Akavoor Chathan and the Legend of Ochira Temple

According to Hinduism, there is only one god and that is very much within you. All the rituals and traditions followed by Hindus are to realize this truth and to enhance the divine power within us. Legend of Akavoor Chathan, another great personality from the ‘Parayi Petta Panthirukulam underlines this truth.

Not much known about the childhood of Akavoor Chathan. His name was Chathan and ‘Akavoor is the village where he lived. Right from his late teens, he was living with a Brahmin as an obedient servant. He used to accompany his master wherever he goes and the master has great reverence about Chathan. Hence he treated him as a friend.

Once, this Brahmin got attracted to a young lady in the neighboring village. When enquired about her, he came to know that she was already married and a mother of two children. This information came as a shock to the Brahmin as according to the unwritten laws of the society then, longing to have a relation with a married woman was a great sin. He felt guilty of his lust and decided to visit holy places and to take bath in holy rivers to get rid of the sin. As usual, Chathan too followed him. Chathan took a bottle gourd also with him. He took that bottle gourd to all the holy places they visited and dipped in all holy rivers where they take bath. Although the Brahmin noticed it, he did not ask anything about it.

After a long pilgrimage, they returned back. On that day when the Brahmin was having his lunch, he felt a bitter taste in one of the dishes and asked about it. Then Chathan told him that he made that dish with the bottle gourd which he took along with them. If it still tastes bitter, master has not come out of the clutches of the sin. According to Chathan, he took the bottle gourd to all holy places and dipped in all holy rivers. If the sin can be removed by that, certainly the bitter taste too would have been removed.

This came as another shock for Brahmin. He asked Chathan about what to do to recover from the sin. Then he told that his master should make a huge bronze statue of a woman and it should be heated to the maximum level. He should invite all the villagers to witness this. When the statue became red-colored, he should speak out about what he did loudly in front of the crowd and hold the statue tightly. Brahmin agreed and made all the arrangements.

He announced the mistake he did loudly and went forward to hold the statue. When he was about to touch the statue, Chathan stopped him and told him that he has come out of the clutches of the sin. According to him, sincere repentance is the best remedy to escape from the clutches of sin. Everybody gathered there agreed to his argument.

After this incident, the Brahmin turned more religious and started worshiping “Parabrahmam” the ultimate divine power according to Hinduism. Once Chathan asked him how this ‘Parabrahmam’ looks like. Enjoying the innocence of Akavoor Chathan, he told that it looks exactly like the bull which they use on their farms. Many days and years have passed and the Brahmin got bored with life. He decided to go for a pilgrimage and asked Chathan to accompany him.

Ochira Temple

They started their journey and after a few days, they reached a place where there were a lot of bushes and small plants around. Suddenly Brahmin came to know that Chathan is not following him. He turned back and worried and started going back. There he saw Chathan sitting in the sand and giving directions such as ‘turn left’, ‘now down your head’ etc. Brahmin could not find anybody else there and hence asked him whom he is talking to. Then Chathan replied that he was talking to the bull which was following him. Quite surprised by this answer Brahmin asked him which bull he is talking about.

He told him that the bull which appeared in front of him when he started worshipping ‘Parabrahma’ in the form of a bull. Then Brahmin told him that he is not able to see. Akavoor Chathan asked his master to touch him and then look at it. Now the Brahmin was able to see the bull which has been caught inside a bunch of creepers and not able to move.

Witnessing this, the master fell on the feet of Chathan and told him that he is far greater than his master and taught a good lesson to him. Sincerity, dedication, and devotion are the three things required to get the divine blessings and all other things are just peripheral things.

Temple Festival at Ochira

When the Brahmin asked Chathan to continue their journey, he refused to accompany him saying that he cannot come without the bull. Thus the bull and Chathan stayed back there and the divine power within him remained there forever along with the presence of ‘Parabrahma’. That is the place where the present-day Ochira Temple is situated.

Ochira Temple in the Kollam district of Kerala does not have a building or a well-defined idol. Stone is being worshiped as the main deity and it is being kept under a huge banyan tree.  Devotees can worship the divine power in any form they wish to. As Akavoor Chathan taught, if we worship with sincerity, dedication, and devotion, certainly the divine power will bless us.

The festival of Lights, Panthrandu vilakku (Twelve Lamps) is the most popular festival in this temple and probably the only one of its kind. This twelve-day festival will start from the 1st of Malayalam month Vrischikam (Nov-Dec) every year. Vrischikam is the fourth month in Malayalam Calendar and considered to be an auspicious month. Many temples will have festivals this month and the Sabarimala Shrine will open on the first of Vrischikam for the Mandalam Season.

A good number of small huts will be built in the vast temple compound sprawling across 36 acres and the devotees will stay in these huts for twelve days. Spiritual discourses, cultural programs, and bhajans will be there round the clock. A lot of business activities also will take place with many street vendors and mobile carts around the temple premise. Several devotees donate generously for annadanam, serving food for free to the devotees who visit the temple during panthrandu vilakku.