Spiritual Tourism XXVII -Heavens on Earth - The Chowallur Siva Temple

This is one of the 108 Siva temples consecrated by the Sage Parasurama and is over 1500 years old. It is three kilometers away from Guruvayur.

One devotee from Chowallur used to visit the main Deity of Trichur and it is said that the Lord, out of His compassion, manifested here at Chowallur to save the devotee from walking. This temple was constructed at the exact spot when the Lord gave His devotee His vision !

Devotees believe that blessings are conferred in all directions as the Father of the Universe sits facing West and the Mother Divine sits facing east ! They also believe that this Deity protects them from snake poison, as He wears a garland of snakes around His neck !

To the Father and Mother
We offer our obeisances !
As words are inseparable from meaning
So are They inseparable !

Vagartha iva samprikthau
Vagartha Prathipathaye
Jagatha Pitharau Vande
Parvathee Parameshwarau

The main festival in this Temple is the Thiruvathira festival, when the Moon tenants the constellation of Aridra in the sidereal month of Sagittarius. Also on the Grand Night of Shiva, Shiva Ratri.

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Thiruvathira or Betellgeuse

We find the idols of the Seven Divine Mothers, the Sapta Matrus, installed at this temple. ( The word mother is derived from the Latin Mater and the Sanskrit Mata )

Stories about them are found in Maha Bharata, Kurma Purana and Varaha Purana. They are the manifestations of the Mother. Mythology has it that they destroyed thousands of demons called Andhakas. They are fierce Deities and take the characteristics of Durga and Kali. Some mythological treatises indicate that they are manifestations of the Seven Dark Energies, the Seven Deadly Sins, that of lust, greed, anger, jealousy, sloth, covetousness and gluttony, which exist in the human mind. And they are worshipped so that we can abstain from such qualities !

Let us avoid the dark energies ( Thamas), infuse our beings with the bright energies of Sattwa and eliminate the grey energies of Rajas, so that we become eligible for Self Actualisation or Enlightenment ! These subtle energies have their home in us. We are sometimes brute, sometimes warrior and sometimes Sage ! Let the Cosmic Energy, the Kundalini in us rise and take us to the Level of Enlightenment !