Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple is a highly revered shrine situated at Chottanikkara, near
Ernakulam, in
Kerala. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Bhagavathi - the mother goddess and one of the most popular deities in Kerala. The deity is popularly known as Raja Rajeshwari.
According to the temple custom, Raja Rajeshwari is worshipped as Saraswathi in the morning, as Lakshmi in the afternoon and as Durga in the evening. The idol of the goddess is not fixed to the ground but mounted on loose sand. There is an idol of Lord Vishnu on the same pedestal and so the deity is also known as Lakshminarayana. Apart from that, idols of Brahma, Shiva, Ganesh, Muruga and Ayyappa also stand on the same base.
Besides the main shrine, the temple complex has separate shrines dedicated to Kizhukkavu Bhagavathy, Sastha, Shiva, Ganapathi, Nagas and other Upadevas.
‘Makom Thozhal’ (worship on the Makom day) is the main festival of the temple, celebrated in the month of Kumbham (February - March). Navratri celebrations attract thousands of devotees from all over Kerala.
Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple is located on the outskirts of Kochi and local buses ply to this place frequently. Ernakulam Junction Railway Station (18km) and Ernakulam Town Railway Station (20 km) are the nearest railheads. The temple is about 38 km from Cochin International Airport.
