Muthukulam Pandavarkavu Temple

Muthukulam Pandavarkavu Temple is located at Muthukulam village in Alappuzha district of Kerala.The shrine is dedicated to Devi or Goddess Bhagavathi. The main deity in the temple faces east.

Legend
It is believed that the temple was established by Kunti, the mother of Pandavas in Mahabharata. She consecrated the murti here when she was on pilgrimage with her sons.

When the Pandavas and Kunti were traveling through the area, Kunti asked Bhima to find a spot where she could perform her daily rituals to Goddess Shakti. Bhima wandered in the area for long time but failed to find an ideal spot.

Bhima then came across a potter and asked him if there is an ideal spot nearby for worship. The potter told Bhima that he can take as much place here that can fit a pot. Bhima then identified a spot in the land of the potter.

Kunti Devi then took loose clay from the Kaliyezhathu fields close by and crafted a figure of the goddess in her vision and installed her there as Durga Devi. She then worshiped the deity everyday with offerings of thechi (Ixora Coccinea) flowers which grew around in abundance. The special kadalipazham (red banana) also became Kunti Devi’s ritual offering to her goddess. It’s again believed that the idol in clay and mud was later completely wrapped in panchaloha (five metals) to protect it from breaking apart. To this day, kadalipazham is the main offering at Pandavarkavu and thechi still is the official flower used for poojas here.Thus in every way, a Pandava pilgrimage can be called complete and fulfilling only after offering kadalipazham and thechi flowers at Pandavarkavu. The annual festival here falls in February.