Chirakkal Mahadeva Temple, Angamaly, Kerala

Chirakkal Mahadeva Temple, Angamaly, Kerala

Chirakkal Mahadeva Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, located near Angamaly Town in Ernakulam District in Kerala, India. This Temple is considered as one of the 108 Shiva Temples created by Lord Parasurama. It is one of the most important Hindu pilgrimage centers in Kerala. 

Legends

According to Hindu mythology, Lord Parasurama created the land between Gokarna and Kanyakumari. Parasurama the sixth avatar of Maha Vishnu, he was youngest son of sage Jamadagni and Renuka. It is said that Kerala was reclaimed from the ocean using his axe for donating to Brahmins after killing of King Kartavirya Arjuna and other Kshatriyas. He split this land in to 64 villages (64 gramas). Out of these 64 villages, 32 villages are in between Perumpuzha and Gokarnam and the spoken language was Tulu.

The remaining 32 villages were in Malayalam speaking area between Perumpuzha and Kanyakumari. According legends, after donating the land to Brahmins108 Maha Shiva Lingam and Durga Idols were installed in these 64 villages. These 108 Shiva Temples are mentioned in the Shivala Stotram and song is written in Malayalam language. Of the 108 Siva Temples, 105 temples are situated in Kerala state, 2 temples in Karnataka and 1 in Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu.

Among these temples, the Lord Shiva of Gokarnam Mahabaleswara Temple in the north and Goddess Kumari of Kanyakumari temple in the south were considered as the protectors of Kerala. The first temple created by Parasurama was the Thrissur Vadakkunnathan Temple and the last one was the Thrikkariyoor Mahadeva Temple. This Temple is considered as one of the 108 Shiva Temples created by Lord Parasurama.

The Temple

The Temple is facing towards east. The temple has no Dhwaja Sthambam but no balikallu. The sanctum enshrines the presiding deity in the form of Lingam facing towards east. He is in Rowdra Bhavam. The sanctum is of two tiers. The prayer hall (Mulambambalam) lies to the east of the temple.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 6 Kms from Angamaly Bus Stand, 7 Kms from Angamaly Railway Station, 12 Kms from Cochin Airport, 15 Kms from Chalakudy, 15 Kms from Aluva and 40 Kms from Cochin. The Temple is located at about 6 Kms from Angamaly off the Cochin to Chalakudy route.

Location