Attukal Bhagavathy Temple, Trivandrum

Timings

4:30 am–12:30 pm, 5 pm–8:30 pm

Main festival

Attukal Pongala (February–March)

Nearest airport

Thiruvananthapuram (about 5 km)

Nearest railway station

Thiruvananthapuram Central (about 3 km)

The legend

In the Silappathikaram by Ilango Adigal, Kannaki's husband Kovalan is wrongly accused of stealing the queen's anklet in Madurai and put to death. Kannaki proves his innocence by breaking her own anklet, which holds rubies rather than the queen's pearls, and in her fury Madurai is consumed by fire.

Local tradition says that while travelling to Kodungallur, she came to the Killi river at Attukal in the form of a young girl and asked an elder of the Mulluveettil family to help her cross. He took her to his house, where she disappeared, and that night she appeared in his dream and asked for a shrine to be built. The temple grew from that shrine.

What to see

The goddess is worshipped as Bhadrakali and in the forms of Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati. The temple's architecture mixes Kerala and Tamil styles, and its carvings show Mahishasuramardini, Shiva with Parvati, the ten avatars of Vishnu and, on the southern gopuram, the Daksha Yaga story and episodes from Kannaki's life. The sanctum holds two idols, the main one decorated with gold and precious stones. Because of the huge female following, the temple is sometimes called the 'Sabarimala of women'.

Festivals

• Attukal Pongala: the ten-day festival in the Malayalam month of Kumbham (February–March), ending with the mass cooking of pongala.
• Kuthiyottam: a vow performed by young boys during the festival.
• Thalappoli: young girls in traditional dress carry plates with rice, flowers and a lit lamp.
• Maha Shivaratri, Vinayaka Chaturthi, Mandala Vratham and Pooja Vaippu are also observed.

Timings and dress code

Darshan runs from 4:30 in the morning until 12:30 in the afternoon, and again from 5 pm until 8:30 pm. There is no strict dress code, but modest, traditional clothing is best; sarees or salwar kameez work well for women.

When to go and how to reach

The Pongala season in February–March is the most memorable time, but also the most crowded; book rooms months ahead. Thiruvananthapuram International Airport is only about 5 km away, Thiruvananthapuram Central railway station about 3 km, and the Thampanoor bus station is next to the railway station. Autos and taxis cover the last stretch easily.

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