Mangala Devi Kannagi Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Madurai is the nearest airport.

• By train

  Madurai is also the nearest railway station, with the same road route to Theni.

• By road

  From Madurai, the road runs through Usilampatti and Andipati to Theni. The temple is 7 km from Pazhiyankudi and 15 km from Thekkady in Idukki district.

On the way

• Start from Madurai, the nearest airport and railway station.
• Take the road through Usilampatti and Andipati to Theni.
• The last stretch is a 12 km jeep ride through dense forest, and only permitted taxis may go up.

Rules to know

• Private vehicles are not allowed up the forest road; only taxis with special permission may go up.
• Visitors need prior permission from the Wildlife Warden at Thekkady, because of environmental protection rules.
• Entry happens only with the Theni and Idukki district collectors and police chiefs present.

Why devotees come here

Mangala Devi Kannagi Temple stands at about 1,337 metres above sea level in the Periyar forest, on the border between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is dedicated to Kannagi, and it opens to devotees only once a year.

Kannagi, the heroine of the Tamil epic Silappathikaram, is the presiding deity here. Legend says she came to this spot after burning the Pandya capital of Madurai, and that she stayed here for 14 days. Devotees also worship her as Mangaladevi.

Tradition says the Chera king Chenguttuvan built a temple for Kannagi about 2000 years ago at Vannathiparai. The temple is generally believed to have been consecrated around the 1st or 2nd century CE.

The main structure is built of large granite pieces and is about 1000 years old, in the Pandyan style. Four stone structures inside the complex hold idols of Karuppa Swamy, Shiva and Ganapathy. On Chitra Pournami, the deity is decked with flowers and silk, and devotees offer pongala, a sweet rice dish.

Festivals

• April or MayChitra Pournami

  The only day the temple opens each year. Kannagi Trust and Ganapathy-Bhagavathy Trust, Kumily, usually organize it, and devotees offer pongala, a sweet rice dish.

Tips for your visit

• The view from the temple premises takes in part of the Eastern Ghats.
• The forest around the temple is home to the endangered Nilgiri tahr and a unique orchid species, Habenaria periyarensis.

Questions people ask