The legend
Valiya kulangara Amma is the life-in force of ‘Kodungallur’ Amma. Centuries back the ‘Mahadevi kadu’ where the temple is situated was part of the Karthikapalli region. The area with many forests had many ‘evil devathas’. The people were in utter poverty and subjected to many death causing diseases like pox. The rampant diseases, deaths and poverty were because of the ‘evil presence’, it was believed. The village elders assembled and held a ‘prasna’ (seeking & finding reason & solution in an astrological way) and found that appeasing ‘Kodungallur Amma’ is the remedy for the existing problems. A group of people under the leadership of Mannadiyil Padbhanabhan Thampi who then was the captain of the army of Travancore kingdom went to Kodungallur and performed ‘Bhajana’ by staying there. The vision on a dream made them come back happily. As per the directions on the dream they built a temple north of the big pond near Padbhanabhan Thampi’s house. It was told in the dream that Devi (Kodungallur Amma) would come there before the completion of the ‘Mandala’ month. At that time a Brahmin Saint was travelling to Trivandrum to attend ‘murajapam’ . To ward of dangers while travelling he was carrying a sword invoked with ‘Kodungallur Amma’. Those days a resting place (supper and sleeping facilities) was provided in Karthikapilly palace for those who are going for ‘Mura japam’ in Trivandrum. The Brahmin saint had taken the coastal route to reach Karthikapalli and reached the big pond of the region. He kept his invoked sword, Palm leaves umbrella , and cloth bag under a banyan tree near the pond and bathed in the pond. After his bath and prayers when he tried to take his sword from the ground under the banyan tree, it seemed to be stuck there. At that time a branch of the tree was broken off and fell and he could see a divine aura in the nearby Panachikattu forest area. The life-in force aura of the Devi seen at the forest area is invoked into the ‘daru peetam (small wooden stool) and daily pooja’s were conducted as a minor worship place. Afterwards a temple ( In Shadadharam ) was built on the place where the sword got stuck on the ground . The similarities of the idol of Kodungallur Amma and the gold attire (Thanka Angi) of Valiyakulangara Devi uphold the belief that the Devi has come from Kodungallur.
