Kodikkunnu Bhagavathy temple is located at Pardur on the Pattambi – Pallipuram road in Palakkad district, Kerala. The temple is situated atop a small hill. The main festival in the temple is observed on the Pooram nakshatra in Thulam month. Another important festival observed in the temple is the Kathiratta Vela.
The main deities worshipped in the temple are Shiva and Goddess Bhadrakali. The Shivling faces east and Goddess faces west. Today, the temple is more famous as Goddess Bhagavathi or Kali shrine.
The Upa Devatas worshipped in the temple are Saptamatrikas, Ganapathy, and Keshetrapalan. The drishti or eyes of Chamundi among Saptamatrikas is facing north.
A unique feature of the temple is that the shrine has balikkalpura in the north, east and west. This is a very rare occurrence. The south door is permanently closed.
Kodikkunnu Bhagavathy Temple Miracles
There lived a widow and three children across the river from the Kodikkunnu Bhagavathy temple. She made a living by tending cows and she provided milk to the temple every day morning. She used to buy daily provisions with the money she got from the temple for her service.
Once there was torrential rain and she could not cross the river and go to the temple. As there was no rice, she boiled some milk and gave to her children and put them to sleep.
At midnight on the day someone knocked on the front door and she found an old woman on the door step. The visitor placed a brass vessel full of rice in front of the widow and asked her to feed her children.
The floods receded after three days and the widow went to the temple with the usual supply of milk. When she discussed the incident with the priest, he was astonished. The priest found that the vessel the widow talked about was missing from the temple for three days.
Kodikkunnu Bhagavathy Temple History – Story
It is believed that murtis worshipped in the temple were retrieved by Agnihotri from Kaveri River.
A popular belief is that Kodikkunnu Bhagavathy is the youngest daughter of Muthassiyar Kavu Bhagavathi near Pattambi. During one summer night, Muthassiyar Kavu Bhagavathi and her three daughters were strolling along the river bank. Here the youngest daughter was enamored by a dance festival of Harijans. She did not follow her mother and sisters but stood watching the dance festival.
The mother asked her youngest daughter to be with the Harijans and perform as their guardian deity.
Another belief is that Kodikkunnu Bhagavathy is the eldest sister of Kodungallur Bhagavathy. Once there was a quarrel between the two sisters regarding animal sacrifice. Kodikkunnu Bhagavathy did not like the animal sacrifice but Kodungallur Bhagavathi preferred it. After the quarrel, younger sister shifted to Kodungalloor.
It is said that the thekke nada or southern door of the temple faces Kodungalloor and it remains closed always as the elder sister is still angry at her younger sister.