Chokkanathapuram
Chokkanathapuram
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The Agraharams of Palakkad
Overview
The temple is the most unusual one. For Krishna here is Chaturbhuja (4 hands). The rear hands hold the changu and chakra and the front two hold a flute.
Location
Location: The Chokkanathapuram agraharam is located It is located 4 kilometers from the Palakkad railway station.
Address: Sree Chokkanatha Sivan Temple
Valiyapadam, Palakkad, Kerala 678005
Temple Timings:
6.00AM TO 8.30AM
5.30PM TO 7.30PM
History
Chokkanathapuram is a heritage agraharam in Palakkad, centered around the ancient Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple. The temple retains its traditional facade and features a massive sacred tree with a circular seating platform. A unique aspect of the village is the Santhana Gopala Krishnan Temple, historically consecrated to protect local children from Lord Shiva’s direct gaze (drishti). While the community, primarily Yajur Vedis, has dwindled to about 25 homes due to migration, the remaining residents devoutly preserve their heritage through daily scriptural recitations, monthly rituals, and grand annual utsavams.
Deities
Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Swami (Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati). Notably, both deities face the same direction, and both have Nandi as their vahana (vehicle).
Sri Santhana Gopala Krishnan (Bala Krishnan), consecrated specifically to protect the village.
Other Deities: Maha Ganapathi, Naga Subramanya Swami, Medha Dakshinamurthy, Chandikeswarar, Bhairavar, Navagraham, Somaskandamoorthy, Natarajar, and Sivakami.
Videos
Videos
Photo Gallery
Utsavams
Arudra Darisanam (Thiruvathira): Conducted as an Ekadina Utsavam (single-day festival).
Ratholsavam (Chariot Festival): Held for one day during the Kumbhabhishekam anniversary (in the Malayalam month of Kumbham / Feb-March). Lord Nataraja (Sabhanayagar) ascends the chariot for this.
Specialized Poojas: Uma Maheswara Pooja, Swayamvara Archana, and Santhana Parameswara Pooja.
Monthly Thiruvona Payasam: A special offering at the Krishnan temple, strongly believed to bless childless couples.
Daily/Annual Parayanams: Regular chanting of Vishnu Sahasranamam, Narayaneeyam, Bhagavatham, Sundara Kandam, Lalitha Sahasranamam, and annual Sapthahams.
Other Festivals: Janmashtami, Navaratri, Skanda Sashti, Thaipusam, Panguni Uthiram, Vinayaka Chaturthi, and Aayilyam.
Vahanas
Rishabham
Adimakkavu
-na-
Other Agraharam Information
Total homes in the Agraharam: 5
Number and % of Brahmin homes: 2 or about 40%
Number and % of homes retaining traditional look: 70%
Does the village have a brahmana samooham: -na-
Does the village temple have a temple car (theru): -na-
When was the last ashtabandhana kumbabhishekam done: 2011
Contact Information
Sri Subramanian C N - 86067 52590
Well Known Elders from the Agraharam
Food and Catering
- na -
Hall for functions and Lodging
-na-
Bank Accounts for sending Kanikkai, donation or vazhipadu
-na-
Author's Notes
Chokkanathapuram Agraharam — Agraharam 105 in the 100Agraharams Project
Hardly fifty metres from our retirement home stands Chokkanathapuram, an ancient agraharam whose memory goes back even before the Kasi Viswanatha Swamy Temple of Kalpathy.
The temple announces itself gently — through a long entrance, a quiet courtyard, and above all, a majestic Peepul tree, the great Vriksham that seems to hold the whole space in its shade. Around it is a wide circular platform, a beautiful place to sit, breathe, and watch children playing in the modest grounds of Chokkanatha Swamy. From there, one can also receive a clear darshan of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar.
The rustle of the leaves is itself a prayer. Sitting there, I often remember:
Moolatho Brahma roopaya,
Madhyatho Vishnu roopine,
Agratha Shiva roopaya,
Vruksha rajaya te namah.
Salutations to the king of trees — whose roots are Brahma, whose trunk is Vishnu, and whose crown is Shiva.
On ordinary days, the temple is a place of stillness, meditation, and inward quiet. On Pradosham, it gathers a gentle crowd, as devotion fills the space around Shiva.
That Chokkanathapuram predates the Kalpathy temple is beautifully suggested in the old inscription of the Kasi Viswanatha Swamy Temple. In Prof. Venkateswara’s translation, the record mentions the sacred gift made to the temple, the responsibility placed upon Itti-Kkombi and the younger family member, and then names the witnesses to the foundation — Chokkanatha, the protector of the gift, Emur Bhagavati, and the senior karanavar.
Thus, Chokkanathapuram is not merely a neighbouring agraharam. It is a quiet witness to Kalpathy’s older sacred geography — a place where tree, temple, inscription, children’s laughter, and Shiva’s silence all meet.
Be here when you are around Kalpathy.
Regards,
Sriram (Hari)
Trustee, Rama Bhagavatar Charitable Trust
+91 9840773410
100Agraharams.com
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