--> Skip to main content


Karnaki Amman Temple At Moothanthara – Famous Goddess Karnaki Temple In Palakkad

Karnaki Amman temple is located at Karnaki Nagar, also known as Moothanthara, on Palakkad – Shoranur road in Palakkad district, Kerala. The temple is also known as Sri Kachanam Kulam Thirupuraikkal Bhagavathy Temple.

There are two temples in the same compound – Goddess Karnaki Temple and Visalakshi Sametha Shiva Temple.

Puja in Goddess Karnaki temple is performed in Kerala style puja by Kerala Brahmins. In Shiva temple the pujas are performed in Tamil Shaiva form by Tamil Brahmins.

Kannaki who is a manifestation of Mother Shakti is here worshipped with her hair flowing down and not tied. It is believed that Chilambu of Kannaki worshipped here is in Kodungallur, peedam in Vadakumthura, kuda in Valiyangadi and kindi in Piriyari temple.

As Kannaki is a widow, marriages are not held in front of her temple. But marriages are held in front of Shiva temple.

The Upa Devatas worshiped in the temple are Ganapathi, Murugan, Ayyappan, Bhairavan, Chandishwaran, Dakshinamurti and Surya.

The 8-day festival in the temple begins on Revathi nakshatra in Medam month and ends on the Punartham nakshatra with Arattu. On the Arattu day a huge feast is held with 150 Para rice.

The temple was first located at Valiyangadi Neduppatimantham. But Tipu Sultan ransacked the temple and therefore it was shifted to the current spot. The temple belongs to Moothan community who arrived here from Tamil Nadu. It is believed that the community arrived here along with their deity Kannaki.

Kannagi or Kannaki Amman is the epitome of chastity and is worshiped as a Goddess in South India and Sri Lanka. She is a powerful manifestation of Goddess Shakti. She is the heroine of the famous Tamil literary work Silappadikaram, the tale of the anklet. This epic poem centers on the journey of — Kannagi — who confronts the King of Madurai for killing her husband unjustly. She burns down the city of Madurai and arrives in Kerala.