Kuthur, a small village in Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam district, is located along the banks of River Vettaru, on the Vaitheeswaran koil – Mayiladuthurai route. The village houses a small shrine for Goddess Kottoor Mariamman.
It is said that around 200 years ago, an old man went to Peralam on foot from Vaitheeswaran temple to buy cattle. As he was tired of walking long distance he stopped at Kottoor, a small village, and rested for a while at a small niche, little realising it to be the temple for Goddess Mariamman. It is when the deity appeared in his dream to inform the old man about her wish to visit his village.
Woken up by that, the old man immediately created a small mound made out of mud (mannkoodu – soil nest) and started worshipping that as the goddess. He also installed the same at his village, Koothoor. It is said that for 200 years this was the form of the Goddess and people worshipped Her in the name of Koothuraal.
Several attempts to construct a temple for the Goddess did not fructify until 2011 when a separate shrine took shape. The central one is that of the Goddess while there are small niches for Vinayakar and Murugan on either sides of her sannidhi and along her sannidhi are two separate shrines for Pechiamman and Aiyappan. Subsequently a committee to manage the affairs of the temple was also formed, which has now undertaken the sprucing up of this shrine.
The first phase will include construction of rooms for pilgrims. It is believed that those who offer sincere prayers to this goddess will be blessed with progeny, marriage and health. A framed sheet displaying a kriti, extolling the Goddess, set in ragamalika, has been installed at the temple for the benefit of the devotees who want to render the song.
Chithirai and Vaikasi are considered special as the temple festivals will be celebrated during this period. ‘Ma vilakku’ and ‘sarkarai sadham’ are the special food offerings.
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