Mangala Devi Kannagi Temple,Kerala - Hindu temple in Idukki District - Theni, India

Mangala devi temple is situated inside the periyar tiger reserve Thekkady. An annual festival is celebrated here known as chithra pournami. Entry for the public is only allowed on this day. Rest of the whole year the place will remain closed. Nearest town to this spot is kumily town. On the festival day public are allowed to the temple and the devotees can reach here by getting the jeeps arranged at kumily town, which will cost rs 150/person. People are also allowed to travel by walking. Also private vehicles are allowed if the vehicle is having four wheel drive. Entry of plastic items are strictly prohibited here. Also there is no shops or other facilities available here for refreshments. So it will be better to carry something. Entry starts from morning 6 AM and ends around 3 PM. Idukki and Theni district administration combined ly makes the arrangements for smooth functioning of the festival. People are coming here for devotional cause as well as tourism cause. However the journey through the forest and view at the top is really mind-blowing one. At the top we can see cumbum Theni area in Tamil Nadu, Thekkady Lake, meadows, mist, animals especially elephant and wild Gaur. From there by walk we can also go to Tamil Nadu also. The temple here is related with myth of Kannaki. If you are lucky the forest department staff will give you binocular watch to the forest .

Extremely beautiful place ! One should definitely visit in their lifetime. I would recommend everyone to trek and not to take the jeep while going from the plains. Serene experience it is.

It is very nice place open only one day per year (i.e on chitra poornamai day)..... please ensure you are not carrying any plastics...and obey kerala forest department instructions..

Cheran Chenguttuvan, the king of ancient Thamilakam, had erected the temple for Kannagi around 1000 years back at Vannathipaarai and called it 'Kannagi Kottam' or 'Mangaladevi Kannagi temple'. This is the place, where, Kannaki, a legendary Tamil woman, betrayed all her grudge and transformed herself to be a divine lady (Mangaladevi) showering blessings upon the people on earth. Hidden in the dense forest of Periyar Tiger Reserve, between Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the Mangaladevi Temple at Thekkady is not just a place for pilgrimage tourism, but a place where you can find the wildness of the forest and the enchanting beauty of the nature. The temple is located 7 km away from Pazhiyankudi in Theni district and 15 km from Thekkady in Idukki district. There is a mind boggling legend behind this divine temple of Mangaladevi. Kannagi, the devoted wife of Kovalan, took revenge against killing her innocent husband by accusing him as a thief. It is said that she burnt the whole Madurai city and later she reached the Suruli hills. Getting inspired from this story, Chera Chenguttuvan, the ancient Tamilakam King, erected this temple of Mangaladevi here. The story of Kannagi was narrated to the Tamil poet, Illango Adigal by Chenguttuvan and later Illango wrote the famous book 'Silappathikaram', the story of Kannagi and Kovalan. Goddess Mangala is decorated with flowers, silks and poojas are performed. Thali (sacred thread used by married women) and bangles of women is kept for pooja here. This festival is very auspicious for women and the women folk offer pongala (cooked rice) to the Devi. Adequate measures are taken to avoid the disturbance to the eco system with the over crowding of the devotees. FYI: The queue for the jeep will be super long by 6:00 AM. You have to reach the private bus stand in kumily near to the tamilnadu border to board the jeep arranged. Private vehicles with 4x4 gear systems will be allowed with a pass. The cost for the trip will be around 150 RS. Will take close to an hour to reach there. Try not to walk, there is no separate passage for hiking and the roads are in horrible condition, filled with dust and dirt. The jeeps carrying pilgrims rush through those narrow passes making it horrible for trekking. You have to cling uphill through 4 mountains to reach the temple. Cameras are not permitted without permission, but you can take pics in your mobile. The queue in the temple is bigger than the one outside. You can skip the queue and visit the monument, if you are not a pilgrimage and don't want to pray. Carry steel or metal water flask with you, plastic is not allowed in the forest. You will receive food in the form of payasam or thakkalisor in the temple. The queue will be less in the morning and high towards the afternoon. It's the only mountain where you can see western ghats of kerala on one side and Tamil Nadu on the other. There are no information board or facilities available. Do your own research before visiting. Temple will be open only on the chithirapournami day in the month of April.

Created by Cheras in 2nd century AD and was destructed by Cholas later, still we could see the remainings. The legend is that Kannagi came to Chera nadu(today Kerala) after destroying pandyanadu by her curse. We could see the beautiful and mesmerising scenes of mountains of Kerala on three sides and deep down the magnificent visuals of adjacent state Tamil nadu. Should be maintained properly as it is heartbreaking to watch some of the people visiting the shrine pushes the stones aging centuries and making mess.The government should protect it as a historical site as it is one of the surviving remainings of ancient history of Kerala.

Temple inside the Periyar tiger reserve. Kerala and tamilnadu government organized the festival, it opens once in the year festival time. Everyone can walk or take jeep safari. Kumily town to temple 13km journey

Mangala Devi Kannagi Temple in Keelagudalur, Tamil Nadu Temple is located 7 km away from Pazhiyankudi in Theni district and 15 km from Thekkady in Idukki district. There is a mind boggling legend behind this divine temple of Mangaladevi. Kannagi, the devoted wife of Kovalan, took revenge against killing her innocent husband by accusing him as a thief. It is said that she burnt the whole Madurai city and later she reached the Suruli hills. Kerala and tamilnadu government organized the festival, it opens once in the year festival time. We can walk or take jeep safari.

Temple inside periyar national park. Public can visit the temple only once in a year. Can walk to the temple or hire a jeep from kumily town. Must visited place. One can understand the beauty of our protected forest land.