ABOUT

Kadalayi is a Hindu temple in the village of Chirakkal, Kerala, India.There is an interesting legend associated with the origin of the temple. It is believed that the idol of Lord Vishnu consecrated here is the very idol worshiped by Sathyabhama, the consort of Lord Krishna at Dwaraka in the Mahabharata Era more than 5,000 years ago. One day it so happened that she failed to notice her husband standing nearby as she was immersed in performing Pooja to the idol. The Lord, furious, kicked the idol off the pedestal. It flew into the nearby sea, when its right hand was broken. Time and tide took the idol to the Kannur sea belt off Dwarka. A fisherman happened to net it. It being a precious catch, he presented it to King Valabhan, the Kolathiri King ruling over the area in that period. The king had constructed a temple, Kadalayi, in a village about 6 km (3.7 mi) north of Kannur and was on the lookout for an idol to be consecrated there. The astrologers understood the sanctity of the idol and confirmed that the idol, though its hand was broken and thus deformed, was worthy of consecration. The idol was thus consecrated at Kadalayi. When the temple was ruined due to the devastating onslaught of time a new temple was built at Chirakkal 180 years ago and the old idol re-consecrated. The temple, though situated at Chirakkal, is still referred to by its old name, Kadalayi. Chirakkal is a beautiful village situated 6 kilometres north of Kannur Town in Kannur District of Kerala. It is famous for its lores and looms, its temples and legends. A tank, the largest existing in India, adorns this village. More than 14 acres (57,000 m2) in extent, this tank known as the Chirakkal Chira is famous throughout and attracts the attention of tourists from various places. This village is also the seat of the Royal family of Chirakkal, the descendants of the famous Mushika Dynasty. It is in this village that the famous Kadalayi Sree Krishna Temple, known as the 'Guruvayur of North Malabar' and reputed for its antiquity and holiness, is situated. The temple attracts thousands of devotees from far and near.