Kaikulangara Devi temple is located at Kadangode village, around 13 km northeast of Kunnamkulam, in Thrissur district, Kerala. The main murti worshipped in the temple is Goddess Bhadrakali – swayambhu murti.
There is Sreechakra Prathishta in the temple. Goddess is worshiped as Saraswati in the morning, Durga at noon and as Bhadrakali in the evening.
The Upa Devatas worshipped in the temple are Anthimahakalan, Ganapathy and Ayyappa.
The major festivals observed in the temple are Navratri, Thrikarthika in Vrischikam month, Niramala in Dhanu Masam, Makara chowa and Parayaru Vela in Makaram month, Kalam Pattu in Kumbham, and the Prathishta day in Edavam month.
Villaku for Ayyappa and Vela festival for Anthimahakalan are famous in the region.
Kaikulangara Devi Temple History
It is said that the murti worshipped in the temple was the upasana murti of Mallasseri Ilayathu.
Another belief is that Palakkattu Nair who had gone to learn Vedas in Porkulam got the murti of Goddess from Chiravarambathu Kavu (Avahichu kondu varika).
The temple was first administered by Mallasseri Ilayathu. Later it was managed by ettuveetil nairs. It is said that the temple in the present form was built by Kaniyattil Nair, Eda Madathil Nair, Velutha Nair, and Kuttippurath Nair. They later gave the authority to manage the temple to Thrissur Thekkemadom. The Samiyar of Thekkemadom regularly visited the temple and offered pushpanjali in the shrine.
Story Of The Name Kaikulangara
As the murti worshipped in the temple was swayambhu, there arose a doubt in the mind of devotees as to whether the deity is Bhagavathy or Shiva. Some people worshipped the deity as Devi and others as Shiva.
To find the truth, Thekkemadom Samiyar performed intense penance and vratham for 41 days. On the 41st day at night, Swamiyar heard a voice asking him to go and look in the temple pond on the next day morning to find the truth.
Next day morning, Swamiyar went to the pond and saw the beautiful hand of a woman with bangles and other ornaments in water. Thus it was revealed that the murti in the temple was Devi. Hand means ‘kai’ in Malayalam and thus the place got the name Kaikulangara.