Iringole Kavu: where trees are the deities
Iringole Kavu is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Durga, situated in Kunnathunad Taluk of Ernakulam district, 5 km from Perumbavoor. This is one of the 108 Durga Temples in Kerala believed to have been concecrated by Lord Parasurama, the sixth avatar of Lord Vishnu.
Iringole Bhagavathy temple, also known as Iringole Kavu, is dedicated to the Bhagavathy who, in the form of a baby girl, took the place of Lord Krishna, to protect him from the hands of evil Kamsa. It is believed that the power of the goddess still remains in the thick dense forests at Iringole.
Situated in the tropical rain forest in Pattal, near Perumbavoor, Cochin, the Iringole Kavu resides the diety in the form of ‘’Vana Durga’’ as the Power of Forest.
An amazing dense forest surrounded by big trees grabbed the attention of all. It is believed that the ‘Power’ is flanked by the numerous gods and goddesses on all sides in the form of thick trees and plants.
The geneology of the temple dated back to the ‘Dwapara Yuga’ of Lord Krishna in Hindu mythology. When Kamsa, the uncle of Lord Krishna tried to kill the little girl child in fury, she glided away and sustained in air as a powerful radiance. This was called ‘’Irrinole’’- hence came the name for the temple as ‘Irrigole kavu.’
The diety was in the form of ‘Yaga-Nidra’- a form of Maya (or illusion) . Any person coming here got struck by the rich flaura and fauna including teak, tamarind, mango, pine, monkeys, squirrels, mynah and rare medicinal plants. The turtles in the nearby lake also draws our undivided attention.
Getting there
Nearest railway station: Aluva, about 18 km away
Nearest airport: Cochin International Airport, about 16 km away
Location
Latitude: 10.108823, Longitude: 76.500408
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