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Plappally, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala · 9.5723°, 76.5560°
A fortified shrine in the Goodrical forest range associated with the Sabarimala pilgrimage, whose hereditary Kochuvela chiefs still perform ritual duties through the Mandala-Makaravilakku season. Forest officials moved the structure from its old position on the Pandalam thara trek route to its present site at Plappally.
What follows is the temple’s own traditional account, transmitted through liturgy and local memory. It is recorded here as tradition, not as attested history.
It is remembered as a rest station built for Manikanda on his way to Sabarimala, the Pandalam raja appointing the Thalappara chief as his guard and giving him a conch, a sword and a turban as marks of the office.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Pandalam
Answers only from cited records
Opening the line…