Elavally Kavu Temple, also known as Elavally Durga Bhagavathi temple, is located at Elavally in Thrissur district, Kerala. The festival in shrine is dedicated to Goddess Bhadrakali. Elavally Durga Bhagavathi Temple festival is observed on Aswathy nakshatra day in Kumbham month.
Elavally Kavu Temple is one among the 108 Durga temples in Kerala. This is one of the important temples in ancient Kerala. The temple is referred to as Abhinavalathagramam in Mayoorasandesham.
The main deity worshipped in the temple is Durga. She is also believed to be Vana Durga. The temple complex also has separate shrines dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Sastha.
Durga is worshipped in south; Shiva in the middle who faces west and Vishnu in the north face west.
Bhadrakali is worshipped in southeast corner of Vishnu temple.
The Upa Devatas in the temple are Saraswati, Dakshinamurti and two Ganapathys.
Elavally Durga Bhagavathi Temple And Kakkassery Bhattathiri
Kakkassery Bhattathiri was a famous scholar of ancient Kerala and the shrine is associated with his birth. A scholarly debate, Revathi Pattathanam, held in Kozhikode Tali temple was always won of one Udannda Sastrigal from Tamil Nadu. The Brahmins of Kerala could not defeat him. The Brahmin community was ashamed of this constant defeat. During this time an antharjanam (woman) of Kakkassery family became pregnant. The Brahmins offered butter or venna in the Elavally temple and then chanted Bala Divya Mantra. This butter was later given to the pregnant woman. It seems the mantra was chanted 50,000 during the period. The pregnant woman gave birth to a boy child who was Kakkassery Bhattathiri. He defeated Udannda Sastrigal and got the title of Pattathanam.
It is believed that Kakkassery Amma used to visit the shrine daily.