Chottanikkara Bhagavathy

Chottanikkara Bhagavathy
Goddess of Cure for Mental Illness
Remover of Evil Spirits
Chottanikkara Bhagavathy
Other namesChottanikkara Amma, Chottanikkara Devi, Chottanikkara Bhagavathy
AffiliationMahalakshmi
AbodeChottanikkara, Ernakulam, Kerala[1]
MantraAmme Narayana Devi Narayana Lakshmi Narayana Bhadre Narayana
Temples
FestivalsNavaratri, Makam Thozhal
ConsortVishnu

Chottanikkara Bhagavathy (Malayalam: ചോറ്റാനിക്കര ഭഗവതി), is the Hindu goddess of mental illness cure and the remover of evil spirits. She is an aspect of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi. She is primarily worshipped in South India mainly in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.[2]

Legend

The area in which the temple is situated was once a dense jungle. A tribesman named Kannappan used to live in this forest. He was a devout worshipper of the goddess Mahakali, and would ritually sacrifice a buffalo to her every Friday (the day of the Goddess). One day, he found a calf near the forest. He kidnapped the calf and took her to his stone altar. Just before he is about to sacrifice the calf, his daughter Pavizham stepped in and pleaded to him to stop the sacrifice. The man loved his daughter and thus let her keep the calf as a pet. Unfortunately, Pavizham died some days later, possibly due to a snake bite. Kannappan broke into tears and decided to cremate her body. To his surprise, his daughter's corpse disappeared. A nearby priest told him the reason for such an occurrence; Kannappan used to forcibly take young calves from their mothers and sacrificed them. As punishment, he met the same fate when his daughter died. When the tribesman looked for the calf, he found the sacrifice alter shining in its place. The priest explained that the calf represented the divine couple, Lord Vishnu and Lakshmi. He asked Kannapan to pray before the alter everyday to undo his sins.[3]

Worship

The Goddess is worshiped as Devi Saraswati in the morning, as Devi Lakshmi in the afternoon and as Devi Kali in the evening. Chottanikkara Amma is believed to cure people suffering from mental illnesses and other illnesses caused due to evil spirits.[4] During her daily worship, devotees chant Amme Narayana Devi Narayana Lakshmi Narayana Bhadre Narayana in her honor. Her main temple, Chottanikkara Temple located in Ernakulam, Kerala, is classified as one of the 108 Abhimana Kshethram of Vaishnavate tradition.

Temples

References

  1. ^ "Chottanikkara Amma". www.malayalachalachithram.com. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  2. ^ "GODDESS THERAPY". killingthebuddha.com. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  3. ^ "Life after serving the goddess". www.newindianexpress.com. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  4. ^ "At Kerala's Chottanikkara Bhagavathy temple, devotees pray to be rid of their 'demons'". Firstpost. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
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