Mangaladevi Temple, Idukki, Kerala India

Mangaladevi Temple is a 1000-year-old temple inside the dense forests of the Periyar Tiger Reserve. Made of huge pieces of granite, it stands at an altitude of 1337 m above the sea level.

The temple is dedicated to the deity of Mangaladevi, who is also known as Kannaki. Even today, Kannaki remains as a symbol of the moral power that resides in an ordinary woman who is able to take on royalty because her cause is just.

For centuries, Kannaki has remained a symbol of the great moral power that even an ordinary woman is capable of. Kannaki’s tale has been immortalized by the poet-prince Ilanko Adikal in the Tamil epic, Silapathikaram. Silapathikaram is one of the five epics of ancient Tamil Literature. The epic, which contains three chapters and a total of 5270 lines of poetry, revolves around Kannaki.