Kalarivathukkal Bhagavathi Temple

Kalarivathukkal Bhagavathi Temple is the family shrine of the Chirakkal Royal Family, also known as Bhadrakali Shrine, which is situated near the Valapattanam River in the Kannur district of Kerala state. The shrine’s goddess is Bhadrakali in her fearsome form. The name Kalarivathukkal Bhagavathy comes from the fact that she is considered the mother of the ancient martial art Kalarippayattu.

The temple is designed in the style of traditional Kerala architecture. There are shrines to Shiva, Sapta Mathrukkal, Ganapathy, Veerabhadra, and Kshetrapalakan(Bhairava) in four sanctums of the Rurujith Vidhanam (Kaula Shakteya Sampradaya) temple. The key deity is positioned to the west. The Shiva shrine faces East, the Sapta Mathrukkal (Maathrushaala) shrine faces North, and the Kshetrapalaka (Bhairava) shrine faces East.

Theyyam is a religious ritualistic art form performed in North Malabar’s temples and Kavu. The shrine, which is the family deity of Kolathiri, performs the final Theyyam before the year’s Theyyam season begins. One of the festival’s highlights is the massive Thirumudi of Kalarivathukkal Amma’s Theyyam. The shrine hosts two big festivals each year. Pooram is a 9-day festival that begins in Karthika Nakshatra and ends in Uthram Nakshatra of the Malayalam calendar month of Meenam, in March–April.

[Image source]