New facilities thrown open at Lokanarkavu Temple in Kozhikode

Kozhikode's Lokanarkavu temple, dedicated to Goddess Durga, is getting a face-lift. 14 guest rooms, 11-bed dormitory and a kalari (martial arts training centre) are open to the public. Thorough renovation of the temple, believed to be 1,500 yrs old, is part of Thalassery Heritage Project.

Lokanarkavu, the famous temple dedicated to Goddess Durga near Vadakara that has a unique place in the Vadakkan Pattu (Ballads of North Kerala), is getting a face-lift.

As many as 14 bath-attached guest rooms, 11-bed dormitory and a kalari (martial arts training centre), conceived as part of a pilgrim tourism development project at the temple, were thrown open to the public by Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas on Sunday. K.P. Kunhammad Kutty, Kuttiyadi MLA, and other people’s representatives were present.

The project, which was earlier part of the Thalassery Heritage Project, includes a thorough renovation of the temple believed to be around 1,500 years old. It has been undertaken by the Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society. Also, work on a priests’ quarters and dining hall, and paving of tiles around the Vishnu temple and building a compound wall around the pond are going on.

Thacholi Othenan, a famed warrior from the region, used to regularly visit the temple as he was an ardent devotee of Lokanarkavilamma (the deity of the temple), say the ballads that mostly feature the exploits of warriors trained in Kalarippayattu. Students who train in the martial art continue to worship at the temple before their first public performance.