Madapuram Kaliamman temple, holds immense reverence in the hearts of Tamilnadu people. Even uttering the name of this Goddess will cast a chill down the spine of devotees.
Madapuram Kaliamman stands only for justice, She can bring tremendous change in our life, if we pray to her with complete devotion. This Goddess stands in an open space on a stone pedestal, under the shelter of a magnificent horse. The horse is about 30 feet high, with bulging eyes, and fierce look; on either side of Kali stands the Demons. To depict her anger, fury and outrage, Her head is adorned with a crown of flame, and her eyes glare with intolerable rage. The very sight of Her will shook anyone from head to toe and shows that, She is the destroyer of evil and an instant warrior of the poor and needy.
Near the Kali Shrine is the Adaikalam Katha Ayyanar sanctum, this Ayyanar is named like this because, it’s a legend that, he is the one who gave shelter to Kali and even gave one of his horses to shield her from rough weather. Usually Ayyanar(custodian god) is found riding on a horse, but, in this temple, he is found in standing posture, which is a significant one. People first pay tribute to Ayyanar, to bless their house and keep them sheltered all their life time and then proceed to Kali seeking justice for their loss or pain.
The The main tower (Raja Kopuram) of Kali temple has five tiers, and the goddess is found in the open space. Inside the temple, there is a Vinayaka shrine, who is worshipped first before going in. As per the rule of TN government free food (annadhanam) is provided to the devotees on all days. The temple is open from morning 8 am to evening 7 pm

Location of Madapuram Kaliamman Temple:

In Madapuram, this Amman temple is located. This village is 22 km away from Madurai.

Distinctiveness:

Goddess of justice:
Its a custom that, people seeking justice, come here along with the prosecutor and take oath before Bathrakali Amman, that, what they are saying is truth. After taking the oath they will return to their place. It is a belief that within 30 days the false oath taker will be punished, sometimes the culprit can’t even cross the boundary of the village. Later the offender surrenders before the God and gives back the victim whatever they lost because of him.

Legend

According to the myth, many decades back, Madurai city was engulfed by flood. Seeing this the ruler of Madurai Sri Meenakshi, was very upset. She importunate Lord Shiva to show the boundaries of Madurai as it is deformed by flood. Lord Shiva drew the boundaries of Madurai using his sacred serpent. At the point of completion the serpent’s head meets with its tail and it started to emit poisonous venom, suddenly Goddess Meenakshi drank all the venom and spared Madurai. The venom She drank turned out to be more powerful and transformed Meenakshi to Bathrakali meaning very powerful. As She became goddess here, Ayyanar who was already residing in this place, gave shelter and cooled her down by keeping under his horse.
Another legend is that, some 2500 years back, this place was fully covered with thorn trees. On a fine day Trimoorthy and Goddess Gowri went for hunting, leaving Parvathi all alone. But Parvathi wanted to accompany them, so Lord Shiva created a child named Ayyanar to protect her. Parvati was very pleased roaming in this forest, so she asked Lord Shiva to make this region sacred. As per her wish, Shiva blessed this region and blessed the river nearby saying that, taking bath in this river is equal to taking a dip in the Kashi theertha. Parvathi took the form of Bathrakali and bless all the devotees from that day on.

Annihilator of evil spirits

The people affected by black magic, evil spirits and ill luck, come here do certain poojas and pray whole heartedly to get released from all evil spirits.

Punisher:

Poor people who are affected by their rich masters, come here in wet clothes and stand before the Kali’s pedestal and pour out all their worries. Later they cut a coin in a black stone (Pattyakal) that’s installed before Kali and ask to punish their greedy unfaithful master or partners. A bag full of cut coins can be found in the temple.

Merciful deity:

Bathrakali is known for rage and temper, but she also stands as the loving mother for the innocent people. She protects her devotees and restore them with prosperous life. She gives strength to her people to stand against injustice and fight for their life. If anyone repents for their wrong deeds whole heartedly, She readily forgives them and blesses them.

Festivals of Madapuram Kaliamman Temple:

Every Friday is a festival in this temple, people from all over Tamilnadu come to this temple, especially on Fridays and new moon day (Pournami). On the first Tuesdays of every month there will be 1008 lamp lighting festival, milk abisheka and lime lamp lighting.

How to reach Madapuram Kaliamman Temple ?

Bus:
This temple is located just 18 km from Madurai. Daily buses ply from Madurai, Periyar bus stand to Madapuram Bhadra kali Amman temple. From Thirupuvanam this temple is just 2 km, buses to Thirupuvanam are available at Madurai, Mattudhavani bus stand.
Train:
Madurai to Rameshwaram train, stops at Thirupuvanam junction. From the junction one can take taxi or bus to reach the temple.
Airport:
The nearest airport to this temple is in Madurai.