SREE MOOKUTHALA BHAGAVATHI TEMPLE is about 40 kms from Thrissur and 25 kms from Guruvayur Kerala on Thrissur- Kuttipuram State Highway. It is managed by a local Trustee Board under the control of Malabar Devaswom Board and comes under HR & CE guidelines. This Temple was founded by Adi Sankara, where the deity of Bhagavathi is Swayambhu (self-manifested) .
The revered Narayaneeyam is a Sanskrit Devotional text on Lord Guruvayurappan composed by Melpathur Narayana Bhatathiri in the 16th Century. He composed this to get cured from rheumatism. It is also said that he took rheumatism on himself to get his Guru cured and composed all the 100 chapters of Narayaneeyam, which is a summary of Bhagavatha Purana.
It is believed that Narayana Bhatathiri after completing Narayaneeyam , was advised by Lord Guruvayurappan Himself to go to and worship Sree Mookuthala Bhagavathi , which is a combined form of Saraswathi,Lakshmi and Durga. Bhatathiri worshipped Goddess in the form of Mookkolamma (Lotus like feet of Devi ) and was in this place for 12 years. During this period he wrote Sripada Sapthapadi, containing 70 slokas praising Sripada, the Holy feet of the Goddess to get inner peace. He finally attained salvation in this place. The holy spot where Narayana Bhatathiri attained salvation is marked by an enclosure (refer picture1) There are statues of Adi Sankara (refer picture 2) and Narayana Bhattathiri (refer picture 3) in this Temple which add to the Divinity . There is also a Holy Well, which is believed to be dug within a night by the Grace of Bhagavathi on hearing the prayers of Poojari. (refer picture 4) Many artists come to this Temple and achieve fame and glory.
The temple has some features which are different from other temples. This Temple is situated in a forest area of about 5 acres and has lot of vaazha (banana) trees. It has no Sreekovil (inner most part of the Temple or sanctum sanctorum) and the deity can be worshipped from at a distance. There is an idol of Mahavishnu besides idols of Siva, Ganapathi, Muruga and Ayyappa , all in a single enclosure. There are 2 separate Temples here, one on the ground level which is called Melkavu and another a few steps down in the lower level called Keezhkavu . Goddess Bhagavathi is the deity in both the places. Being in a forest area, it has a lot of birds and insects. It provides a very serene atmosphere and creates a calming influence on the minds of devotees.
I visited this Temple in the 1st week of August 2026 by taking an auto from Guruvayur. It took about 45 minutes through a fairly good road and the weather was conducive , though there were intermittent showers. There is a dress code for Melkavu alone. Ladies are permitted to wear only Sarees (Churidhar not permitted) and gents are to wear Dhotis and angavastram /towel to cover the top portion. Gents are not permitted to wear pant and shirt. The temple opens at 5 am and closes at 10am. Again it opens at 5 pm and closes at 7.30 pm. Deeparadhana/Aarti is only between 6 pm and 6.30 pm. Chandanam/Sandal paste is given on a small banana leaf as Prasadam. There are Poojas like Niramaala (offering a garland of Flowers, Chuttu Vilakku(adorning the Temple with lamps, Ganapathi Homam, Bhagavathi Seva (where Goddess is invoked on a big brass lamp with 5 wicks and placed on a hand drawn Rangoli using coloured rice powder), Mangalya Pooja,Swayamvara Homam etc. I did a Pradakshinam of the Temple and felt very peaceful and happy and wanted to share my happiness and the details about the temple to as many people as possible.
Krishnakumar, Chennai.
