Cherthala

Cherthala (formerly Shertallai or Shertallay) is a town located in the district of Alappuzha, in the state of Kerala, India. It is located 30 km (19 mi) south of the city of Kochi and 22 km north of Alappuzha town, on the Kochi-Alappuzha National Highway NH 47, as well as the coastal rail route.

In local administration, the Cherthala town is a municipality while in the state administrative structure Cherthala is a taluk in the district of Alappuzha. The Corporation of Cochin has drafted a master plan that aims to develop Cherthala as the satellite town around Kochi.

Etymology

According to the local legend, once Vilwamangalam Swamiyar, the well known Kerala Hindu saint, while travelling through Cherthala, found an idol of the Devi with its head immersed in a muddy pond. The swami understood the divinity of the idol, took it out from the mud, cleaned it and consecrated it in a temple near the pond. Thus the place is believed to have got its name as Cher meaning mud and Thala meaning head in Malayalam and the deity of the temple got the name as Cherthala Karthiyayani. The word put together means Head from the mud. Unlike in other Kerala temples, the idol of Cherthala Karthiyayani Devi is consecrated in the Sreekovil just below the ground level and cannot be directly viewed by the devotees.