CHENGANNUR

Profile

District :Alappuzha

Area :132.70 km2

Population

Total------1,96,547

Men--------94,746

Women------1,01,801

Date of formation :August 17, 1957

Parliament Constituency :Mavelikkara

Location

Chengannur, a beautiful town in 'God's own country', Kerala. Chenganoor, situates at the extreme east part of Alappuzha district. 117 km north of state capital Thiruvananthapuram on the Main Central Road (MC Road).

Name

Nammalwar of the 1st millennium CE, describes Chenkunrur or Chenganoor as a town where the smoke, emanating from the Vedic ritual yagna, fills the sky and as a place surrounded by rich lush vegetation (of bananas and coconuts). The name is derived from Chennu Ninne Uru which means 'the place where they stopped'. It was named after a temple of Shiva and Parvati was established here after a sage made them come and stop there.

Myth

Chengannur is famous for its Shiva temple Chengannur Mahadeva Kshetram, where thousands have darshan of aaratu festival goddess Parvathy. Here goddess Parvathy's abdomen part fell when lord Mahavishnu used his sudharshana chakram to cut her body when lord Shiva was dancing in anger with her body - after she fell in homa gundam of daksha yagnam. The devotees to the famous Temple in Sabarimala where Lord Ayyappa is believed to be present will do darshan in the Shiva temple in Chengannur as Shiva is supposed to be the father of Ayyappa. (Lord Ayyappa was brought up as an orphan in the Panthalam Palace).