Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Legend of Sankaranarayana Temple Navaikulam

Navaikulam, a small village in the Thiruvananthapuram District of Kerala has a history as the place of Vedic studies. In ancient days, there were many Vedic scholars who used to stay over here and conducted classes. The word ‘Navai” is used to mentioned Vedic studies and the word “Kalam” means “Place” in the local language Malayalam. Thus the village got the name Navaikalam and later it has changed to “Navaikulam”.
Although this tiny village was once famous for Vedic studies, the present reason for it is very famous is the presence of Sankaranarayana temple. The concept of Sankaranarayana or a deity that has both the divine power of Sankara or Shiva and Narayana or Vishnu has come up during the 8th and 9th centuries. Many historians believe that it has come up as a measure to solve the long-pending rivalry between the Shivites and Vaishnavites. The legend behind this temple also points to the same thing. The legend goes like this.
Once, Lord Shiva along with his wife Goddess Parvathi, son Lord Ganesha and Sister Sri Bhagavathy went for darshan at Sankarankoil. On their way back they reached a place called Darshanavattom, a nearby place to Navaikulam. There Lord Shiva sent his sister Bhagavathi to search for an ideal place for him to take rest.

During her search, she came to Navaikulam and liked the place very much as it was full of sandal trees and flowers. Instead of going back to Lord, she decided to be there. Lord Shiva got upset as his sister did not return even after quite a long time. He asked Goddess Parvathy to remain there and went on a search for his sister along with Lord Ganesha. They say Bhagavathi taking rest at a place that has a serene atmosphere. Angry with her action, Lord Shiva caught hold of her by legs and threw her away and took that place. Bhagavathy fell a bit away from this place and got mutilated. She lost one of her breasts and even now there is a Bhagavathi temple a bit away from the Sankaranarayana temple. Goddess Parvathy remained at Darsanavattom and there is a temple for her even now.


Years after, when the locals found a divine power in that area, they tried to build a temple at that place. They approached the King of Ayi dynasty who was running the area. King agreed and the work progressed. When it comes to installing the idol, some people demanded Shiva and some others for Vishnu. As a compromise, the King told them to install the idol of Sankaranarayana in which the divine powers of Both Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu will be there. Thus Sankaranarayana Temple came up. 

Monday, July 28, 2014

Legend of Maruthorvattom Dhanwandhari Temple

Dhanwandhari, the God of Ayurveda, the traditional stream of medical science of India is considered a semi incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Out the Holy Trinities of Hinduism, Lord Vishnu is considered the one who is responsible for the maintenance of life on earth. Dhanwandhari is believed to have come out of the milky ocean when the Gods and Demons were churning the ocean for Amruth, the holy honey which can give a new life. He is believed to have come out with the pot containing Amruth. Lord Dhanwanthari is being worshipped by the Ayurvedic Doctors and also by patients to get the full effect of medication.
Lord Dhanwathari

When Parasurama created Kerala out of ocean, he entrusted eight families to take care of the health of the people living there. They are known as Ashtavaidyas or the eight doctors. Vellodu Moosu was one among them and his family was in Vadakkanchery in Trichur District. Later he shifted to a small village in Alleppy district in south Kerala. He was very efficient doctor and a single dose of medicine given by him could cure any diseases. In the local language Malayalam one doze of medicine is called as “Marunnu oru vattam”. This later got corrupted to Maruthwarvattam and the village came to known by this name.
After a few years of his shifting to this village, a feudal lord from Vayalar, a nearby place gifted him with the idol of Dhanwandhari as a mark of gratitude for curing him from a chronic disease. Vellodu Mooss started worshiping this idol in his Pooja room.
Maruthorvattom Dhanwanthari Temple

Years have gone and during the invasion of Tippu Sultan, another Ashta Vaidya with the name Cheerattumon Moosu also shifted to this village. He felt the divine energy of this idol and requested the then Vellodu Moossu to construct a temple and install the idol there. Both the families together constructed the temple and installed the idol there.
Karkkidaka Vavu, Sree Krishna Jayanthi and Dhanwanthari Jayanthi are the main festivals celebrated here. This temple is situated about 3 Km from the Cherthala Bus stand and just 5 Km from the railway station. Many devotees are coming here every day seeking the help of Lord Dhanwanthari to cure different diseases.


Thunchath Ezhuthachan Father of Malayalam Literature

Once the Malayalam month of Karkkidakaom comes, most of the houses in Kerala will get filled with the verses of Ramayana. Most of the Hindus of Kerala consider it serene to read “Adhyathma Ramayanam”, preferably the Malayalam version was written by Thunchath Ramanujan Ezhuthachan. He is being considered the father of modern Malayalam literature. Here is a legend behind his birth.
Ramayanam reading in Karkkidakom Month

As all are aware there are many different versions of Ramayana, the great Hindu epic written by different people. Although the original version has been written by Sage Valmiki, other versions are also revered as equally as Valmiki Ramayana. Once, a Brahmin who was a devotee of Lord Rama too wrote a different version of Ramayana. Being a staunch devotee of Rama, his version was expressing the “Bhakti Bhava” or the devotional aspect rather than narrating the story. Hence it is called “Adhyathma Ramayana”. Brahmin thought that people will aspect his version of the epic more than any other version as it has a more devotional aspect in it, but unfortunately the book got ignored by the public as well as by the scholars. Adding more insult to injury, people of his village started calling him as a mad man who dared to write the epic when there are many versions of the same written by eminent people are available. As he could not suffer the insults, he left his village and wandered without any aim. On the way, he reached inside a forest. Being hungry and tired, and since it was dark, he decided to take rest under a huge tree. He fell asleep fast.
After some time he woke up as he felt somebody is trying to wake him up. He saw a handsome guy in front of him. He asked the Brahmin how he happened to be in this forest in the night. The innocent Brahmin told him the entire story. Then the young handsome guy asked the Brahmin to start his journey and to be at Mookambika temple on the Maha Shivarathri day. There he will come across a sage accompanied by four dogs. The young man insisted the Brahmin give his book to that sage and everything will be alright. He also told the Brahmin that the sage will ask him who asked to do so. He insisted that the Brahmin should not reveal the same.
Thunchath Ezhuthachan

Brahmin started his journey and reached at Mookambika temple on Shivarathri day. As the sun started setting, he saw a sage accompanied by four dogs coming to the temple. He managed through the crowd and reached the sage. As insisted by the young man he submitted his book to the sage and requested him to bless him. Then the sage asked him who guided him to do so. Poor Brahmin expressed his inability to reveal the same as he has promised not to reveal it. He begged the pardon from the sage with folded hands.
Then the sage told him that he knows who has guided him. That young man is a Gandharva a celestial creature who is good at different arts. The sage told the Brahmin that he will curse that Gandharva to take birth as a man in the earth for doing so. Then he took some holy water from his water jug and sprayed it over the book. Then he told the Brahmin that soon this book will get wide acceptance and will be read by more people than any other version.
Thunchath Ezhuthachan Memorial

Being happy on this the Brahmin went back to his village and on the way, he met the Gandharva and narrated the entire incident. He told that he knew everything and ready to take birth as a human being. This sage was none other than Veda Vyasa and the four dogs were the four Vedas.
It is believed that Thunchath Ramanujan Ezhuthachan is the human incarnation of this Gandharva. That is the reason why he preferred the Adhyathma Ramayana to translate to Malayalam and not any other versions. Being a Gandharva in original, he was very fond of music and was an expert in it. Hence he wrote the story of Ramayana as Kilippaattu, or as a song sung by a bird.