Wender·Vista
Chottanikkara Temple
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileIndia
south-east of Kochi, in Ernakulam district, Kerala

Chottanikkara Temple

— — the lamp the goddess answers.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“A temple to Bhagavathi south-east of Kochi, set above a small tank on the edge of Ernakulam district. Two shrines stand on the hill: the upper, where the goddess is read in three forms through the day, Saraswati at dawn, Lakshmi at noon, Durga at dusk; and the lower Keezhkavu, known across Kerala for the evening ritual called Guruti.

from the studio
Chottanikkara Temple
— bring it home

Chottanikkara Temple, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Chottanikkara Temple

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple stands about 17 kilometres south-east of Kochi, in the village of Chottanikkara in Ernakulam district, Kerala. The shrine sits on raised ground above a temple tank, in the rubber and coconut country that defines the central Kerala interior. The complex holds two principal shrines, the Melkavu (upper) and the Keezhkavu (lower), connected by a short path through a banyan grove. It is among the most visited Devi temples in South India, drawing pilgrims daily from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and across Kerala.

— the year

The temple year turns on Makam Thozhal, observed on the Makam asterism in the month of Kumbham (February to March). On that morning the goddess is dressed for the rare adornment that gives the festival its name, and the courtyard fills before dawn. Mandala vrutham, an eleven-day rite from late November into December, draws a longer crowd. The smaller Guruti puja at the lower shrine runs every evening and is what most pilgrims arrive specifically to see at the end of a long day on the road.

— the visit

The temple opens around 04:00 and closes by mid-morning, reopens in the late afternoon for the evening rituals, and concludes with the Guruti at the lower shrine after sundown. Dress code is traditional: dhoti and bare chest for men, sari or set-mundu for women. Photography is restricted inside the inner shrines. The temple is reached from Kochi by road in about 45 minutes, longer on festival days. There is no entry fee. Offerings are made through the temple office; queues lengthen during weekends and the Makam festival.

— where
India · Ernakulam district, Kerala
— position
9.9280° N · 76.4180° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
17 km NW
Kochi
port city
8 km W
Tripunithura
royal-era town
15 km NW
Ernakulam
city
N
Chottanikkara Temple
Kochi
Tripunithura
Ernakulam
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Chottanikkara Temple — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

The presiding deity is Bhagavathi, read in three forms through the day at the upper shrine: Saraswati at dawn, Lakshmi at noon, and Durga at dusk.

In Chottanikkara village in Ernakulam district, Kerala, about 17 kilometres south-east of central Kochi. The complex includes both an upper and a lower shrine.

The evening ritual at the Keezhkavu shrine, performed daily after sundown. It is the ritual most associated with the temple's long-standing reputation for relief from affliction.

Makam Thozhal falls on the Makam asterism in the month of Kumbham, between February and March. It is the temple's principal festival and draws pilgrims from across South India.

The Melkavu (upper shrine) on the hill, where Bhagavathi is read in three forms, and the Keezhkavu (lower shrine), reached down a short path under a banyan grove.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well for someone tied to the central Kerala interior or the Ernakulam parishes. A Medium for a prayer room or a Small with a handwritten note from the studio suits a returning family member.

The warm lamp light and deep temple reds work in maximalist, jewel-tone, and traditional Indian rooms. The piece also softens a clean minimalist wall with a single point of warmth.

A Large reads as a single icon above most sofas. A 4-tile Mural opens the courtyard across a wider wall; a 9-tile Mural carries both shrines and the banyan path.

Yes. The Dura Satin or Matte finish handles steam and lamp soot from a home prayer corner; clean with a microfibre cloth and water.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is the studio's own painting of the place, slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure. No licensing, no outside reprints.

— if this one stayed with you

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