Vellayani Devi Temple
The Major 'Vellayani Devi Temple' is a highly revered shrine in Kerala, India, dedicated to goddess Bhadrakali. The shrine is situated in Vellayani 1.5 km west of Vellayani junction, 12 km southeast of Thiruvananthapuram on the eastern bank of Vellayani Lake. The temple is under the management of Travancore Devaswom Board. The temple structure has a bronze roof with traditional art work and carries Dravidian architecture. The temple has eastern and northern towers called Gopurams with statues of different Gods sculptured in them. The Gopurams function as gateways through the walls that surround the temple complex.
Vellayani Devi Temple is renowned for celebrating South India's longest continuous temple festival and the duration of the festival is around 65 to 70 days. This festival is held every three years.
Deities
The temple enshrines Goddess Bhadrakali as the presiding deity. The deity, as per the scriptures is a form of Shiva's wrath. Goddess Kali is situated toward the north. The idol is known in the local Malayalam language as Thirumudi. The idol of the Goddess in the Vellayani temple is one of the largest among the idols of Kerala Kali temples. The idol is four and a half feet in height as well as width. Pure gold and precious stones decorate the frontal view of the idol.Other deities worshipped at the Vellayani Devi temple called Upadevatha's temples include Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesh and Nagaraja. The temple also has a small sub-temple where another deity Madan Thampuran is enshrined.
In the temple Antler is also worshipped. The circulating notion about this is that the antler serves as a medium to invoke the spirit of the divinity at a new-built temple. One of the antlers kept in the Sanctum sanctorum oriented towards the east is from the Thekkathu.
History
Legend says that a Kollan named Kelan Kulasekhara saw a frog with divine spirit of Goddess near Vellayani Lake. He caught the divine frog with the help of his assistant who belonged to a low caste. They brought the matter to the Nair chieftains of the locality and with their help Kulasekhara consecrated the Thiru Mudi in which divine spirit is evoked. The right to perform Uchabali is still held by the Nair families. Priest of the temple is not belonging to Brahmin community but a selected person belonging to the Kollan community.Kali - Darika Legend
Darika was a demon who received a boon from Brahma which granted that he would never be defeated by any man living in any of the fourteen worlds of Hindu mythology. This made Darika immensely powerful and arrogant. Armed with this boon, Darika went on to conquer the world, defeating even Indra, the king of the Devas. As his atrocities became intolerable, the sage Narada requested Shiva to contain Darika. Shiva agreed, circumventing Brahma's boon by declaring that Darika would be killed by the goddess Kali. Shiva opened his third eye and produced Kali, whose purpose was to destroy Darika. Goddess being a woman and one not born among the humans. Goddess did so by beheading him. Goddess didn't stop with Darika and, unable to control her rage, began destroying the landscape and the very humans for whose sake she had destroyed Darika. The Gods could not defeat her, and she was finally calmed when Shiva lay on the ground in front of her, submitting.Kaliyoottu Mahotsavam
Vellayani Devi Temple is renowned for celebrating the longest continuous festival of South India and the duration of the festival is around 65 to 70 days. This festival is held every three years, usually between February and April. The festival is known as the Kaliyoottu Mahotsavam, which literally means "the festival to sumptuously feed Devi". Kaliyoottu is the dramatic presentation of the genesis of Bhadrakali and Darika the representatives of good and evil respectively, their confrontation and later the extermination of Darika in devotional terms and with rhythmic footsteps.Kaliyoottu is a ritualistic performing art. The most important rituals associated with the Kaliyoottu festival are Kalamkaval, Uchabali, Dikkubali, Paranettu and Nilathil Poru.
Here in Vellayani encompassing beautiful Vellayani Lake, is the heaven of the resplendent "Vellayani Devi", is the deity of this village. The deity is in the form of a golden crown, inside Mudippura. Pujaris in Mudipuras called 'Vathis', play an important role in Kaliyoottu. During Kaliyoottu Vathi dressed as Bhadrakali will perform the Kalamkaval ceremony wearing the "Thanka Thirumudi".
Once in three years here celebrating Kaliyoottu, ie. " Thanka Thirumudi " The main deity who comes out from the Mudippura and visits all the four directions insearch of "Darika". Finally, the goddess finds Darika near the temple on her journey on air and calls him for an open war.
On the nilathil poru day Devi kills Darika and ensures peace and prosperity to her devotees. This ritual is a symbolic victory over Evil by Goodness.
The Vellayani Kaliyoottu is the longest running festival celebrated in Kerala, continuously for 70 days. The date of the Kaliyoottu festival was announcing on the ceremony called "Thiruvay Prasnam"
The darshan of the "Thanka Thirumudi" is an enlightening experience for the devotees. The Kaliyoottu gives pleasure, peace and prosperity to the Devotees.