Vanchimoottil Devi Temple information

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Vanchimoottil Devi Temple
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Country	India
State	Kerala
District	Pathanamthitta district
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	689106
Nearest city	Thiruvalla
Lok Sabha constituency	Pathanamthitta
Nearest Airport	Cochin International Airport Limited
Website	thalayarvanchimoottildevitemple.com/poojas.html

Vanchimoottil Devi Temple is located in Kuttoor, Tiruvalla, India. It is believed that the temple is more than 1000 years old.^{[citation needed]} According to the local belief, about 1000+ years ago, the idol of "Devi" was brought to Thalayar village by flood waters and the idol got stuck to a tree. When the flood waters receded, local people spotted the idol, made of granite stone and they noticed a halo around the idol. The local people, who belonging to the Hindu Nair community, took the head of the Kuzhikattu Illam, the Brahmin family who are the Thantris of many a Temple in Kerala, to the spot. The Thantri took the idol to his illam or house, promptly installed and offered poojas as per thantric rules. Later, the idol was given back to the local people, and the idol was installed at the present site by the then head of Kuzhikattu Illam. A temple was constructed by the local people. Local people strongly believe the "Devi" or the "Vanchimoottil Amma" is the eternal mother of each and every individual of the village who guard them from all evil. It is a custom that people of the locality go to the temple and seek Amma's blessings before they embark on any new venture. Later on, the ownership of the temple was vested with N.S.S Karayogam, an organization of Nair Community. Even non-Hindus come to the temple for worship and there is no bar for members of other religions from entering the temple, provided they are properly dressed and clean. Wearing shirts and baniyan is not allowed inside the temple.