Thiruvalathur Sree Randu Moorthy Temple
The temple lies on the banks of Shokanasini River at Thiruvalathur. The temple is one among the 108 Durga temples in Kerala. It is also one of the biggest temples in Palakkad district. This is also one of the biggest temples in Palakkad district.
The specialty of the temple is that two deities are worshipped in the temple- Mahishasura Mardhini; worshipped in Melkavu (Upper-Level Grove) & Annapurneshwari in Kizhekavu (Lower-Level Grove). The murti of Annapurneshwari is swayambhu – of divine origin. The Moorthi of Mahishasura Mardini is 7 feet tall and is carved in wood. Because of the height of the Idol, the Balikallu in front of the idol is built higher than the idol.
There are two flag posts or kodimaram in the temple. The temple has a circular sanctum sanctorum. The temple has an anapalla mathil made out of granite stone. It also has a Koothambalam (traditional temple theatre) and a huge Mizhavu (a percussion instrument). The entire Ramayana has been painted in the roof of the mandapam of this temple in six parts. There are specially designed water outlet devices to drain the rainwater, which are an engineering marvel of ancient times of the temple designed for this purpose is an engineering marvel.
Legend has it that the outer wall of the temple was built by an army of Bhootha Ganas who worked on it for 14 days. On the Fourteenth day, by dawn they left it unfinished as they didn’t want to be seen by humans. Despite efforts later on, the work could not be completed, and it is believed that humans cannot complete this work.
The Swayambhu murti was discovered in the farmland by a Mannadiyar. The temple was earlier managed by Naduvil Madom.
There is an utsava murti of Mahishasura Mardini and abhishekam is done on this idol. This murti is surrounded the seven Durgas – Brahmani, Maheswari, Koumari, Vaishnavi, Vaarahi, Indrani and Chamundi. The major attraction of the festival in this temple is the lighting of Chuttuvilakku (stone lamps) surrounding the temple.
Location
Alathur
Main Deity
Goddess Durga & Goddess Annapurneshwari
Other Deities
Lord Aiyyappan, Lord Ganesh, Lord Veerabhadran, Naga Devatas & Uma Maheshwaran
Festivals
Kartika Vilakku Moholsavam a 10-day festival in the month of November-December.
Main Offerings
Vellanivedhyam Kukum Archana
How To Reach
By Air: Calicut International Airport is the nearest airport situated at 114KM from the temple.
By Road: Palakkad KSRTC Bus Stand is 7.4KM from the temple.
By Rail: Ottapalam Railway Station is 40.4KM from the temple.