The deity faces east. The temple participates in the Thrissur Pooram.

The belief is that the murti worshipped in the temple is the one created Parashurama in the Treta Yuga.

Goddess Karthyayani here is in standing posture with a smiling face. She holds conch shell, chakra or disc, lotus and Kadibandham in her four hands. The murti is made out of Anjana stone (black stone) and is well covered by Panchaloha (an alloy of five of different metals).

After the infamous Daksha yajna in which Sati self-immolated, Shiva roamed around the universe with her body. Vishnu to restore the balance in the universe cut the body of Sati into 108 pieces. One of the body pieces is believed to have fallen at the place where the Karthyayani temple is located. Another belief is that the daughter of Yashoda and sister of Sri Krishna who escaped from the hands of Kamsa appeared here.

The only subsidiary deity in the shrine is Ganapathy.