Chottanikkara is located at 15 km away from Ernakulam and three km from Thripunithura. This shrine is well known in Kerala. Goddess Rajarajeshwari more commonly known as Bhagawathi is the presiding deity. Many believe the power of this deity to cure mental disorders.

Legend:There is a wide spread belief that Goddess Mookambika of Kollur in coastal Karnataka visits Chottanikkara daily during morning rituals here. The goddess returns to Kollur in time to accept the rituals there. So many devotees assemble just before the early morning puja. During sabbatical season pilgrims to Sabarimala overcrowd this temple.

Deities:Kuzhikkavu Bhagawathi, Shiva, Ayyappa and Ganapathy are the other deities found here.

The Deity: Rajarajeswari is the presiding deity here.

Architecture
The image of Bhagawati is of laterite; of irregular shape and covered with a golden kavacam (plate). The image has four arms. The upper right holds the discus, the left a conch. This deity is worshipped in three different forms - as Saraswati in the morning - draped in white; as Bhadrakali at noon -draped in crimson, and as Durga in the evening decked in blue.

Adjacent to this is an image of Vishnu in granite. Together they are referred to as Lakshminarayana. The image is mounted on loose sand; water offered during ablution ceremonies percolates underground.

There is also a shrine to Sastha depicting him with his consorts Purna and Pushkala. In front of the shrine are the flagstaff and the bali pitham. To the south is a platform known as Pavazhamallithara where the deity is believed to have appeared first. To the southwest is a shrine to Shiva. To the northeast there is a flight of steps leading to the Keezhkaavu, a shrine to Bhadrakali.

In the keezhkaavu shrine there is a paala tree with hundreds of nails driven into its trunk, as a mark of devotees exorcised here. The structure in this temple is a result of renovation carried out by the government of Cochin, in late 19th century.

Legend
A ferocious dacoit by name Kannappan dominated this area, brought home a cow with the intent of slaughtering it. The cow escaped his butchering knife, and set him running in hot pursuit. Kannappan returned home to find his beloved daughter playing with the very same cow. Complying with her request, he abandoned the idea of killing the cow. His daughter passed away, and this greatly grieved him. Goddess Bhagawati appeared in his dream, and revealed to him that it was she who had come to him in the form of a cow. To his surprise, he saw two images in the cowshed the following day; the images were those of Devi and Vishnu. Kannappan built a humble shrine and worshipped the images in the cowshed. Eventually this shrine fell under disrepair and was discovered later and sanctified. It then grew into a shrine.

Festivals:The annual festival here is celebrated in the month of Kumbha or Aquarius (Feb - Mar). It begins with Kodiyettu (Flag hoisting ceremony) on Rohini day, lasts for 7 days and ends on Uthram star. A special feature is the daily Para ezhunnellippu and Aarattu. It is considered to be effectual for Mangalyam (long married life) and for getting best marriage for girls. It is believed Bhagavathy in her full attire gave darsan to Vilwamangalam Swamiyar on the Makom day and appears on the same day every year for darsan. during this festival attracts vast crowds. Legend has it that the deity appeared in front of Vilvamangalam Swamigal a saint associated with this shrine and with Guruvayur. Vilvamangalam Swamy is said to have discovered Bhadrakali enshrined in Keezhkaavu.

How to get there:
Air : Nedumbassery, 22 kms away from Ernakulam, Kochi.
Rail : Ernakulam about 17km away from Chottanikkara.
Road : KSRTC Central Bus station is near the Ernakulam Junction railway station. It runs express and fast services from Ernakulam to other major cities within Kerala and into the neighbouring states.