Mullackal Rajarajeswari Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Cochin International Airport is the nearest airport, 90 km away.

• By train

  Alappuzha railway station is the nearest station, 5 km away.

Why devotees come here

Mullackal Rajarajeswari Temple stands in Mullakkal, Alappuzha, Kerala. Durga Bhagavathy is the main deity, and the temple is believed to be nearly 500 years old. Its Chirappu festival, held in November and December, is the biggest event of the year.

Legend says a group of exiled soldiers from Thekkumkur brought the idol here and placed it in a jasmine garden. King Devanarayana of Chembagasery later took a sign as the wish of the deity to stay on this spot, and he built a temple here. The temple is believed to be nearly 500 years old.

The temple is built in the old Kerala style, and its sanctum has an open roof. The sanctum is the inner shrine, where the main idol stands. Inside the temple walls, a banyan tree houses a Shiva lingam beneath it.

On 16 July 1962 a new idol of Rajarajeswari was placed in the inner sanctum, replacing the old one. Today the temple's biggest festival is the Mullakkal Chirappu, which lasts 41 days.

Festivals

• November to DecemberMullakkal Chirappu

  The biggest festival, lasting 41 days. The last two days have elephant processions, firework displays and cultural programmes, and on the final day food is offered to about 3,000 to 4,000 devotees.

• OctoberNavarathri

  Celebrated with great grandeur at the temple, and on Maha Navami girls are worshipped as divine Kumaris.

• First Sunday of DecemberWomen's festival

  The first Sunday of December is celebrated as a women's festival at the temple. Only women perform the rituals that day.

Tips for your visit

• Plan the visit around Chirappu if you want to see the elephant processions and firework displays on its last days.
• The Durga Bhagavathy shrine and the lingam under the banyan tree are both inside the temple walls, so one visit covers both.
• Shrines for Hanuman, Ganesha, Krishna, Ayyappa, Nagaraja and the Navagraha are also inside the temple.

Questions people ask