CATEGORY : PILGRIM TOURISM, TEMPLES
The Kadammanitta Devi Temple is famous for the ten-day
long Patayani performances
held in connection with the annual festival in April/May.
As is the case with most old temples, the location of the
current Kadammanitta temple was also chosen by Bhagawathy herself. She appeared
in front of her devotee and advised him to build a temple for her at this very
same place, so the temple and its location is full of natural beauty and peace
and tranquility prevails at this location. Devotees who come here worship
Kadammanitta Devi as Maha Bhairavi and return feeling blessed.
History
Agitated by the unlawful occupancy of her land, Maha
Bhairavi is supposed to have burnt the whole area with the fire of her
eyes. Later, when this became a forest, one fine day she appeared before
one of the leaders of Kadammanitta as Kadamma and demanded to stay in a place
where she chose. This location is where the temple is today and the place in
memory of Kadamma later was named as Kadammanitta.
Architecture
Earlier the temple started off as a simple hatched
structure with just the idol of Maha Bhairavi. There were four mountain gods
who were placed on the four sides to protect Maha Bhairavi and these are now
placed within the temple itself. Today the temple is fully completed and
there are beautiful pictures on the walls of the temple that talk of the past
and the story of the Kadammanitta temple.
Important Shrines
Inside the Kadammanitta temple, there are separate
shrines for Maha Bhairavi Kadammanitta Devi, Shiva and Krishna. On the
Southeastern side, there is a shrine for Mala Deva who was the initial
protector of the Devi and on the opposite Northwestern side; we can see the
shrine of Nagathara. There are pilgrims who come to offer pujas to all of
these deities throughout the year.Significance of the Temple
The temple has the significance of being very powerful
and answering the pilgrims prayers. There are devotees who come here
after their wishes are fulfilled to thank Maha Bhairavi and she is continuing
to shower her grace on all her devotees and protecting them from all kinds of
difficulty. Most of the pilgrims come here to pray for marriage,
children, education, financial wellbeing, etc.
Timings and Other Important Information
The temple is open on all days from 5 am to 9 am and then
from 5 pm till 8 pm. On the days of Padayani festival in March – April
and the time of Navaratri in October the temple is open for a longer duration
and there are a lot more devotees who come to offer their prayers at this time.
How to Reach
Pathanamthitta is very well connected to all parts of the
state, and the pilgrims can find it easy to get to the temple as there are
state transport buses plying on these routes.