The Mangaladevi Trust has claimed that the Mangaladevi temple inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve on the border with Tamil Nadu belongs to Kerala.
In a release here on Saturday, it said the presiding deity Kannagi was important to the Hindu Cheramar community and its festival was important to the latter.
It said the temple was constructed by ruler Chenkutavan and it would move the Supreme Court to get sanction for conducting the annual festival there.
The Mangaladevi temple is opened once a year during the Chitrapournami day. A large number of devotees from Tamil Nadu and Kerala visit the temple on that day.
The Forest Department allows entry to the temple with strict monitoring. The Theni and Idukki district administrations jointly make elaborate arrangements for the annual festival.
