The temple is believed to be quite old according to a ritual known as “ashtamangalaprasna” estimated to be about 800 years old. There are no surviving written records, so this estimate is based on oral tradition passed down through generations.
Local tradition says that once the area where the temple now stands was a forested region near Aruvayi. Around 1.5 km north of Aruvayi was a place named “Aynoor‑kunnu,” which had once been a bustling trade centre, inhabited by “paradesi” Brahmin merchants. As trade declined, many of them left. One of the remaining Iyers, a devoted worshipper of the Devi, set out for pilgrimage to the famous shrine Guruvayur Temple carrying an “olakuda”. On the way, he passed through a path between two small water ourses near what is now Aruvayi, decided to bathe and do his Sandhya‑vandhanam, and left his umbrella leaning against the path near the water. When he returned after his pilgrimage, he found that the umbrella was stuck to the ground and could not be taken back an unusual and inexplicable phenomenon. Concerned, the other Iyers conducted a “Deva Prashna”, which revealed that the spot was sacred and inhabited by divine presence. It was declared that the Devi had manifested herself in the umbrella. The result was that a temple must be established at that very location, and a Vigraha of the Goddess consecrated. That is how the place came to be known as “Chiravarambathukavu” roughly meaning “the grove/temple by the varambu near the chira”. Over time, the temple management was entrusted to a set of local families presently the custodianship lies with a family called “Payyazhi Tharavadu.
Festivals
The Temple has a number of festivals. The important ones are :
Pooram Vela
It is celebrated on the second Sunday of the Malayalam month Kumbham which usually corresponds to February.
Pathamudayam Ulsavam
During Pathamudayam Ulsavam, traditional Kerala art and devotional expressions are featured: specifically “Kalamezhuthu” and “Pattu” as offerings to the Goddess.
Contact Address: Sree Chiravarambathukavu Bhagavathi Temple ,Kunnamkulam, Thrissur, Kerala 680542.
Phone Number: 091882 67533
