Kumbala Santhana Gopalaswami temple
By P.R.Ramachander
Kumbala is a small town in the northern most extremity of Kerala . The santhana Gopala Swami temple there has been built and maintained by the Bhaktha family , who are Gauda Saraswath Brahmins and who had migrated there from Goa about 500 years back. The main temple of this community in Northern Kerala is the Anantheswar temple in Manjeswar . When many of the Bhaktha family members did not have children, they approached the Velichapad(Oracle) of Anantheswar temple and he told them to consecrate a Santhana Gopala Swami in their premises in Kumbala. As per the orders of the oracle , they got made the idol of Santhana Gopala Swami, in the form of him handing over a small baby to his devotees. The sanctum sanctorum has a throne in it and on its first step is the Veera Vitttala or the Santhana Gopala Sawmi , On the second step are the idols of Sri Rama, Lakshmana and Sita and on the third step the uthsava murthies of his consorts Sree Devi and Bhoo devi . The temple was consecrated again on 19th February 1997, Large number of devotees who are praying for children come and pray in this temple.
The seven day festival of this temple starts on the first of Makara(January-February). The other important festivals are Puna Prathishta divas, Magha Shudha Thrayodasi , Gokulashtami, Bahula Ashtami and Gita Jayanthi (November-december)