Malayalappuzha Devi Temple

Malayalappuzha Devi Temple, at Malayalappuzha in Pathanamthitta district, is dedicated to Bhadrakali, also known here as Idathattil Bhagavathi, and is believed to be more than 1,000 years old. The main image, 5.5 feet tall and made of katu sarkara yogam, shows the goddess in a fierce mood just after slaying the demon Darika. Two more images in the sanctum serve for abhishekam and the daily sreebali.

Legend says two Namboothiris from the Aikireth and Eravimangalath families carried a Bhadrakali idol on pilgrimage to Mookambika, and that the goddess later guided them to Malayalappuzha to enshrine it; their descendants still perform the rituals. The temple has wall paintings, stone carvings and an unusual figure of Parvati feeding the infant Ganapathy on her lap. Devotees pray here for protection, marriage, work and business. The eleven-day festival begins on Thiruvathira in Kumbham, with Kathakali on the fourth and fifth days.