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Chunakkara Temple - History - Shiva Temple Sculpture - Architecture - Festival - Chunakkara Thiruvairoor Mahadevar Temple

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Chunakkara Temple, also known as Chunakkara Thiruvairoor Mahadevar Temple, is located 2.5 km off Charummoodu on Kayamkulam – Punalur road in Alappuzha district, Kerala. The 10-day annual festival in the temple begins on Thiruvathira Nakshatra day in Makaram month.

The festival is noted for Kettukazhcha. The Ashtami in Kumbham month is observed in the temple. Another important festival is Shivaratri.

The main deity at Chunakara Amabalam is Shiva who is swayambhu. The deity faces east. There is a swayambhu Nandi behind the sreekovil. There is another Nandi murti in the mandapam.

The Upa Devatas in the temple are Mahavishnu, Subrahmaniyan, Dharmasastha, Ittilayappan and Bhagavathi. On the south side of Nalambalam there is the murti of Yogeshwaran. All the Upa Devatas are believed to be swayambhu.

There is also murti of Nagaraja and Nagayakshi. Yakshi and Brahmarakshas are also worshipped in the temple. Valiyachan and Ammoomma associated with Varichira family is found in the temple. Both were ardent devotees of Chunakara Shiva.

Legend has it that once a Kurava woman was cutting grass and she hit a Shila or stone with her sickle; blood started oozing out from the stone. Ayroor Thamburan, who was the bodyguard of Kayamkulam king, visited the spot and on his advice the king built the Chunakkara Temple, also known as Chunakkara Tiruvairoor Mahadeva Temple.

The temple is noted for its wooden sculptures. The round sreekovil made of granite has wooden walls and they have beautiful sculptures. There are dwarapalaka murtis in front of the temple. Some of the important sculptures in the temple are of four-armed Ganapathy, Saraswati, Shiva Thandavam, Goddess Kali, Uma Maheshwara, Sastha in hunting posture, yakshi, Gopika vastraharan, Venugopala Krishnan, Sita under shimshapavriksha, Ravana Prathapam, Sethubandhanam, Viraraman, Krishna Leela, Mahavishnu, Lakshminarayanan, Ananthashayanam, Durga, Aghora Shiva and Govardhana Krishnan.