Uthralikavu temple

In our quest to visit temples in Kerala  today was a special day .

I had for long been seeing pictures of a very beautiful temple nestled admidst green fields with blue and brown mountains in distance with a green canopy of trees dotting the base of the mountains .

Even such a show stealing scene is enough, but to beat all that in this picture post card temple ,was a railway line going behind it  and if one managed to capture a train speeding behind, its a photographers delight .

So we decided to visit Uthralikaavu temple .

Though I did get some pics of a train behind temple the angle was wrong as it wasnt seen with temple and when I was in right place no train came too .

So I borrowed some pics from online to show its beauty .

Location and Reach :

This lovely place is situated in Thrissur District in Kerala about 4 km from Wadakancherri town which is in between Thrissur and Shoranur .

One can reach Wadakancheri by road in Kodungalur Shoranur road .

Its about 20 km from Thrissur and from Guruvayur almost same .

We drove from Guruvayur with roads quite good in Guruvayur Wadakancheri route joining Kodungallur Shoranur road .

It was very scenic with green lush paddy fields and distant mountains .

The temple is a very small one ,placed plonk in middle of paddy fields and a road leads to it with green all around ,

I can imagine how it would look in monsoon times with heavy rains  in Kerala .

I mentally noted to come here then again with better camera .

History of temple :

Uthralikavu temple or Rudramahakali temple is situated in the Aka Mala Desham ( Aka..inside Mala ...woods in other words a valley )in Thalapilli Taluk Enkakad village Wadakancheri Panchayat Thrissur Dt .

The place is Enkakad 

( like Shivas hair Thirujada ) 

Its said Lord Sivaas a mendicant begged rice from nearby Uriyari hills or Uriyarikunnu  ( uriyari is 150 ml of rice ) and later cooked it nearby and place was known as Vechanad later becoming Machad .

Lord Siva loved this place and gave seats here for two Godesses ( bhagavathis )one to northeast ie Akamala to Rudrakali now Uthralikavu and other to south called Vazhani for Thiruvaani .

People believe Thiruvaani kaavu Bhagavathy the giver of voice and music Vaani is elder sister of Rudramahakali .

Hence Thiruvanikaavu vela or festival takes place one week before Uthranikavu vela .

Another version says Uthralikavu Bhagavathy is younger sister of Mahakurumba Bhagavathy who is installed in Wadakancheri Shiva temple at Karumarakad .

During annual festival Karumarakad and Uthralikavu deities are mounted on caprisoned elephants in a grand procession to reach Wadakancheri and come together to Uthralikavu for a joint procession  or kootezunallippu .

Another legend says Kelathachan like Paliathachan of Thrissur a local chieftan owned lands in Akamala .

He used to travel a lot with his ola kuda or palm leaf ,once when in Kollur Mookambika temple on his return Mookambika bhagavathy was supposed to have sat on his ola kuda and come to Akamala without his knowledge .

When he placed his umbrella on the paddy field ridge on reaching his  Enkakad village she hopped off liking the place and decided to stay there .

An Aal maram or Banyan tree was planted to give her shade .

Years later a women sharpening her knife on a stone there found blood coming from it and when prasnam or divine enquiry was done , it was found that stone was a swayambhu or a self made idol of the Godess hence she was installed in present site but with an open sanctum and a poovam tree covering it as she was a vana devi .

This is considered as the Moolastanam of Uthralikavu .

Even to this day the sanctum inner part of present temple  is uncovered and looks at sky with poovam treeabove main idol .

It was also revealed in enquiry that Devi wanted a Tamil brahmin as priest .

Most kerala temples have Namboothiris as priests .

Hence a priest from Padinajatimuri near Wadakancheri was appointed as chief priest 

The Chakingil madam family the priest belonged originally was from  palakkad and a old brahmin lady   had migrated to central Kerala during times of Tipoo sultan fearing him with her son and an uruli or vessel to make payasam and took asylum in a Namboothiri illam near Thriprayar temple in a place Vlahayil .

The boy was later called Vlahayil Anayan pattar  ,he was a well known cook and it was his descendants who were selected as priests to this temple.

The priests still hail from this famous family which was blessed to produce many great Indians .

The previous chief priest was there from 1918 to 1981 and made temple popular .

The Uthralikavu vela was conducted by people of  three villages Enkakad Wadakancheri and Kumaranellur .

But today this temple too is under the reins of state Goverments Dewasom board and they decide on how to run the temple and pay its employees a very sad feauture for all temples in Kerala as the two fronts ruling kerala in turns for last 7 decades are only intrested in looting temples .🙄

The festival here  begins with para or visit by Bhagavathy to nearby areas where she would be welcomed with great devotion and fervour and offered traditional offerings .

It would start with Enkakad village where the Moolasthanam was present and first house would be Mullakal tharavad of Kelathachan .

The pooram or big vela would have all three villages send processions in an order and have a kooti ezunallitippu .

So this temple with so many lores behind it is also the miss world amongst temples

Try to visit it .