My Kudumba Kshethram Nadackal Sree Bhagavathy Temple, Nadackal, Erattupetta

Nadackal Sree Bhagavathy Temple, Nadackal, Erattupetta is my Kudumba Kshethram. 

Among the Hindus, it is believed, that  the family deity is the one who protects the family and the succeeding lineage / generations. Worshiping  of family deity should not be ignored  as it helps the  family lineage grow and take strong roots.

Kudumba Devta temple is the place where our paternal forefathers once worshiped. The belief has been that when we visit the temple the souls  of our forefathers will be happy and bless us with good, prosperous and healthy life. This is true of Hindus belonging to various castes. As for Brahmins, they can trace their paternal lineage to one sage / Maharishi. So, members of a particular family having the same Gothra never fail to visit the family deity's temple once a year. If you don't know your gotra/clan take 'Kashyap' as Gotra since he is considered the manasputra of Brahma who gave life to all creatures with his wife Aditi and others.

When you stand before the Garbagraha (sanctum) or Srikovil at such a temple, let it be borne in your mind, you are standing in the  same spot where, way back a few centuries ago, your forefathers stood and prayed to the deity with intense devotion and bhakti for their welfare and their descendants, including you!!.

The temple of your family deity assumes much significance because it is the confluence of countless divine souls of  our grandfathers and great grandfathers and their blessings will never let us down in our endeavours and in our time of distress. Worship of Kudumba Devta tradition has it, governs only the paternal lineage  - pithas Vhamsavali. (your mother is part of this lineage).

Kudumba Devatas, it is strongly believed by the learned Pundits, are capable of reducing the  effects of Karma from which no one can escape. This dogma permeates in all aspects in Hinduism. Our protecting shield against the effects of Karma is sincere prayer or "Kudumba Daiva Vazhipadu". 

Hindu women, normally, worship two family deities. One is of the family in which they were born and the other being that of the groom's family after marriage. Women usually stop worshipping their  family deity after marriage. Some Pundits are of the opinion that it is wrong for the women to forget their  family deity and they can carry on  their worship on festival occasions. The link with wife's family deity should not be broken.

If a girl gets married into  another family, the family deity of her husband   becomes her deity and her descendants (Vamsavali) who  take the leneage forward.  it is imperative that she must have more involvement with her husband's family deity than other deities.

When there is a wedding, Upanayanam, Grahapravesam  or any other joyous family function, visiting the Kudumba Devta temple is a must.

In the case of wedding, the family must take the groom and the bride to the Kudumba  Devta temple soon after wedding. If time is not ripe, it should be done within a year from the day of wedding.

In the case of elderly couple celebrating 60th birthday (Saishtiaptapoorthy) or 80th birthday (Sathabishekam), worshiping the family deity is highly  recommended. 

If the  elderly couple have health problems, etc., they can pray to the image of the family deity kept in the Puja room at home..

If there is a birth of a child or grand child in the family, it will be well and good to pay a visit to the family deity's temple for prayer and blessings. 

As for tonsuring  of young kids, which is a common ritual in South India, if your family temple is not Praththanasthala, it should not be done there unless specified. For such a prayer involving tonsuring -"Mudikooduthal", Prarthanasthala is the best bet. 

When you go to your family deity's temple, it is a great thing if make monetary contribution to the temple liberally.

An important charitable act is offering Annadhanam - giving free food to the devotees and the poor people.

After your payer at the temple, keep the Prasadam,in particular, Kungumam or veeputhi in your Puja room. 

Never fail to allow a few minutes daily to pray to your family deity.  Be assured that the God or Goddess  will follow you wherever you go and protect you or at least save you from big obstacles. 

Mind you, in the family deity reside the souls of your forefathers who never fail to protect you and your family members from any other evil forces or witchcraft. 

When you stand before the deity -  any god or goddess,  trust is an important factor. This trust is the driving force behind you that helps you  improve the confidence level in you.

The history of the Nadackal Sree Bhagavathy temple is mysterious. There are many legends connected to the temple, and the people who visit the premises automatically fall into a reverential trance like state. It is believed that the temple functioned under a Brahmin family who, under unclear circumstances handed it over to the Poonjar Royal Family. The temple has the deity of Bhadrakali. The idol is a ‘Kannadi Bimbam’ resembling the shape of a mirror. The four walls of the sanctum sanctorum have lamps carved on rock, which is a hallmark of the temples belonging to the Poonjar Royal Family. In 2015, a shrine for Ayappa was built in the temple premises to house an idol given by a family to the Bhadrakali Temple four decades prior. The Meenabharani and Patham uthayam festivals are celebrated here.