Chengannur Devi, the Goddess who menstruates regularly

Have you ever come across with an idol menstruating regularly and the devotees throng to the temple to worship the idol on those four days? Yes, it happens in Kerala. Although the temple in the tiny town of Chengannur in Alappuzha district is dedicated to Lord Shiva, it is more famous because of the presence of Devi or Ma Durga in the temple. It is more famous that the deity menstruates regularly every month and the clothes adorning the deity will have the precipitates of blood on those days. The legend of this temple goes back to the days of the marriage of Lord Shiva with Goddess Parvathy.

All gods, Saints, and other celestial creatures have assembled on the lap of Mount Himalaya to witness the marriage of Lord Shiva with Goddess Parvathy. This created an imbalance on earth and it started tilting towards the north. Then Lord Brahma called Saint Agasthya and asked him to move towards the south and to sit at Sonadri (a hillock on the beds of River Pamba). Although he was sad as he cannot witness the marriage, he obeyed the order of the creator. Then Brahma promised him that after the marriage Lord Shiva and Parvathy will come to Sonadri and there he could witness the union of both.

As per the promise, Both Shiva and Parvathy reached at Sonadri after their marriage and all gods and saints accompanied them. There Parvathy attained puberty and they all celebrated the same as per the Hindu culture. Thus Saint Agasthy could witness a grand celebration.

After many years, Parasurama brought Brahmins from other places and made them stay in Kerala. In order to rule the land easily, he had divided the area into sixty-four villages and appointed a person each like the head. The place where Chengannur Temple situates thus came under the rule of Vanjippuzha Thampuran. As per the system prevailed on those days, one person called Nayanaru Pillai has taken some land on lease from Vanjippuzha Thampuran for the purpose of cultivation. The entire land was filled with grass and bushes. Hence he appointed some laborers to clear it off. When woman labor was sharpening her sickle by rubbing it on a stone, blood started oozing out from the stone. Afraid of this strange incident, laborers ran away from the land and informed their master, Pillai. He in turn informed the head of the village Vanjippuzha Thampuran about it.

He came there along with Thazhamon Potti, who was a great tantric. Thazhamon Potti identified the presence of the divine power of Lord Shiva in that stone and he informed Thampuran about it. He also mentioned that Shiva is not alone as he feels the presence of Goddess Parvathy too. He asked the village head to construct a temple there. As per the instruction of Thampuran, Perumthachchan (the master carpenter in Parayi petta panthirukulam) came there and provided the design. When there was the need to make an idol of Devi Parvathy, Perumthachan roam around in that compound and asked his assistants to dig at a particular place. When the laborers dug at that place, they found a beautiful idol of Goddess Parvathy. Perumthachan asked Thampuran to install that idol inside the temple. Anyway, he made another idol of Goddess Parvathy using five metals and handed it over to Thazhamon Potti. Perumthachan told Potti that the temple will gut in fire after a few years and the present idol of the devil also will get destroyed in that fire. He insisted that this idol should be installed after the reconstruction of the temple. Perumthachan also insisted that the Potti should write this instruction and keep it as this incident may occur after his period. Years after it happened as predicted by Perumthachan. Although the idol of Shiva left unharmed, the idol of Parvathy got destroyed completely. Now the idol made by Perumthachan is being used there.

One day, when the chief priest was removing all the flowers and the dress adorning the idol in the morning to replace them with new, he noticed a stain on the cloth. He handed it over to the temple administrator and asked him to show it to the then head of Thazhamon Madom who are the Tantriks of that temple. The administrator did so. After examining the cloth by the ladies of Thazhamon Madom, it has been confirmed that the Goddess menstruated. Ladies of Thazhamon Madom came there along with several other ladies and celebrated the incident according to the prevailing custom.

The same thing happened in the coming months too. Then Vanjippuzha Thampuran came there and allotted a specific amount to celebrate the festival every month. Even now many devotees especially women throng to the temple during these days. Even now stain is being witnessed in the cloth on those days. Now, this is being celebrated as “Thruppootharattu” or the festival of menstruation.

Cheraman Perumal, the last King of Kerala and his Arabian Connection

Although this story has a lot of mythological elements, a lot of historical support also there to hold the story as a true incident. It is better to say that this is a history blended with myths. Kerala, the southernmost state of Kerala has been ruled by the Cheran Dynasty. Being the land of Cheras, it used to be called “Cheralam” and later it became Keralam or Kerala. Another legend behind the name Kerala is that the land is rich with coconut trees and in the local language Malayalam, the coconut tree is also known as Kera. Thus the name has come.

Whatever may be the reason for the name, it is a historical fact that it was under the rule of the Chera Dynasty and at the time the kingdom was covering almost all parts of present Kerala. The kings of this dynasty used to be called Perumal and the last Perumal has divided the country and handed over it to his four subordinates, who were his relatives too. In real, Perumal has married one woman each from these four families whom he has entrusted as the kings to rule different parts of his kingdom. “Kolathu” was the family entrusted thus by the Perumal to rule the northern parts of Kerala. The Head of the family is known as Kolathiri and Perumal has married the sister of then Kolathiri.

Perumal used to visit each of his wives at regular intervals. The sister of Kolathiri was a lusty lady. Perumal could not satisfy her physically and the gap between each visit was too long. At that time, There was a person called Padavila Nair, who has been appointed as a minister by Perumal to take care of that region. Perumal’s wife fell for him as he was young handsome and with a masculine body. She tried her level best to allure him, but somehow he did not fall in the trap. Angry with this, the queen decided to teach him a lesson. Next time when Perumal visited her, she did not come out of her room to receive him. Quite astonished with this, Perumal went inside her room and enquired about the reason. Then she told him that Padavila Nair was a morally weak person and he tried to allure her several times. She also told the king that his minister hugged her tightly once.

Angry with this, the king asked his army men to bring the minister in front of him. Although Nair pleaded his innocence, King went with the words of his wife and asked his army men to behead Nair. Before getting beheaded, Nair cursed the king that he will have to leave the country soon as he is ordering the killing of an innocent man.

Cheraman Juma Masjid

After a few days of spending with his wife, Perumal left for the capital city, which was at the present-day Kodungalloor. There he started a strange uneasiness and could not sleep well, eat well. Whenever he sleeps, Padavila Nair appeared in his dreams with the curse. Worried with this, the king decided to check whether the words of his wife was true or not. He sent a young and handsome person who was very loyal to the king to Kolathiri in the disguise of a job searcher. Seeing such a person, the queen immediately appointed him as her personal bodyguard. After a few days, the queen started her tricks to allure this young man. He kept on escaping each time and sent the information to the king from time to time. Thus the king realized that he had killed an innocent man believing the words of a woman who is quite immoral.

Guilty feelings started haunting the king and he decided that he should go to some new places leaving everything behind here. He was sure that then only he will get peace of mind. It was at that time that the first batch of Islamic merchants who came to Kerala for trading. He met their leader and went along with them to Arabia in their ship. When the king’s relatives got the information, they followed the Arabian ship in another ship and had an encounter near the shores of Dharmmapattanam. However, the Arabians fought with them and took the king to Arabia as per his wish. Finally the king, Perumal landed at the Sahir Mukkalhai port and went to Jiddah. It is believed that there he met Prophet Mohammed and got converted to Islam. There he married the daughter of an Arabian King and lived for quite some time.

Relics of Cheraman Perumal

Although he was quite happy there, the memories of Kodungalloor, his old capital city was haunting him. One day he came back to Kodungalloor. There he constructed a mosque which is known as “Cheraman Mosque” is one of the oldest mosques in India. Spending about a year or two, he planned to go back to Arabia as he loved his Arabian wife so much. However, destiny was something different. He died at Kodungalloor and got buried inside the mosque compound. 

Kanya kumari, a tragic love story

Hinduism, in its essence, says that the divine power is very much within us. The philosophy of “Thut Twam Asi” or “That is You” is saying it clearly. All the rituals and other related formalities are being designed to help one to find this divine power sleeping inside.

It is not very easy for common people to understand the high-end philosophy and hence various Puranas and Ithihas have been introduced. Here the ancestors are passing great knowledge to the coming generations through simple stories. Each and every myth prevailing in Kerala too perform the same function. When the genius forefathers gave human shapes and figures to various gods to narrate the story in a simple way, many virtues and vices of human beings also added to make the characters shine more and to pass the real message in an interesting way. Here is one such story where the Goddess, the almighty falls in love.

Kanyakumari or the Cape Comarin as it used to know once was not a part of Kerala now. It is in the state of Tamil Nadu. Even then, once it was a part of Kerala and the many myths and legends about the land are related to Kerala. According to the mythology, when Lord Parasurama created the land of Kerala by throwing his ax into the ocean, Kanyakumari was the southern end. This cape is being considered a serene place because here the three oceans, Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal join together. Moreover, it was the place preferred by the great Indian Guru Swami Vivekananda to undergo meditation. The Vivekananda Rock, which is the memorial of that great saint is being visited by thousands of people every day. Apart from that, the temple of Kanyakumari is another attraction. Although there are many legends about the temple the most popular one is related to Goddess Adiparashakthi.

Once a demon called Bana underwent rigorous penance to please Lord Brahma. Pleased with his devotion and dedication, Brahma appeared in front of him. Bana asked the lord that he should be blessed with a boon that only a virgin can kill him. With the power of that boon, he started troubling saints and other people. When his atrocities went out of the way, gods and saints approached Lord Brahma, the creator, and asked to find out a solution. He told them that only Goddess Adiparashakthi can help them. Then they prayed Goddess and she appeared. Accepting their request, she agreed to take birth on the earth.

Everything went according to the plan until she met Thanumalaya Perumal of Sucheendram. When she met him, she fell for him and they decided to get married. This decision created a lot of havoc among the gods. Goddess Adiparashakthi cannot kill the demon once she married Perumal and lost her virginity. They burned a lot of midnight oil to find out a solution. The muhurta or the auspicious time for the wedding was at midnight. Perumal started his journey to the bride’s place on that day. Seeing this, Lord Indra came there in disguise of a cock and howled as a cock. Hearing this, Perumal thought the midnight is over. As he could not reach the place on time, he returned.

Meanwhile, Goddess was waiting for her love. She had prepared a variety of dishes for the groom and his companions. Her waiting went in vain as Perumal did not turn up. All her dreams failed and she got despair. She threw all the dishes on the beach along with the cooked rice. It is believed that this is the reason for the unique sand seen here. Sand with different colors and in the shape of rice is a unique feature of this place.

Then she went to the seashore and underwent a penance. The demon Bana came to know about this incident and he came there. Seeing the beauty of Goddess, Bana fell for her and requested her to marry him. She ignored the request and went on with her meditation. This angered Bana, he caught hold of her hand and pulled her towards him. First of all, she was totally in a desperate mood with the happenings and when Bana tried to pull her she became ferocious. She started fighting with Bana and at the end of it, she killed him.

At that time all gods and saints appeared there and praised her action and pacified her. Then she decided to sit there itself and that is today’s temple.

Once, the main entrance to the temple was through the main gate on the eastern side. It is said that the light emitting from the diamonds of the jewelry in the idol reaches till the middle of the sea. Many ships have come near the shore mistaking this light as the one from a lighthouse. They all got wrecked too. Hence the entrance has closed for always and now the devotees are entering through another entrance.

Sasthamkotta Ayyappa Temple

Kerala has been divided into several smaller states on those days and each has been under a king. There were many tiny states and Pandalam was one among them. The world-famous Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple was under the control of the Pandalam royal family and the Lord Ayyappa has been considered their family deity.

Once, a young prince from this family got married to a beautiful princess of Kayamkulam. He stayed back at her palace and did not return to his own country. There was a custom for the family members of Pandalam Royal family to visit Sabarimala Temple once in a month and to perform several rituals there. This prince fell for the beauty and the romantic approach of his wife and forgot everything. When he got immersed in the materialistic life forgetting his family god, one day he had a nightmare where he saw many wild animals including tigers attacking him. He was so scared that he cried loudly in sleep. This has repeated for many days and the relatives of his wife have considered that he became mad. They scolded him and insulted him rudely.

Although his wife has supported him fully, he got hurt with the insults of other family members. One day he was sitting alone in the courtyard of the palace. Then a Brahmin came there and told him to visit Sabarimala Temple once as it was long since he went there last time. He asked the prince to be there for twelve days continuously. He took those words as of Sabarimala Ayyappa and went to Sabarimala.

Meanwhile, the king who has insulted the prince became mad. He could not recognize anybody and could not talk anything other than two words, “Kaduvayum Puliyum Pettu” (Tiger delivered a baby tiger). Quite depressed with these developments, other members consulted an astrologer. He told them that it is the punishment for insulting a devotee of Lord Ayyappa and the only solution is to offer one hundred and one gold coins to Sabarimala. He also instructed that he should make arrangements for Brahmins to use the words “Kaduvayum Puliyum Pettu” frequently in front of him. King submitted the gold coins as instructed by the astrologer and he asked the poets of his court to pen down new songs where the words, “Kaduvayum puliyum pettu” is coming frequently. Brahmins used to sing that song even now.

Meanwhile, the prince of Pandalam completed his 12 days rituals. Although he promised his wife that he will return on the thirteenth day, he decided to be at Sabarimala as it was too late. In the sleep, he saw a Brahmin coming near him and reminding him about the promise he made to his wife. The Brahmin told him that there is a white horse outside his room and he can take it to reach at Kayamkulam palace early morning. Quite surprised by this, the prince came out and saw a white horse. He took the horse and reached Kayamkulam. As soon as he alighted from the horse it disappeared.

Everything went smoothly for quite some days and the day has reached when the prince was supposed to visit Sabarimala once again. He was quite sad with the feeling that he will have to part from his wife for over a week. On that night, the Brahmin again appeared in his dreams and consoled him saying that he did not have to come to Sabarimala. He also promised the prince that he will come at a place nearer to him. Believing that it was Lord Ayyappa who came in his dreams in the disguise of Brahmin, the prince dropped his plans to visit Sabarimala.

Kayamkulam King was a warrior and he used to conduct many competitions for warriors regularly. As usual, one such competition was organized on the next day. On that night, the Brahmin again came in the dreams of the prince and told him that he will also participate in the competition. The next day, the competition began and a tribal youth attracted everybody’s attention with his expertise in all types of weapons. Pleased with his expertise, the King asked him what he should present him to mark his respect. The youth replied that he will shoot an arrow and the king should provide him land around that for him. King agreed and the youth shootout an arrow. It went far. King sent his soldiers to find out the place where it has fallen down. The tribal youth and the prince also followed them.

By the sunset, they reached near the banks of a lake and found that the arrow has felled down on the island in the middle of the lake. As it was getting dark they decided to go there the next day morning. The next day morning, the tribal youth and the prince went there in a boat. As soon as they reached there the youth disappeared and to the astonishment of the prince he has found out that the boat they were traveling was a crocodile. When he was wandering on the island, a soldier of Kayamkulam came there and informed the prince that he has seen an idol of Lord Ayyappa there. When the prince accompanied the soldier, he saw the idol with the golden crown and necklaces which he has offered at Sabarimala.

At that time a Brahmin came there and asked him whether he is happy. He told the prince that he can visit here frequently instead of going to Sabarimala. The Brahmin also instructed that the wild animals living there are his subjects and nobody should disturb them, Instead he asked the prince to feed them properly. Kayakulam King, who reached there by this time has quite surprised by these happenings and he instructed to construct a bridge across the lake to reach this island. He also constructed forts around the island and a big temple in the center. Thus this place has come to be known as Sastham kotta or the fort of Lord Sastha or Lord Ayyappa.

Now there are no wild animals, but a lot of monkeys. Even now the devotees offer food to the monkeys to please the god. Vanarasadya or the feast to monkeys in Sasthamkotta is very famous. 

Goddess of Cheerma and the toddy tapper

It has been considered that the piece of land where there is no myths and the piece of land which does not have its own folklore is drier than deserts. If to go with this statement, Kerala, the southernmost state of India is filled with greenery as it has a huge treasure of myths and folklore. The most fascinating feature of Kerala Mythology is that one can find gods, goddesses, human beings, celestial creatures, animals, etc living together, interacting with each other. Here is one such tale which is about the origin of Cheerma Bhagavathi Temple at Kanakathur in Kannur district of Kerala.

Once upon a time entire area belonged to a single feudal lord called Kanakathur Nair. There were a lot of coconut trees in his farm and youth belongs to Theeya community was the toddy tapper of this farm. Toddy is a traditional liquor of Kerala which is made out of tender coconuts. Kannan used to tap the coconut trees. He was an ardent devotee of Kodungalloor Bhagavathi. Once, he climbed a coconut tree that was located near the road to take out the toddy from that. When he was pouring the toddy to the can he was carrying, a drop or two fell down by mistake. When he looked down, he saw a beautiful young lady passing by and the drops falling on her.

He was totally upset with that and climbed down immediately. When he searched for the young lady, he saw her a bit far from him. He ran to her and kneeled down in front of her and begged for pardon. He told her that it happened by accident and he did not do it purposefully. She smiled at him and consoled him saying that there is no need to beg pardon for a mistake which happened accidently. Then she asked him for some toddy as she was feeling thirsty. Without thinking twice, he gave the can he was carrying with him. She drank the entire toddy and walked away.

The land lord, Kunnathur Nair came to know about this incident. He was very angry that Kannan has given a full can of toddy to a strange lady. When he questioned Kannan, he did not answer anything, but begged to pardon him. Nair, who was arrogant by nature could not control his anger, he killed him then and there itself.

Few days have passed. Kunnathur Nair’s family started experiencing troubles. Unnatural deaths, quarrels etc have become a regular thing in that family. Fed up with such happenings, he consulted one famous astrologer. He explained that all these things were happening due to the anger of Kodungalloor Bhagavathy, the Goddess of Kodungalloor. And the astrologer told that the reason behind this anger is the killing of an innocent man who was an ardent devotee of Bhagavathy.

Suddenly Nair recollected the incident of Kannan. Now he was sure that the strange lady was none other than Kodungalloor Bhagavathy who came there to see her devotee. He also realized that Kannan has been killed because he gave toddy to Goddess. With heart full of guilty feeling, he asked the astrologer to suggest some solution. According to the instruction given by the astrologer, he consecrated the soul of Kannan at the place where he has been killed. He constructed a small hut also. Near to this place he constructed a temple and dedicated it to Kodungalloor Bhagavathy.

However, the goddess was not satisfied with these and the Kunnathur family disappeared from the earth gradually. After that, the temple has been controlled by the locals, mainly belonging to the fisherman community.

Brahmins were jealous about the divine power in this temple managed by another community and its development. First they propagated that the divine power inside the temple is not Kodungalloor Bhagavathy. Then they brought an expert Brahmin Tantric to invoke the divine power from that temple and to take it away. They invoked the power and kept it inside a copper pot. To the surprise of all, suddenly the pot broke with a loud noise. From that day onwards, nobody had dared to play with the divine power in this temple. 

Thrippuliyur Mahavishnu Temple, the Temple of Massacre

Kerala, the southernmost state of India houses many temples. When some of them are very famous and attract thousands of devotees, some others are not so famous and the number of visitors also will be lesser. However, a visit to these small and not crowded temples will really give you peace of mind. I have once experienced god and had a conversation with the almighty in one of such temples.

Thruppuliyur Maha Vishnu Temple is one such temple. When you travel westwards from the Chengannur town you can see the beautiful landscape of paddy fields on both sides of the road. When you travel about five kilometers you will reach in front of a small hillock on the top of which is this temple situated. It is believed that the idol consecrated here is the one which has been worshiped by Bhima, the second Pandava. Hence it is believed that still, the presence of Bhima is here. Locals have many stories to prove this.

Once, a gang of burglars came to attack Aranmula Temple. Then Bhima from Thrippulliyur went there along with a huge black dog and killed all of them. Locals believe that the reason for the absence of theft and burglary in this area is due to the presence of Bhima and his dog. It is also believed that the single stone pillar for the “Ottakkal Mandapam” ( a historical structure) at Thiruvananthapuram was installed there by Bhima.

Elephants have great significance in the festivals of Kerala Temples. No festival will be complete without a procession of caparisoned elephants. It is common that some of the elephants will create problems going out of control of the mahouts. They have even killed people. However, no elephant will behave rudely in this temple as they all are feared by Bhima who is still present there. There is another example of the presence of Bhima here.

There is a community called “Kauravas”, a tribe who are performing rituals at the Duryodhana Temple in Malanada. If any member of this community came to Thrippuliyur, they cannot sleep. It is believed to be a result of the vengeance of Bhima towards Duryodhana.

However, this temple has witnessed a massacre once. Once, this temple has been controlled by twenty-eight families. Out of that twenty-seven were Brahmins and the last one was a Nair. Nair was the richest among them and being a warrior he used to command a lot of respect in the society. It was a custom prevailed on those days that the most significant person should sit on a blanket when there is a meeting. With the respect he enjoyed in the society, Nair was eligible to sit on the blanket when others (Brahmin Family Members) used to sit on mats.

According to the hierarchy prevailed on those days, the cast Nair was at a lower layer when compared to Brahmins. The egoistic Brahmins could not tolerate the significance given to this Nair. They hatched a plan to finish him off. Once, the temple committee meeting has been planned as usual. Brahmins came very early and they dig a big pit on the compound where the meeting was supposed to be held. Then they spread the blanket over it. When Nair came there for a meeting, they all stood up and invited him to sit on the blanket. Ignorant of the crooked plans of the Brahmins, Nair sat on the blanket and fell down in the pit.

Brahmins have kept many spears inside the pit. The sharp edges of those spears created many wounds on the body of Nair and he died inside the pit.

On those days, nobody dared to raise their voice against Brahmins, hence the family members of Nair kept quite. Days have passed and the first death anniversary of Nair has come. Nair’s family members arranged a huge function inside the temple. After the rituals, there was lunch for all people. As per the prevailing custom, Brahmins were invited first to have lunch. As soon as they finished lunch and about to go out of the temple, Nair’s nephew came there with a group of people who were all armed. They killed all the Brahmins using sharp swords. It happened inside the temple. Only one The brahmin family was not present on that occasion as they have moved out of the village on some other engagement. Hence they escaped the massacre.

All the doors of the temple were closed at that time. In their run to save the life, one Brahmin went inside the sanctum sanctorum and held the idol of Lord Vishnu tightly. Nair’s nephew entered there and killed him with his sword. The sword created a wound on the idol also and it is still visible. Every day the priests apply sandal paste on that move even now. After the massacre, the nephew of Nair and his gang escaped from there.

The temple closed for about two centuries after this incident. Then a saint came there one day and understood that the souls of those Brahmins are wandering around inside the temple. He performed all the rituals needed and gave salvation to those souls. Then the temple has been reopened.

Vayaskara Mooss, Another Legend of Kerala Ayurveda

Myths have a significant role in forming the culture and tradition of Kerala, the southernmost stated in India. Even it has a myth regarding its formation. It is believed that Kerala has been formed by Parasurama, the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu by throwing his ax into the sea from the hills of Gokarna. After forming the state, he has appointed eight Brahmin families to take care of the health of people inhabiting here. They are known as “Ashta Vaidyas” or eight doctors. These families are carrying out the practice of Ayurveda, the traditional medical stream of India even now. Vayaskara family in the Kottayam district of Kerala is one such family.

There are many stories about the effectiveness of their treatment. Here are a few of them.

Logic and common sense are the two qualities needed for a medical practitioner. The medicines prescribed in the texts will be the same, but the result of the treatment depends upon how a medical practitioner uses it. Even the children of this family are blessed with these two qualities hereditary. Here is a story about it.

Once, the head of the family has gone outside to treat some patients, and painting of the house was carried out then. On those days, quick lime was used to paint houses. A big bucket was kept outside the house filled with the liquid of quick lime. When the cowherd of the house released the cows from the shed, they all came there and drank this liquid and fell sick. Ladies in the family got worried as there were no communication systems on those days to inform the head of the family about the incident. After a long thought, they called a little boy from the family who was playing in the compound and narrated the incident. They asked him about the remedy. He asked the servants to bring lots of beetle nuts, and make a paste by crushing it and mixing it with water. As per his suggestion, they did the same. Then the boy gave the paste to the cows. After having a specific quantity of that paste, all the cows got relieved. When the head of the family came back, the ladies narrated the incident. He called the boy and asked him who told him about this medicine.

The innocent boy replied quickly that nobody has told, but he thought it will do as he has heard so many times the elders telling that the lime is too much on the beetle leaves which they used to chew, hence one more piece of beetle nut is needed. Thus he came to the conclusion that the beetle nuts can neutralize the effects of excess lime and he prescribed the medicine.

As mentioned earlier, this family is one of the eight families appointed by Parasurama, the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Hence, they take it as a service rather than a business. Even now they will not prescribe unnecessary medicines to the patients. Here is a good example of it. It happened very recently.

Once, a rich man in that area called Mathews suffered stomach aches. He was not able to eat anything though he was rich enough to buy any food article. He consulted many doctors of all medical streams, but there was no result. Finally, he came to Vayaskara Mooss. Vayaskra Mooss is a surname used by the male members of the family and in each generation, they are known by that name. Then Mooss examined him thoroughly and asked him what he used to have. He told that he was a poor man a few years back and was not in a position to buy costly rice. Hence he used to have a bean of rice which collect from various houses. However, he is having the best quality rice in the present as he has enough money with him. Mooss recognized the diseases and told him to mix a small quantity of bean of rice in water and to make a paste. He should have it before each meal.

Mathews, who became a rich man quickly could not digest this idea. He was highly egoistic and take this prescription as an insult to him. What he thought that the Mooss will suggest some costly medicines. Depressed with the treatment of Mooss, he went back and consulted another Ayurvedic Doctor of the locality called as Govindan Vaidyan. He narrated the entire incident and told the doctor that Mooss has insulted him by suggesting a cheaper medicine.

Govindan Vaidyar, who had great respect for Vayaskara Mooss was sure that the medicine suggested by the Mooss was the right one, still, he did not say it to Mathews. Instead, he told Mathews to have a special medicine prepared by him.

“But it will be costly” he added. Mathews said that he is not caring about the cost. He bought the medicine paying an exorbitant price. The name of the medicine was Kasthoori Rasayana. After having the medicine for three weeks, Mathews cured completely. He wanted to tell the incident to Mooss and went to the Vayaskara house. There he revealed that he had taken a costly medicine from Govindan Vaidyar and now he is relieved of the pain completely. As the answer to the query of Mooss Mathews told that the name of the medicine is Kasthoori Rasayana.

Following a burst of loud laughter, Mooss told Mathews that it was his fat that he had to eat the bean of rice from Govindan Vaidyar’s house although he had the same at his own house. This Rasayana was nothing but a paste of bean of rice. 

Kayamkulam Kochunni, the Robin Hood of Kerala

Rebels are always treated as antisocial when they were alive. This is common for all parts of the world irrespective of caste, religion, and creed. Fortunately, there were such rebels all the time who had thought in a different way than society thought. Their priority was to help the poor and to fight the evils of the affluent ruling class. Kerala too had a rebel in the past, whose glorious saga is still being sung by many people. His name is Kochunni and his area of functioning was Kayamkulam in the Alappuzha district of Kerala. Hence he became popular as “Kayamkulam Kochunni”.

His childhood was of great miseries. His father too was a thief, yet they had to lead a miserable life. He was not able to attend school. In his early ages, he left his house due to poverty and came to a place called Evoor. There he met a Brahmin and narrated his stories. Although Kochunni was an Islam, the Brahmin did not take that into consideration; instead, he was ready to help that poor boy. He took Kochunni to a nearby grain and provision store and asked the shop owner to give that boy a job there. The shop owner was keeping high regard about that old Brahmin and hence he could not neglect his appeal. Kochunni started working there as a sales boy. He was sincere in his job and hence gradually he became the manager of the shop.

On those days, the goods should come from the market in Alappuzha and the only mode of transport were through the water. One day, the shop owner and Kochunni went to Alappuzha to purchase goods from the wholesale market. When they were returning, there came a heavy storm and thunderbolt. The boat they were traveling was about to sink. The shop owner, prayed a lot to save their life. At that juncture, Kochunni asked the owner to keep calm and he took control of the boat. He rowed it through the trouble waters and reached the destination. Since then, he became the person to accompany the shop owner wherever he goes.

As the days passed, a Thangal, an Islamic Guru came to that village and started a Kalari (school for traditional martial arts). Knowing this, Kochunni too went there but rejected by the Thangal. The reason told by the Thangal was Kochunni’s father was a thief and naturally, he too will become a thief. He cannot train such a person who will become a nuisance to society.

Although sad by these words, Kochunni was not the person to give up. He regularly went there and watched entire things hiding behind a huge tree. He practiced everything he saw there in the night times. One day he caught hold by some students of Thangal. They brought him in front of Thangal. When Thangal asked him what all he learned, he replied that everything whatever taught in that Kalari. When Thangal tested him, he found to excel in all aspects and seemed to be more brilliant and talented than other students. Quite happy with this, he started teaching Kochunni. Apart from the martial art, he taught magic, sleight, etc too. Kochunni became an expert in all these forms of arts.

One day, the shop owner asked him to go to the house and get some grains as the entire stock got exhausted. When Kochunni reached home, he says the large and tall gate in front of the house is closed from inside. He did not hesitate. He stepped back a few steps and jumped over the gate, collected the grain, and jumped back again. The owner came to know about this incident from somebody else and when he questioned Kochunni, he told the truth. Happy with his approach the owner gave him more money than the salary but requested him to stop working there.

Kochunni went back to his house and got married. There he lived by stealing and robbery. However, he never attacked any poor or hapless people. His method was totally different. Whenever he needs some money, he used to approach rich people in that area. If they give money, he will return happily. If they are reluctant to give, the same day he will attack their houses and take whatever they have. He never utilized the entire amount he is taking from such houses; instead, he used to distribute the money among the poor. His needs were very less and he will take only that much money to meet his requirements.

There are many instances when he looted the house of rude and cruel landlords to feed the poor. He had a group of people with him who are always ready to carry out his orders. He never enters inside the house but used to wait outside and keep a vigil. Once they were looting a house, one of his group members fell on a huge vessel. Hearing the noise, the people inside the house woke up. They were about catch hold of the thief, then suddenly Kochunni entered the house and took a small kid sleeping there and throw him into the nearby paddy field. Hearing the cries of the kid, all the people went there and thus the thieves escaped.

His actions created a lot of troubles to the rich and the influential and based on their complaint, the King decided to catch him at any cost. He appointed a special officer for this task. When the officer inquired, he came to know about a village prostitute with whom Kochunni had an illicit relation. He allured the prostitute with many offers and she agreed that she will help.

Next time when Kochunni visited her, she gave him milk mixed with some powder. With the influence of it, he slept immediately. She informed the officer and he came with the police force and arrested him. However, when he became conscious the next day morning, he escaped from custody. He went directly to the house of the prostitute as he forgot his knife there. When he opened the door, he saw the prostitute with another young man. Kochunni took his knife and killed both of them. From that onwards, Kochunni never approached any other women.

The special officer appointed by the king tries his level best to catch him but Kochunni escaped each and every time miraculously. Finally, the officer became a success in creating infighting in his group. He took two of Kochunni’s close aides in confidence and using them, he caught him at last.

Kadamattath Kathanar, The Holy Priest of Kadamattom Church

Even today Kerala, the southernmost state of India is famous for Tantrics and people who are experts in, juggling, black magic, etc. There are no religion or cast bars in this. The story of Kadamattath Kathanar, the holy priest of Kadamattom Church underlines this factor.

Kadamattath Kathanar, whose original name was Paulose has born to a poor family and lost his parents in his childhood. Although he was brilliant and had thirst for knowledge, he was not able to attend school. When he did not have enough to satisfy his hunger, how he can go to school. One day when he was very hungry, he went to a nearby church and prayed in front of Jesus to get him some food. Hearing those prayers, the priest of that church took him to his room and fed him. After that, he inquired about the details of Paulose. Hearing his heart touching story, father decided to adopt him. Father appointed him as an assistant. Paulose had to do all the odd jobs and in turn, he got enough food and permission to attend the school run by the church. Meanwhile, he started learning theology too and conferred with the degree of Brother. Now he came to know as Brother Paulose.

There was a large farm in that church where there were hundreds of cows. Cowherds used to take them in the nearby forest to feed them properly. One day Brother Paulose also accompanied them. They were enjoying the calmness and the beauty of the forest and the cows were enjoying fresh grass and leaves. Suddenly a tiger came there roaring in a loud voice. The cowherds and cattle spread in different ways. However, the tiger went back immediately. Later, the father with the help of some local people found out all the cows and cowherds, but to his utter shock, he noticed that Paulose is missing. They searched till the sunset and then went with great grief.

Meanwhile, Paulose lost his way inside the dense forest and walked in the opposite direction. When it got darken and as he reached a plain, several people with ugly features rounded him with weapons. They took him to a cave where he saw an old man whom all of the others are respecting. Although Brother Paulose could not understand their language completely, he understood from their facial expressions that they are asking the permission of the old man to eat him. Then the old man came nearer him and told that they are tribal people inhibiting in that forest. Some of them used to go out of the forest and earn money and food by showing magic to the public and then return. But, most of them are living by hunting inside the forest. If anybody from the outside world enters in that area, either they will kill them and eat or they will be kept with them as slaves.

Understanding the reality and fearing miserable death in the hands of those barbarians, Paulose agreed to serve them as a slave. Gradually, he could attract the special attention and affection of the chief of the tribe and thus he learned sorcery and Tantra. Many years have passed and Paulose developed an ambition to meet his old mentor, the father of the Church. He had learned enough to make the people sleep unconscious and then he can escape from the cave, but he thought that by doing so he is cheating his master. He was in confusion and the chief suddenly recognized the change in Paulose. He asked about the reason and Paulose told the truth. Then the Chief told him.

“I cannot allow you to go out as it is against the rule of the land, but if you go out I will not take it as a cheating. However, you should promise that you will never reveal this place to anybody in the outside world.”

Paulose promised the same and came out of the cave after making the security persons sleep with the divine power he acquired from the chief of the tribe. He went directly to the church and introduced himself to the father. Father caught hold him tightly with tears of joy in his eyes. Later Paulose continued his studies in theology and became the main priest of the church on the death of the old priest. From then onwards he came to be known as “Kadamattath Kathanar” or the Holy Priest of Kadamattom Church. This church is still there and it is located in the Ernakulam district of Kerala on the way from Ernakulam to Moovattupuzha.

He had done many miracles to save people from the effects of evil spirits and a single page will not be sufficient to describe everything. Hence only one episode is mentioning here.

On those days the way from Thiruvananthapuram to Padmanabhapuram was a thick forest and most of the people feared to go through that. According to the locals, there is a Yakshi (a celestial creature which lives on human blood) is living there. She will come in disguise of a beautiful woman and attract the travelers. When they go along with her inside the forest, she will kill them and suck their blood.

Once Kadamattath Kathanar was traveling through this road, this Yakshi appeared in front of him. She requested him for some lime to chew with the beetle leaves. Kathanar offered the same on a iron nail. As soon as she touched the iron nail, she got caught inside the magical layer created with the divine power of Kathanar and she followed him as a slave. Kathanar reached a place called Kayamkulam, where he went to a home to have some food. Only one old lady was there. She received the Kathanar and the woman with him with great respect and offered food. When she asked about the woman, Kathanar told her that the woman is his servant. Then the old lady requested him to leave her there as she did not have a servant or a companion. Kathanar did so.

Gradually the yakshi became very close to the old lady. One day when the old lady was caressing the hair of yakshi she saw an iron nail penetrated inside her head. Without knowing the actual reason the old lady removed the nail and the yakshi got back her freedom. She started from that house. Kadamattath kathanar came to know about this suddenly. By analyzing the omens and signals he understood that she is travelling northwards. He started his journey and finally he saw her at a place called Mannanam. There he caught her once and told her that if she is continue to lead her old life, he will kill her. If she is ready to live without attacking any persons, she can live there peacefully. Yakshi agreed and Kathanar let her free.

Even now, many people are claiming that they have seen that yakshi many times, mainly in the nights of Fridays. Now she is affectionately called a Parumala Yakshi.

Ambalappuzha Palpayasam, a umique sweet dish offered at the temple

Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna Temple in the Alappuzha District of Kerala is regarded as one of the most important temples in Kerala. A special offering in this temple which is famous as “Ambalappuzha Palapayasam” is more famous with its delicious and unique taste. Palpayasam is a traditional Kerala sweet dish made with milk, rice, and sugar. Many extra articles will be added into it such as dry fruits, cashew nuts, etc to enhance the taste, but in Ambalappuzha only milk, rice and sugar are used in the preparation of Palpayasam. There are two different myths are taking round regarding this special offering in this temple.

The first one goes like this.

The temple and the area were under the rule of erstwhile Chembakasseri King. Once the kingdom experienced famine and people suffered a lot due to it. The king of Chembakasseri, whose first aim was to take care of his subjects borrowed a certain quantity of rice from a Brahmin landlord. The Brahmin gave the same based on a condition that the King should pay interest too while returning the rice.

Days have gone and when the King was about to return the rice it became too large quantity along with the interest. King found it difficult to return. Although the Brahmin went several times to the palace, he did not get his rice as per the condition. One day, when the King was about to go back to the palace after finishing his prayers at Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna temple, the Brahmin appeared in front of him and requested not to move a step further until the king paid him back the entire rice he owes to him. The king got shocked by the behavior of the Brahmin. Although he could have pushed aside the Brahmin with his military power and move forward, the King who was keeping morality at high esteem did not do that. He knew that he owes to the Brahmin and it is not good to avoid it. King stood there.

Hearing the news that a Brahmin caught hold of the king for nonpayment of loan, the public gathered there in large numbers. One feudal lord called Parayi Menon offered the Brahmin that he will get the entire quantity of rice in front of the temple by tomorrow afternoon. Based on this promise, the Brahmin allowed the king to move. The next day, Parayi Menon came with the promised quantity of rice which he has taken from his warehouse and collected from his friends and relatives in front of the temple and kept the entire thing there. Although the Brahmin came there, he could not lift the rice as nobody was ready to help him. People have high regard for their king and they knew that the king has borrowed the rice to feed the poor.

Unable to take back the rice, the Brahmin left it there, but the temple authorities were in confusion over what to do with it. They brought a famous astrologer. He predicted that Lord Krishna, who is the prime deity in the temple wishes that the entire rice should be sold and with the money temple should buy paddy fields and start a farm with a large number of cattle. They should use the rice cultivated in that field and the milk from those cows to make Palppayasam every day.

Another legend is related to the craze of the king which he had in Chess. One day a Brahmin came to his palace and challenged him to play chess. When the king asked for the prize for the winners, he told the King that the king can decide on it as he always plays to win the game. King agreed that he will give anything asked by the Brahmin if he could defeat the king. They started playing chess and the Brahmin won the game. King asked for the prize and the Brahmin told him that the king should keep one grain of rice in the first square in the chessboard, two grains in the second one and so sixty-four grains in the sixty-fourth square. When the king was struggling to calculate how many grains are required, the Brahmin told him not to be in hurry, instead, he can calculate the number of grains by the next day morning and bring it to the temple. Suddenly the Brahmin disappeared.

Surprised with this the King called an astrologer and asked. After doing his regular exercises, the astrologer confirmed that the Brahmin was none other than Lord Krishna. He also asked the King to insist the temple authorities make Palapayasam with the rice given by the king daily and to offer to the lord.

The preparation of Ambalappuzha palpayasam is also a unique thing. The stoves will be lighted in the early morning and they will keep water in a large pot to boil. When the entire water is about to evaporate, they pour a fixed quantity of milk into the pot. It will be allowed to boil till 11.30 am in low flame. Then they pour rice and cook it in the low flame. In the end they will mix the sugar. After offering to the lord, the payasam will be distributed among the devotees who have ordered it. Since they prepare limited quantities, one will have to order Ambalappuzha Palpayasam well in advance to ensure availability. 

Ganapathi Homam, Special Offering for Lord Ganesha by Kalloor Namboodiri

Lord Ganesha or Ganapathi, the Hindu god with the elephant face is considered as the divine power that removes all obstacles in our way. Hence, special offerings for Lord Ganesha will be done before starting any serene things. Ganapathi Homam is a regular ritual being conducted in almost all temples before starting other rituals. Usually, it has to finish before sunrise. A tank will be made using bricks and the floor of it will be polished using cattle dung. The chief priest will chant holy hymns and pour pure ghee in the holy fire lighted inside the tank. Different food articles such as coconut pieces will be offered to the god and the remaining will be distributed among the devotees as Prasada. Devotees accept this Prasada as a symbol of blessing from god.

There is a Devi Temple in Pazhayannoor in Ernakulam district of Kerala which is regarded as the family deity of the royal dynasty that ruled the erstwhile princely kingdom of Kochi. Ganapathi Homam was a regular thing in this temple too. Kalloor Namboodiri, the members of the famous tantric family in Kerala, Kalloor Mana have the right to perform this ritual in this temple. Usually, the young people belonging to this family used to go there to perform Ganapathi Homam.

Once, all the young members have to go to different places on different works and there was nobody to perform the Ganapathi Homam at Pazhayannoor Devi Temple. Hence the head of the family decided to go there and to perform the Homam. However, he was not able to wake up early morning. Secondly, he could not chant hymns loudly so that the devotees present there can hear it. Finally, he never distributed the Prasada among the devotees, instead, he used to offer entire thing to the holy fire.

The changes in the daily rituals made the devotees unhappy and at first, they approached some youths from the priest’s family requesting them to come and perform the Homam. They rejected the request saying that it is the head of the family who had to take a decision on this matter. Then the devotees approached the King and narrated the entire incident.

At the same time, one of the prominent personalities in that area encountered Kalloor Namboodiri and insulted him of performing the rituals in the wrong way. The harsh words of that person hurt Namboodiri and he sends one of his assistants to the King. He has handed over a message also written in a palm leaf. The message was that the Namboodiri will not perform Ganapathi Homam from the next day unless the king visited the temple and witnessed the Homam.

Hearing the allegations of the public and receiving the message from the Namboodiri, the king went to the temple immediately. He met Namboodiri and asked the reason behind leaving the temple. Then Namboodiri told the king that he is performing the rituals as per the methods he learned and the people are complaining about it due to their ignorance on the matter. He requested King to be present there and see the Homam through a small window with one eye closed. King agreed.

The next day Ganapathi Homam started as usual and the king and two of his bodyguards watched the entire thing through a small window with one eye closed. At the end of the ritual, to their surprise, they saw an elephant coming out from the holy fire. Namboodiri offered all the food articles available there to that elephant. It ate entire food and went back after blessing the Namboodiri with its trunk.

The king and his bodyguards could not believe their eyes. Their eyes which were open to see such a holy and serene sight lost sight and became blind. They came out and fell on the feet of the Namboodiri.

Kalloor Namboodiri blessed them and then told the king that all the members of his family who are performing this Homam are witnessing the same. Lord Ganesha will appear in front of them in the form of an elephant. He cannot leave it half-starving and hence he is feeding it with entire offerings.

King got happy and even now Kalloor Namboodiri is performing Ganapathi Homam at this temple.

Alathoor Nambi, the Legend of Kerala Ayurveda

There are many families in Kerala who are enjoying a high reputation for their effective Ayurvedic Treatments. Most of them are learning the traditional Indian medical science, Ayurveda from their ancestors, thus keeping the reputation of their family in high esteem. Alathoor Nambi’s family, which is one of the most important families in traditional Ayurveda is located in Alathoor near Ponnani in the Malappuram district of Kerala. Although they were experts and masters in Ayurveda, there are some incidents that made their treatment more effective. The legend about this is as follows.

Nambi is the sir name of the family and all the male members carry this as a suffix. Once a Nambi, who was also an expert Ayurveda doctor lived here. It was his routine to visit the nearby Shiva temple everyday morning. One day he noticed two birds sitting in the branch of a tree on his way. They started chiming “kwaruk… kwaruk…”. He ignored the same.

However, it has become a regular thing. The birds were present in that tree and they repeated the words “kwaruk…kwaruk…” every day when Nambi passes through. One day Nambi stopped hearing this chiming and replied.

“Kale hitha mithabhoji

Krutha chamkramana kramena vamashaya

Avidhrutha moothra poreesh

Sthreeshuyathathma chayonara soruk”

It was a verse which means who is having only limited food on time and who walks regularly, who is sleeping with his left hand, who will not block his urine and stool, and who is not crazy in sex is the person who will never get ill. Suddenly the birds disappeared. It is believed that those birds were Ashwini Devatas, the twin gods related to medical science. What they were asking regularly was “kwaruk or ka aruk” which means who will not suffer from diseases in Sanskrit. Nambi could give a convincing reply and they satisfied with that.

After a few days, two Brahmin boys came to Nambi’s house and requested him to teach them Ayurveda. Nambi agreed and they started learning the subject staying at Nambi’s house. Both of them were brilliant and at the same time very mischievous too. They used to put forth many puzzles in front of Nambi as their doubts. They used to give more versions for a verse when Nambi interpreted the same in his own way. Gradually Nambi came to know that he is learning more by teaching those boys and this increased his interest and he started ignoring all their mischief.

One day they set fire the guest house situated inside the compound. On some other day, they were going along with Nambi to treat one of his patients. On the way, there was a river and no boats were available there. They had to cross the river using a narrow bridge made with the trunk of a coconut tree. When they were in the middle of the river, they pushed Nambi into the river. Although he had to swim half the way and continue the journey with wet clothes, he did not scold them.

Nambi kept on teaching them even after these incidents. One day, when Nambi was out, one of his patients suffering from headache came there. He was a regular patient and whenever he suffers from headaches, he used to visit Nambi. He used to get some relief with the medicines prescribed by Nambi, but could not cure it permanently. On that day when he came there, Nambi was not there. These two boys took the patient inside a room. They went outside the compound and collected some herbs and came back. They closed the door and started squeezing the herbs to make oil. When they applied the oil on his head, the skin covering the skull has come up. After removing the skin, they cleared off the skull of some worms. It was these worms that used to make a headache. After removing them, they replaced the skin and applied the oil again. The patient got a permanent relief and he went out with great joy.

All this time, the children of the Nambi family were watching entire incidents through a small window. When these Brahmin boys came out, they saw the children watching them through a small window. They called them and told not to watch like this as they may develop squint-eye.

Later when Nambi came back children narrated entire incidents. Without telling anything, he went inside for lunch. When he was having lunch, the two Brahmin boys came there and told them that they have learned enough and now planning to leave him. As they did not have anything to pay as guru dakshina (fees for teaching) they will give him a divine book which contains divine remedies. They insisted that only those belonging to that family should see what is written inside the book. As he was having lunch, he received the book with his left hand. He followed them to say goodbye till the gate. There he pleaded them to reveal their right identity. Pleased with his devotion and love they told him that they were Ashwini Devathas the twin gods related to Ayurveda. They blessed him that his medicines will never go in vein and as he received the divine book with left hand, the medicines will be more effective if he gives with left hand. They told that at least one member in the family in all generations will have squint eye. It is happening even today.

There is one more legend behind the practice of giving medicines with the left hand. One day this Nambi was sitting in the portico. Then an old Brahmin came there suffering from some stomach disorder. Nambi asked him to stay there for a few days for treatment. He agreed. However, the diseases did not cured even after applying several courses of medicines. Then Nambi used a tube which he inserted inside the throat of the patient and started applying liquid medicine through that. He used to catch hold of the tube with his right hand and apply the medicine with his left hand. After three days of treatment the patient got cured completely.

When he was about to go back, Nambi requested him to reveal his identity. He told him that he is none other than Thaksha, one of the Ashta Nagas (Eight serpentine gods in Hindu mythology). He blessed Nambi that his treatments will be more effective if he applies the medicines with his left hand. Even now the new generation of this family used to apply medicines with left hand.

There are several stories highlighting the expertise of Nambis in Ayurveda, but due to space availability I am keeping them all for next occasion. 

Legend of Chakkulathu Kavu and Pongala

There will not be many people in India who are not heard about Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple. Entry to this hilltop temple is restricted to women. Only those who are below nine years old and above fifty are allowed here. Hence the number of female pilgrims is lesser to this temple. At the same time, millions of women pilgrims are thronging at a temple in the Alappuzha district of Kerala which enjoys the reputation as the Sabarimala of Women. Chakkulathu Kavu, which is located at Thalavadi in Alappuzha is dedicated to Lord Devi. The soil of this place is considered serene as a bit of it will be taken usually to be a part of the construction of any temples in Kerala.

The legend behind this temple goes like this. Once upon a time entire, this place was a dense forest that will be in darkness even at noon. In such a thick forest once a hunter came for hunting. On his way, he saw a golden color snake. It was common for him to come across snakes and other wild animals and he did not get afraid, instead, he tried to kill it with his ax. Although he hit the snake hard, the snake did not get injured, instead, it went back. He followed the snake and kept on hitting it. Finally, the snake went over an ant-hill and took rest there. The hunter who followed the snake came there and hit at it again. This time, a small wound appeared on the head of the snake, and blood started oozing out of it. To his surprise, the ant-hill too got broken and water started flowing out of it.

At that time hunter’s son and wife too reached there and got worried about the incidents. They went back to a nearby village and informed the people about the incident. When the villagers came there, a saint too came there and told them that there is the presence of divine power in the form of Adiparashakthi or Goddess Devi inside the ant-hill. He insisted the hunter break open the ant-hill completely. He refused as he was scared and requested the saint to do so. Saint agreed and did so and found an idol of Devi inside that. He asked the villagers to start worshipping the goddess there.

It is believed that the saint who came there was a saint Narada and those who came in disguise of the hunter, his wife, and son were Lord Shiva, Parvathy, and Ganesha. Thus the soil is believed to have blessed with the touch of holy feet of Lord Shiva, Parvathy, Ganesha, and Saint Narada. That is the reason behind taking a bit of this soil to be a part of any constructions.

There was a pond in that area that was always filled with water. The water was as sweet as jaggery or palm sugar. The words for jaggery and pond in the local language Malayalam are chakra and kulam respectively. Thus this place came to know as Chakkarakulam or the Jaggery pond and later corrupted to Chakkulam. The place where the water started flowing out of the ant-hill is known as Neeretupuram. Later this pond has been filled and the present day temple has been constructed by Pattamana Illam, a famous Brahmin family of Kerala.

The Devi worshipped here is believed to be Kali who has finished her task of killing Chanda and Munda Asuras. Hence the divine power is considered to be in the ferocious form of Devi. Nearer to the main temple, there is another temple which is dedicated to “Yakshi Amma”. Yakshis are celestial creatures who used to live drinking human blood. This yakshi was also a cruel one. One day she caught hold of a poor girl who was an adamant devotee of this Devi. Hearing her cries Devi came there and seeing her furious face, Yakshi got scared and requested her to allow her a place to sit near her. She also promised that she will stop to be cruel and instead bless the devotees of Devi. This Yakshi is being worshipped in this temple as “Yakshi Amma”.

There is a legend behind Chakkulathu Pongala too. When the idol was found, it was the hunter and his family who took care of it for over a month. During those times, they used to cook food in mud vessels and used to offer the same to Devi. The rest over food will be taken in by the hunter and his family. Once, the hunter became late and his wife got worried. Her worry was that the Devi may feel hungry if not offered the food on time. When she started weeping out of this thought, A vessel full of cooked rice appeared beneath the nearby tree and she heard the voice of Devi telling her that today she had prepared food for her and her family. Even now it is believed that the Devi will participate in Pongala along with devotees and cook food along with them.