Suchindram, The Place where Indra got purified

Although, the Suchindram and famous Suchindram Sthanumalaya  Perumal Temple is located in Tamil Nadu, it was a part of Kerala earlier. The area was under the rule of Travancore Kings once and it has a significant place in the history of Travancore. This temple is marked in history as the place where the test of honesty has been conducted by the Kings. If someone comes under suspicion of theft or any other criminal activity, the person will be brought to this temple. Then a huge vessel will be placed in front of him filled with boiling ghee. The suspect should dip his or her hands inside the hot ghee and if he or she got burned, it is decided that the person is the culprit.

This practice has been followed for many years till Swathi Thirunal abolished it. Actually, the harlequin of King’s court was behind such a move. Once, some of the royal jewelry has missed and everybody pointed fingers to the harlequin. He denied the allegation and told that he is ready to take a test at Suchindram Temple. When all, including the King, was waiting outside, the chief priest of the temple came out with a vessel full of hot ghee. The priest was holding the vessel with a piece of cloth in order to prevent his hands from the heat. Then the harlequin shouted firmly that it was the priest who took the ornaments from the palace. He argued further that if it was not the priest, why he should hold the vessel with a cloth. If he is innocent, his hands will not get affected by the heat. Sensing the logic in the argument, Swathi Thirunal, the King of Travancore stopped that barbarian practice.

This temple is only one temple in India, where the divine powers of the trinity, Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva are presented in a single idol. And it is believed that many great saints including Agasthya, Vyasa, Vasishta, etc have visited this temple and worshiped the divine trinity. There are two legends behind the origin of this temple.

In one of them, Saint Athri, along with his wife Anasuya went to the Himalayas and underwent severe penance. Pleased with their devotion, Lord Vishnu appeared in front of them and asked them to go towards the south and to get settled near the Pranja Theertham in Gyanaranyam. He advised them to lead a family living there. According to his instruction, both of them went to Gyanaranyam (It was the old name for Suchindram) and started living there. Once, Saint Athri had to go to Brahma Loka to participate in a Yagna. At that time the holy trinities, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva decided to test Anasuya. They appeared in front of her in the disguise of old Brahmins and requested her to give them alms. When she turned inside to bring something, they insisted that she should serve them food without wearing any clothes. They also told her that if she is not ready to do it, they will not accept the alms and will go back.

She was an intelligent lady. She went inside and took a few drops of holy water kept by Saint Athri for some rituals and sprayed it on the old men after murmuring some holy hymns. Suddenly they all turned to be small kids. Then she fed them milk and food without wearing any clothes. At the same time, Saraswathi, Lakshmi, and Parvathy, the wives of Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva respectively, came to know about the fate of their husbands. They came to Gyanaranya and narrated the whole thing to Athri and requested her to save their husbands. She expressed her inability and asked them to wait until Athri came back from Brahma Loka. Three Goddesses spent the whole time in meditation near the Pranja Theertham till Athri came back. The present-day festival in the Tamil Month Markazi (November-December) is being celebrated to commemorate the meditation of goddesses. When Atari came back, he came to know everything. He asked his wife to bring a few more drops of holy water and spray over the kids. When she did that the holy trinities regained their original shape. Quite happy with the incident, the trinities asked Saint and his wife to ask for some boons. They asked them to be present at the premises all the time. Suddenly they created three stone pillars and placed one above the other. Then the trinities told them that the base one is Brahma, the middle one is Vishnu and the top one is Shiva. They assured the saint and his wife that their divine power will be in this pillar shaped idol in the above-said order and asked them to worship it regularly. Even now, the same idol is being used here.

The second legend is connected with Indra, the king of demigods. Once, Indra was going through the skyways, he saw Ahalya, wife of Saint Gowtham watering the plants in their compound. Attracted with her physique and beauty, Indra started developing lust. He decided to enjoy the beauty and youthfulness of Ahalya at any cost. Once he came to their Ashram before the dawn and howled as if a cock. Saint Gowtham mistook it as that of an original cock and thought the sun has risen. He went to have a bath in the river.  Then Indram entered the Ashram in the disguise of Saint Gowtham and had sex with Ahalya. Gowtham realized that it was still the night as soon as he reached on the banks of the river and hence he returned. When he returned he saw both Indra and Ahalya in the compromising position. He cursed Indra to have a penis all over his body as he did a sin due to his uncontrollable lust. Similarly, he cursed his wife also to become a rock. When pleaded, she got relief as the saint blessed her that Lord Sri Ram will visit her during Threthayuga and will give her salvation.

Indra, who became an ugly figure with a penis all over the body due to the curse, went to Gyanaranya and underwent penance there for years. At the end of it, holy trinities appeared in front of him and removed all the ugliness from his body. Thus Indra got purified. The place where Indra got purified became popular as Suchindram (suchi means purification). On the request of Indra, holy trinities transferred their divine powers to a single stone and that is the idol being worshipped here even today. 

Legend of Chelamattom Sree Krishna Temple

The Deity That Gives Salvation to the Souls

Bali is an important ritual in Hinduism, especially in Kerala which is meant for providing salvation to the souls. People used to gather at places to offer Bali to give salvation to the souls of their ancestors who are dead. Chelamattom Sri Krishna Temple, which is located on the banks of Holy River Periyar, in between Perumbavoor Town and Kaladi the birthplace of Sri Sankaracharya is one such holy place where people gather to offer Bali. On the right-hand side of the temple, the River Periyar flows towards east while it flows towards the west in all other areas. The legend is that Sri Sankaracharya changed the direction of the river here to enable him to have morning rituals after taking bath in the river.

Here in this temple, Lord Maha Vishnu has been consecrated in three forms, or in other words the presence of three incarnations of Lord Vishnu is here which a unique feature is. Those three incarnations are Narasimha, Vamana and Sri Krishna. The presence of the furious Narasimha helps devotees to remove all the evil spirits in them too. Before coming to the legend of this temple, let us go through a story in the epic Maha Bhagavatham.

After killing Kamsa, Sri Krishna spent about sixty-four months in the Asram of Saint Sandeepini to complete his studies. After finishing the studies, Sri Krishna asked his Guru (Teacher) Saint Sandeepini, what he should offer as Guru Dakshina (It is custom for the students to offer something in cash or kind to the teacher or Guru as the fee for their service after finishing their studies) Sandeepini told him that he was fortunate enough to be the guru of the person who is the real guru for the world. But Krishna was not satisfied with it and asked again what he should do. Then Sandeepini requested Krishna to return his son, who has died long ago drowning in the sea.

Sri Krishna called Varuna, the god of the sea, and enquired about the incident. Then Varuna told him that one demon with the name Panchajanan has brought the son of Sandeepini and killed. He also informed that Panchajanan is living inside a conch in the deep sea. Lord Krishna entered the sea and took the conch where the demon used to live. That conch is the famous Panchajanyam. Then he entered the Yamaloka, the world of the dead in his cosmic form. Seeing him in cosmic form, Lord Yama, the god of death scared and returned the son of Sandeepini. He also freed all the dead people there at that time. Sri Krishna returned son to Sandeepini. At the same time, all the other souls presented at Yamaloka at the time got salvation as they could witness the cosmic form of the god. Here in Chelamattom, the Krishna idol is in that form where Krishna exhibited his cosmic form in Yamaloka. That is the reason for people gathering here to offer rituals for the salvation of the souls of their dead ancestors.

Now coming to the legend behind this temple, it is believed that only the idol of Narasimha was here initially. Once a group of people belongs to the Pulaya community, a lower cast according to the prevailing system then witnessed a box floating in the river. Rays of light were emitted from it. People dived into the river to capture the box, but nobody could. It neither flowed down along with the current nor could anybody hold it. Surprised with this miracle, people informed the incident to Veliyakkol Namboodiri, a Brahmin staying nearby. Seeing the box Namboodiri jumped into the river swam across and brought the river to the bank. When he opened it, everybody gathered there surprised to see a Krishna idol inside it. The rays of lights were emitting from it. At first, the Namboodiri took this idol to his house, placed at a sacred place, and started performing rituals. Later on, he realized that this is a powerful idol and should not be placed inside the house. Hence he took it to the Narasimha Temple nearby, constructed another temple near to that, and consecrated the idol there.

Similarly, another Brahmin, Thottamattom Namboodiri was worshipping the Vamana idol at his house. Later on, he realized that the lord is not happy to sit there. Hence he too took the idol to the Narasimha Swamy temple and consecrated the idol thereafter constructing another temple. Thus three incarnations of Lord Vishnu came inside the same compound.

Kanjirangatt Vaidya Natha Temple

Idol has been consecrated by Sun God

Kanjiragatt Vaidya Natha Temple is located near Taliparamba in Kannur District of Kerala. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and here the lord is being worshipped as Vaidya Natha, the god that cures all diseases. The legend of this temple goes back to the period of Parasurama.

Lord Vishnu has taken the incarnation of Parasurama to destroy the Kshatriyas or the rulers who were behaving rudely. After finishing his duty, he was undergoing penance in a thick forest. One demon named Karaskaran was living in that forest. Karaskaran is the son of demon Bhasmasura who got a boon from Lord Shiva that everybody will ruin to ashes if he put his hands on them. After getting the boon, the demon tried to test it with Lord Shiva himself. If the demon puts his hands on Shiva’s head, Shiva will remain as ashes. Shiva started running to save his life. At that time Lord Vishnu once again took the Mohini incarnation and appeared in front of the demon in disguise of a beautiful woman.

The demon fell for her and asked to marry him. She in turn told him that she will marry only that man who can defeat her in dancing. The demon was ready for a competition. She insisted that if the demon is an expert in dance, he should repeat the steps she shows and he agreed. In between the competition, she showed a special step where she kept both her hands on her head. The demon repeated the same step and as soon as he kept both his hands on his own head, he remained to ashes as per the boon given by Lord Shiva.

Karaskaran, son of Bhasmusara was also equally cruel as his father. His most powerful weapon was loud laughter. People used to scare with that. When Parasurama was undergoing penance, demon Karaskaran came there with loud laughter. It disturbed Parasurama. Angry with the rude behavior of the demon, Parasurama beat him with his ax and that was enough for him to silence the demon. Happy with this act, gods showered flowers on Parasurama from heaven.

After finishing this act, Parasurama started moving to another place. On the way, his leg touched a stone and he realized it as a Shiva Linga. He took seven rounds around the Linga and started performing rituals as per the custom. Then the sage Narada came there and told the story of that Linga.

While the milky ocean has been churned to extract Amruth, the medicine to keep evergreen youth, a poison called Kalakoodam too came out of it. If it falls on the earth, the entire earth will destroy. To save the earth, Lord Shiva consumed that poison wholly. Then he created a Linga for him and both he and his wife Goddess Parvathy started performing rituals to it. Hence, Lord Shiva could save himself from the evil effects of the poison. Once recovered, Shiva and Parvathy kept that Linga at Mount Kailash and used to offer prayers daily.

Meanwhile, God Sun got ill due to many poisonous gases. At that time, Garuda came there and told Sun God about this Linga. Garuda suggested that he should worship that Linga and will be cured. As per Garuda’s advice, Sun God approached Lord Shiva and requested to hand over that Linga. Shiva gave it with pleasure and advised him to consecrate the same at a serene place where there are no cremation grounds and start worship. Sun God finalized this place after a wide search and consecrated the Linga and start worshipping it. Soon he got cured.

When Sage Narada Finished the story, Parasurama bowed in front of the Linga with great respect and constructed the temple there. That is the present Kanjirangattu Vaidya Natha Temple. Devotees are believing that the divine power of Linga, which saved Lord Shiva and cured Sun God is still there and will cure all types of diseases. 

Kottarakkara Chandra Shekharan, the Elephant with a difference (Part II)

Kottarakkara Chandrashekharan and his generosity

Chnadrashekharan started living in Kottarakkara. One Ramsar has been appointed as his mahout and one Kochu Kunju has been appointed as Ramassar’s assistant. The relation between Ramassar and Chandrashekhar was a father-son relation. Ramassar has treated Chandrashekaran as his own son and in return Chandrashekharan respected Ramassar as his father. However, Kochu Kunju has only the status of a servant in the mind of Chandrashekhar. People of Kottarakkara loved Chandrashekharan so much that they demanded to keep him at least for one day at each one’s house. Hence Ramassar will keep Chandrashekharan at some house every day by evening and used to go back to his own house. Next day morning, Kochukunju will come and take Chandrashekharan for a bath either in the temple pond or in the nearby river.

One day, Kochu kunju drank heavily in the night and he could not turn up on time the next day. By the time Ramassar reached near Chndrashekharan, he was fully covered with dust and sweat. The sight really saddened Ramassar. He took Chandrashekharan for a bath. On the way, they met Kochu Kunju. Angry with the behavior of Kochu Kunju, Ramassar scolded him. Kochu Kunju was not in a position to repent on his acts but started fighting with Ramassar. This made Chandrashekhar furious. He came forward and held Kochu Kunju with his huge trunk. Even before Ramassar could stop him, Chandrashekharan threw Kochu Kunju to a huge tree standing nearby. He died on the spot. However, Ramassar too got slapped with the trunk unknowingly and became unconscious. Realizing this fact, Chandrashekharan got worried. He took Ramassar to a nearby house. He kept Ramassar under a shadow and went to a nearby well. One Muslim lady was taking water from the well and filling her pot. Seeing the elephant coming near, she got scared and hid in a nearby bush. Chandrashekharan lifted the pot with water and came near Ramassar. He took water from the pot with his trunk and sprayed on the face of Ramassar. Ramassar woke up from unconsciousness.

By the time Chandrashekharan was thirsty. He went near the well with the pot. The Muslim lady was watching everything hiding inside the bush. Chandrashekharan waited there. Understanding the situation, Ramassar expressed his inability to come there and to pull water from the well loudly. Hearing his words, the Muslim lady came out of the water and filled the pot with water from the well. Chandrashekharan had three pots of water and left the place holding Ramassar in his trunk.

One day after this incident, a person from Kottarakkara presented Chandrashekharan with four bunches of bananas. He kept the best one aside and ate the rest. Then he took the one bunch which he kept aside to the house of the Muslim lady who served him water when he was thirsty. At that time her hut was gutting under fire and nobody was there inside except for three kids. Chandrashekharan went near the hut and pushed the roof which has been caught under huge flames off. Then he entered the hut and took three kids one by one with his trunk and kept them under a tree. When the lady and her husband came back, they realized the entire episode and thanked Chandrashekharan. He presented a bunch of bananas to them. Then he went inside a nearby forest and came back with logs and palm leaves. Using those logs and palm leaves, they reconstructed their house. From that day onwards, Chandrashekharan made it a practice to keep a portion of whatever he is getting aside. Ramassar had to sell it and to handover the money to that Muslim family.

King used to bring Kottarakkara Chandrashekharan for every important festival at Sri Padmanabha Swamy Temple at Thiruvananthapuram. When Chandrashekharan visited Thiruvananthapuram after this incident, the King noticed him keeping a portion of everything he receives aside and asked the reason to Ramassar. Ramassar told the king the incident and told him that it is the decision of Chandrashekharan to sell those articles which kept aside and pay the money to that Muslim family. Touched with the kindness and generosity of this animal, the king asked him to have everything and not to keep anything aside. In turn, he promised that he will pay the value of those items which he has kept aside in cash to Ramassar and he in turn will pay the Muslim family. Since then it made a practice for everyone who is presenting Chandrashekharan with rice, coconut leaves or bananas to give an amount to Ramassar. Ramassar, an honest person never took a single paisa from it but used to handover the amount to the Muslim family. 

Kottarakkara Chandra Shekharan, the Elephant with a difference (Part I)

Elephants have great significance in the culture and tradition of Kerala, the southernmost state in India. The elephant is an unavoidable thing in the festivals in almost all temples here. Procession with caparisoned elephants bearing idols of different gods and goddesses is an integral part of any festival. Even today, elephants are playing an important role in the cultural sector of Kerala. Here it is a common thing to call each elephant by a name and in most of the cases, the names used to call elephants will be of gods or goddesses. Nowadays elephants in Kerala enjoy a great fan following too. There are fan clubs for different elephants where thousands of elephant enthusiasts are members. Believe it or not, even some elephants have fan pages and groups in different social media.

As we cannot talk about the culture of Kerala without mentioning about elephants, we cannot tell mythological stories too without mentioning elephants. There were many famous elephants in Kerala in the past who have craved their names in golden letters in the minds of people. Guruvayoor Keshavan, Tripunithura Gireeshan, etc are a few of such elephants who have lived in the contemporary world. Here we are coming out with the story of a great elephant who has lived a few centuries back. His name was Kottarakkara Chandrashekhar.

As mentioned earlier in many of the stories, Kerala has been divided into different feudal kingdoms and was being ruled by different dynasties. Southern parts of present Kerala was under the rule of Venadu Dynasty while most of central Kerala has been ruled by the Nediyirippu Dynasty. There was a time when the Travancore (south Kerala) has been ruled by the famous king Dharma Raja and Kochi (Central Kerala) has been ruled by the famous Shakthan Thampuran. This period is being considered the best periods of both these dynasties by the historians. Since both Kochi and Travancore were friendly nations, there was no proper fencing or any other types of markings in the boundaries. Tax collection and other official processes have been conducted smoothly.

On those days, catching elephants was a common practice. Elephants are being used for bringing large wood pieces from the forest and also in t construction of huge structures. As mentioned earlier, elephants are being used in various rituals related to temples also. The method of catching the elephant was simple. There are specially trained persons for that. They used to dig huge pits inside the dense forest where elephants are moving frequently. Then cover it with weak wood pieces and cover the wooden slabs with sand and leaves. Elephants cannot realize this trap and they will fall in the deep pits. Then trained elephants will be brought to take them out and to take them to the training centers.

Once such a pit has been dug by the people of Kochi, but three fourth of the pit fell inside the boundary of Travancore. Although Dharma Raja, the King of Travancore came to know about it, he kept quiet as he was maintaining a good relation with Shakthan Thampuran, the King of Kochi. After a few days, a boy elephant fell in the pit and the people from Kochi brought it to their training center. Dharma Raja came to know about this incident. He was also told that the elephant is one of the best ones and is a complete elephant as per “Mathamga Leela” the ancient text deal with the health and habits of elephants. Thus  Dharma Raja decided to bring that elephant to his country and he entrusted the duty with his trusted minister Diwan Keshava Pillai.

Keshava Pillai, in turn, called his trusted lieutenants Kunjikutty Pillai, Vaikom Padmanabha Pillai, and Kuthirapakshi and instructed them to bring that elephant to Travancore by hook or crook. Although Kunjikutty Pillai had heard about the might of Shakthan Thampuran, he decided to carry out the operation. He knew that he cannot win the elephant in a direct flight with Shakthan Thampuran, hence he resorted to a drama.

Padmanabha Pillai and Kuthirapakshi went to the elephant training center in the disguise of two travelers seeking food. Once they reached there, they befriended the mahouts and elephant trainers. Padmanabha Pillai was a master in Mathamgaleela, the ancient text deals with elephants. He chanted some hymns from it and explained the meanings to Kuthirapakshi. Many of the mahouts to have read the text. Hence they developed an interest in the words of Pillai and they all gathered around him.

In between the discussions on various points of Mathamgaleela, Pillai, and Kuthirapakshi invited the mahouts and trainers to the nearby toddy shop. Mahouts and trainers drank toddy in large quantities, but Pillai and Kuthirapakshi abstained from drinking. By the time they returned, all mahouts and trainers were in a highly boozed condition. Some of them even fell asleep as soon as they reached the training center.

Then Kunjikutty Pillai came there in disguise of a mad gypsy. He expressed his ambition to climb on an elephant. As he has entertained the mahouts and trainers with some magic, they were ready to fulfill the ambition. They asked him to select the elephant on which he will climb. He pointed to the boy elephant kept inside a cage. That was the one which has been caught recently. Mahouts rejected his plea as that elephant was not trained properly. At this juncture, Padmanabha Pilla put forth a suggestion that they can allow him to climb on the elephant provided it has been taken out of the cage with the help of two other trained elephants. If something happens to the Gypsy, the mahouts will not be held responsible as they have taken the necessary precautions. Mahouts agreed and did the same.

Once the elephant came out of the cage tied with huge ropes which are held firmly by the trained elephants, the Gypsy climbed on it. Then the three elephants started walking backward. Mahouts and trainers who were under the control of the mesmeric power of toddy could not chase them. Once they entered inside the boundary of Travancore, Padmanabha Pillai left the two trained elephants free and continued their journey to Thiruvanthapuram, the capital of Travancore.

On the way back, they reached Kottarakkara, a small town, and decided to stay there as it was night by then. The very next day, they were about to start their journey, but the elephant was not in a mood to move. Although they tried for two or three days, the elephant did not move from there. Then the elders of the locality came there and told the trio that Lord Shiva, the presiding deity of the local temple might have developed affection towards this elephant and that could be the reason for the strange behavior of the elephant. They further told the trio to offer this elephant to the Lord Shiva of Kottarakkara Temple and they will be able to take the elephant. They informed the King about the incident and he agreed to do so. King himself came to Kottarakkara to offer the elephant to the god. At that time noticed the crescent-like marking on the forehead of the elephant. Thus he named the elephant as Chandrashekharan which means the person with a crescent on his forehead and also one of the many names of Lord Shiva. Thus the Elephant came to be known as Kottarakkara Chandrashekhar.

There are many stories to prove the brilliance, generosity and bravery of this elephant and all those stories will be told in the coming parts. 

Legend of Mazhoor Sri Balarama Temple

Balarama, the elder brother of Sri Krishna is regarded as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Out of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, only the Sri Krishna incarnation is the complete one, while the rests are partial ones (Amsha Avatharas). Some others believe him to be the manifestation of Serpentine Anantha (Anatha Naga) who is quite identified with Lord Vishnu. However, there are a few temples dedicated to him and there are very few devotees worship him. One such temple is there in the Kannur District of Kerala which is located about eight kilometers from Thrichambaram Sri Krishna Temple.

Balarama is the first peasant king in our world. He was a king who was very particular about the prosperity of his country and its subjects. At a time, when Vrindavan hit with severe drought, he requested River Kalindi to change her path and provide water to the farmers of Vrindavan, but she did not listen to his words. Furious Balarama, dug the sides of the river with his mighty plow and took the river water to the Vrindavan. Although he has been depicted as a savior of peasants in the epics, it is quite astonishing that there are very few devotees for him in a country that mainly depends on agriculture for revenue.

Anyway, now let us talk about Mazhoor Sri Balarama Temple. You might have read the legend behind Thrichambaram Sri Krishna Temple, which has been published in this blog. We have mentioned there that Sage Narada presented two idols, one of Sri Krishna and the other is of Balarama for that temple. That idol of Balarama has been brought here and consecrated in this temple.

Puthukkudi Perumthatta Illam was one of the prominent families in that area who had several rights on Thrichambaram Sri Krishna Temple. Once, a person was there in that family who was an ardent devotee of Lord Sri Krishna. He used to visit Thrichambaram Temple daily to worship god. As time passed he became old and weak. He could not go such a long distance by walk. The fact that he had to stop his temple visit made him sad and depressed. He prayed to god for a solution.

One night in his dream, Lord Sri Krishna came and told him that the next day morning he could see the calf with the name Dharmi near his house. The place where she put cow dung should be dug and there he will get a Salagramam (a holy stone which is believed to have divine powers). Further, Sri Krishna insisted him to dig a pond at that place and keep the salagramam inside it. He asked the devotee to consecrate an idol of his elder brother near the pond and start worshipping.

The very next day, the man saw the calf Dharmi near his house and followed the instructions of Lord Krishna. He took out the Salagrama first and then dug a pond there and kept the holy rock inside it. Then he brought the idol of Balarama from Thrichambaram Temple, which has been presented by Sage Narada and consecrated near the pond after constructing a temple.

In the beginning, we told you the story of Balarama, changing the route of Kalindi. That is told in Maha Bhagavatham. An almost similar incident happened at Mazhoor also. Once, Mazhoor experienced severe drought as experienced by the people at Vrindavan. There was no rain and the crops have been destroyed due to the lack of proper watering. The entire village suffered a lot due to this. Then the head of the Puthukudi Perumthtta Illam family got touched with the miseries of his fellow villagers. He went to the Balarama Temple and shouted at the deity.

Can’t you see people suffering from drought? Why are you holding the plow in your hands? That is a weapon for farming and not a decorative piece. If you cannot help us, then what is the point in calling you the Peasant King?

Once the shouting is over, the man got repented. He thought that he did a wrong thing by calling the lord with such words. Then he consoled himself that the lord can understand his agony and will forgive him. Yes, the Lord Balarama not only forgave the devotee but blessed him too with a lot of showers. The very same night Mazhoor experienced heavy rain. 

Shakthan Thampuran and his Commanding Power

As mentioned many times earlier in this blog, Kerala has been divided into several feudal states and was being ruled by different kings. Kochi, the erstwhile princely state which covered part of Ernakulam and Thrissur Districts have been ruled by the kings of the Perumbadapp dynasty. Shakthan Thampuran was one of the prominent kings in that dynasty. His real name was Rama Varma and as he had a strong body and mind people used to call him Shakthan which means a strong person in the local language Malayalam.

Shakthan Thampuran was instrumental in starting Thrissur Pooram, the famous festival at Thrissur. The present-day “Thekkinkadu Ground around the Vadakkumnatha Temple was a dense forest, mainly consisted of teak trees. Many wild animals were living inside and people feared to go to the temple after the dusk. Although, Shakthan Thampuran used to stay at Tripunithura, the capital city, he used to visit Thrissur frequently. Actually Thrissur was the first capital of Princely State of Kochi.  During one such visit, he planned to cut down all the trees in the forest surrounding the temple allowing people to visit the temple even after dusk

As he was supervising the work, the oracle from the nearby Paramekkavu Devi Temple came there as if he has invoked the divine power of Goddess Devi. He shouted at the king

“This is the beard of my father and you should stop clearing it off.”

Shakthan Thampuran, who is well known for his determination, asked another question in return

“Where were you and your father when Tipu Sultan came and looted the temple?”

This question provoked the oracle and he shouted louder

“Hey, are you testing me? Then I will show who I am.”

Saying this, oracle started beating his forehead with his own sword. However, his sword was not sharp and failed to make any deep wounds on his forehead. Thampuran came nearer him and told calmly.

“It seems that your sword is not sharp. Even I have one with me and let us test it.” Saying that Thampuran placed his sword on the head of the oracle and pulled it down, cutting the body oracle into two pieces. Then he kept the sword back as if nothing has happened.

After clearing the forest off, he called the people and asked them to arrange for a festival so that people can assemble there in large numbers. That is the present-day Thrissur Pooram.

At that time, the Travancore Dynasty was on a spree to expand their country by attacking the nearby small countries but feared to attack Kochi as they are heard about Shakthan Thampuran. There is a ritual called Mura Japam at Sri Padmanabha Swamy Temple at Thiruvananthapuram and Brahmins used to assemble there in large numbers. It is more like a festival with free food served to all three times a day. Once, Shakthan Thampuran went there in disguise of a Brahmin to enjoy the festival. When he was having a bath at the temple pond, the king of Travancore identified him and sent his minister to bring Thampuran.

He came and met the king. On asking why he has come without prior information, Thampuran told that otherwise, he will not be able to enjoy the spirit of the festival fully. As per the request of King of Travancore, Thampuran stayed there for three days. One day, both the kings were chitchatting after lunch. They were sitting on the second floor of the palace. Then the King of Travancore enquired in a light mood whether there will be anybody who will jump down from the second floor. Shakthan Thampuran said there maybe somebody.

Then the King of Travancore asked his soldiers whether they can jump or not. Everyone has come near the balcony and nodded no after seeing the depth. Then Shakthan Thampuran looked at his soldiers who were accompanying them. Immediately one by one came near the balcony and jumped down. Everyone got injured in some way or the other and they all have been taken out for treatment. The next day when the King of Travancore visited them, he asked why they jumped even though they knew that they will be injured.

“At least we have a life now. We would have lost it if we were not ready to jump.” This was their answer which clearly shows the commanding power of Shakthan Thampuran.

There is one another example of his commanding power. Once he arranged a feast for Brahmins at his palace. They enquired them how the food was. Then one of them told that it was good and would be better if there is any dish with jack fruit. Jack fruit is a seasonal fruit and that was not the season for jack fruits. Still, Thampuran asked them to come for lunch the very next day too. He asked his successor whether he can arrange Jack Fruit for tomorrow. He expressed his inability as it was not the season. Shakthan thampuran turned towards his commandant and ordered that he has decided to offer lunch for the Brahmins tomorrow and all the dishes should be with Jack Fruit.

Within no time, the entire force started spreading across the country. They raided each and every house and farms and collected all the jack fruits available. The next day, Brahmins had a nice lunch with all dishes made with Jack Fruit. 

Kodungalloor Kochunni Thampuran, a Great Scholar and Ayurvedic Physician

Kerala had given birth to many scholars in the past. These scholars have worked hard to reach the fame of Kerala till the horizons. Kodungalloor Kochunni Thampuran was one of them. Although he is more known as a renowned author in Malayalam and Sanskrit, he was an expert Ayurvedic Physician too.

Ayurveda, the traditional stream of medical science in Kerala is very popular nowadays around the world. There are many excellent doctors and institutions across the world who are practicing Kerala Ayurveda. Now it has been accepted as a medical science that can compete with modern medical science in any manner. Here is a story to prove the excellence of Thampuran in Ayurveda.

Although he was a native of Kodungalloor, he used to stay for more days at the Hill Palace in Triounithura, the capital city of the erstwhile princely state of Kochi. He was regarded as an advisor by the Kochi King and hence it was necessary for him to be there for more effective communication.

On those days, there was a toddy tapper, who was staying near to the palace and was suffering from leprosy. As he could not afford costly treatments, he did not go for it and hence the disease became serious. When it reached almost at the peak stage, he came to know about the presence of Kodungalloor Kochunni Thampuran at Hill Palace. Those were the days when untouchability was prevailing and he was barred from going near Thampuran as he belonged to a lower cast. Hence he sent the request for help through one of Thampuran’s assistants. Hearing it, Thampuran asked him to come inside the palace. As he was an untouchable as per the standards prevailing then, he hesitated to do so. Still, Thampuran forced him to come up and he went. Then Thampuran told him to take fifty seeds of marking nuts everyday in milk. 

Thampuran’s disciples shocked to hear this. The seeds of marking nut are highly poisonous and are being used by the washermen to put marks on the clothes. They use these seeds with high precautions while marking. When a single seed will create a lot of troubles when taken in, thampuran is asking to have fifty such seeds daily.

The toddy tapper expressed his inability to buy milk due to financial problems. Then Thampuran asked him whether he consumes toddy and he told yes. Then Tampuran asked him to have the seeds along with toddy.

Almost forty-one days are over and on the forty-second day, the toddy tapper came in front of the palace. He was completely recovered by that time and was healthier. He presented a bunch of bananas along with cash to Thampuran as a mark of respect. Thampuran accepted the bananas and returned the cash. 

Keleswaram Shiva Temple, the land where Markhandeya established his victory over death

Kalesvaram Shiva Temple is located in the Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala. There is a Vishnu Temple on the western side of this known as Altharamoodu Sri Krishna Swamy temple. Both these temples have significant places in the story of Markhandeya who won over the death with his dedicated devotion.

Saint Mukunda was worried as he did not have a child even years after his marriage. He underwent penance to appease Lord Shiva and in the end, Lord appeared in front of him. When the saint revealed his ambition, Shiva gave him two choices to choose from. Shiva told him that either he can have a bright and intelligent child who will live only up to the age of sixteen or a foolish child with a larger life span. Saint did not spend a second to think over it and he asked for the intelligent and bright child with a short life span. Thus he has blessed with a son and he named his son as Markhandeya.

Markhandeya was very intelligent and brilliant and he learned all the Sastras and Vedas at a tender age. Everybody liked him very much because of his good behaviors and vast knowledge. He was a role model for others to point out. However, his parents got worried as he was nearing his sixteenth year. Brilliant and intelligent Markhandeya could make out that his parents are worried a lot and he asked for the reason. Unable to withstand the pressure they told him the truth. They told him that Lord Shiva gave him only sixteen years and now the time is fast reaching for him to end the life.

However, Markhandeya did not worry after hearing and he consoled his parents saying that he can win over the death with selfless devotion of Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. He started worshipping them ardently from that day onwards. The fateful day approached and Markhandeya saw two soldiers of Yama, the god of death approaching him. He ran to nearby Vishnu Temple and prayed. Immediately Lord Vishnu appeared in front of him and asked him to move fast to the nearby Shiva temple and pray to Lord Shiva. Vishnu gave him a handful of sand and ask him to keep it within his hand till he enters the temple so that the soldiers of Yama cannot catch him.

He ran to the nearby Shiva temple and entered inside it. He directly went near the Shiva Linga Consecrated there and held it tightly with both the hands. Seeing that, the soldiers of Yama went back as they do not have the power to fight with Lord Shiva. They returned to the Yama Loka and informed Yama about the happenings. Angry Yama, who was very strict in carrying out his duty went himself to catch Markhandeya.

When Yama approached Markhandeya, he was praying to Lord Shiva, chanting the Panchakshari Manthra and holding the Shiva linga tightly with both the hands. Yama did not care about it and throw the rope to tie Markhandeya. The rope got tied around the Shiva linga too and when Yama pulled it with all the force, Lord Shiva got angry. He appeared there and killed Yama and blessed Markhandeya that he will live for another hundred years. Later Shiva gives rebirth to Yama on the request of other gods.

The Vishnu Temple in this story is believed to be the Altharamoodu Sree Krishna Temple and the Shiva Temple is Kelapuram Shiva Temple. As this myth is strongly placed in the minds of people, Mruthyunjaya Homam being done in this temple is believed to have great powers. Many people have been protected from unnatural and untimely deaths with the help of Mruthyunjaya Homam at this temple. Another point to clarify the relation of this temple with the story of Markhandeya is the western side gate of the temple. It will be kept open on Shivarathri and believed to be doing so for Markhandeya.

Legend of Beema Pally, One of the Ancient Mosques in India

Kerala, the southernmost state in India is also known as God’s Own Country. Although the beautiful landscape and greenery played an important role in earning this name, various myths and fairy tales existing all over the state too has a role in earning the state such a beautiful nickname. Myths in Kerala is not related to any particular religion or cast. Here is a story about the existence of famous pilgrim destination for the Islam in Kerala, Beema Pally in Thiruvananthapuram.

This Mosque, which is also known as Beema Pally Durga Sherif is located about eight kilometers to the southern side of the heart of the city, near Poonthura. Major attractions here are the tombs of Saidathunisa Beema Beevi and her son Mahin Abubakar. Actually, the legend of this mosque is all about the story of these two great persons who lived their whole life for helping the have-nots.

Saidathunisa Beema Beevi has born in Arabia and she belongs to the Khuraish clan which is the same as that of Prophet Mohammed. She has been brought up in a good manner and when she became a young girl, she became highly religious, generous, and kind. Many people loved to have her as a wife because of the virtues possessed by her. At last, a similarly religious and generous young man named Abdul Gaffar married her. Both of them have ardent love and selfless devotion towards Allah the almighty and gradually they attained the divine power as a result of their continuous prayers. They never used this divine power for amazing wealth, but used to help the hapless. They have healed many diseases with their magical power and accepted nothing in return. Thus both of them became famous throughout Arabia.

Meanwhile, Saidathunisa Beema Beevi gave birth to a son, Mahin Abubakar. He was an intelligent child who learned everything at the first instance itself. He underwent proper education prevailing on those days and started helping his parents in their divine works when he became young. However, their happiness did not last long as Abdul Gaffar died one day. Although very sad, Saidathunisa and her son did not give up their service. They took it more vigorously as a respect towards the departed soul.

During that period, the political scenes of Arabia were undergoing a tremendous change. After the period of Prophet, three Khalifas ruled Arabia. After the time of the third Khalifa, many unscrupulous people started trying to grab power. Civil wars and quarrels became a common thing and the country lost peace. During that period, Saidathunisa had a dream in which an old person appeared and asked her to go to India. He told her that now Arabia does not require her service and there are many hapless people in India, who will find it as a blessing if she extends her helping hand to them. Taking those words are from Allah the almighty, she traveled to India along with her son and reached Kerala.

There they got settled in Thiruvallam in Thiruvananthapuram district and started their service to the poor and the needy. They have healed many diseases with their divine power and the word spread across the princely state of Travancore, of which Thiruvananthapuram was the capital city. They got many followers and disciples in due course of time. The increasing popularity of Saidathunisa Beema Beevi and her son made several officials jealous, but they hesitated to do something harmful to them as the King who was ruling then was very generous to foreign people who took asylum in his country.

Everything was going smoothly and Mahin Abubakar started off to Arabia for Hajj pilgrim. On those days, it was not an easy task and used to take several months to complete Hajj. When Mahin was on his way to Hajj, several government officials approached Saidathunisa Beema Beevi and demanded to pay the tax. On those days all foreign people staying in Travancore had to pay a tax as per the prevailing law. She told the officials that her son is away and requested them to wait till his return. The officials who were jealous of the popularity being enjoyed by the Beevi and her son did not listen to her prayers and started pestering her regularly.

When Mahin came back from the Hajj, he heard the stories of his mother being trouble by the officials and became angry. However, his mother prevented him from having a quarrel with them. After a few days, many officials came to their place along with some military personals and demanded tax. At this time a small quarrel developed between Mahin Abubakar and the officials, which has been developed into a direct fight. Unfortunately, a military official got killed in that and this made the officials angry. They started the fight with Mahin and shortly it turned to a riot at the end of which Mahin got killed. The message of son’s death was quite unbearable for Saidathunisa and she too died as her heart got broken with this news. She too had been buried near her son as per her last wish.

These two tombs are believed to have divine power and even now many devotees across the religion visit these tombs to heal their disease. There is a well near the tomb which is known as “Medicine Well” It is believed that Mahin Abubakar got killed at this place. People believe that any disease can be cured by drinking water from this well.

In the present day, the major festival being celebrated at this The mosque is “Chandana Kudam”. Devotees take seven rounds around the tombs with pots filled with sandal powder on their head on this day. 

Harihara Sasthrikal, a Rebel Devotee

We are living in a time when there are too many talks about one’s lifestyle and religion. Many conservative Hindus consider it is a sin to eat nonvegetarian food and such actions will certainly bar us from getting the blessings of God. At the same time, there are myths about many ardent devotees who never thought the consumption of toddy and no n vegetarian food are obstacles to attaining salvation. In reality, they have proved that dedicated devotion and firm belief are the only things to earn oneness with the god, and lifestyle does not matter. Harihara Sasthrikal is one of them.

There is a place called Kurathi which falls on the road from East Fort in Thiruvananthapuram to Atukal Devi Temple. A hundred meters away from the Kuryathi Junction on the right-hand side of the road you will come across a tomb which is a temple too. A shiv linga has been installed at this tomb to worship and it is believed that this tomb belongs to Harhara Sasthrikal, who lived during the period of King Sreemoolam Thirunal. He was a well-learned scholar and ardent devotee too. Being a scholar, he attained a special consideration from the King and has the permission to visit the palace and durbar at any time.

On those days, free lunch has been served to Brahmins at Sri Padmanabha Swami Temple. Harihara Sasthrikal also used to have lunch from there every day. Whenever he comes there for lunch he used to carry a closed pot and a small box type vessel. One day a Brahmin who was sitting near Sasthrikal found that the pot carries toddy (A drink-making from coconut) and the box type vessel contains fried meat. It was a great sin for Brahmins to have toddy and meat and it was even a greater sin when these things have been carried into the temple.

However, they were afraid to make a complaint about it to the King as Sasthrikal had a close rapport with the king. Still, one day they managed to inform the king about it. However, King was not ready to believe this. He asked the Brahmins, who came there to complain about Harihara Sasthrikal to prove the allegation with solid proof.

Very next day, they rounded Sasthrikal at Sri Padmanabha Swami Temple, when he came there to have lunch. As usual, he was carrying the pot and the vessel with him. They felt the smell of toddy and cooked meat and they carried him straight to the King along with the pot and box type vessel.

Once they reached in front of the King, Hariharashasthri was ordered to keep the pot and the vessel on the floor. Then the king turned to him and asked what is there inside the pot. Hariharasasthrikal, politely told the king that it contains holy water from River Ganges. Even at that time, the stringent smell was oozing out from the pot and hence the Brahmins insisted that the pot should be opened. As per the order of the King, Harihara Sasthrikal opened the pot and poured the liquid inside into the hands of King. To the utter shock of all, it was clean and odor-less water. Sasthrikal asked the king to consume it as it is holy water and the king did the same.

Quite astonished Brahmins were not ready to spare Sasthrikal. They asked Sasthrikal to open the vessel and Sasthrikal obeyed it. When he opened the vessel, there was a book inside and the king read the name of it. It was Srimad Bhagavatham. All the Brahmins who were enthusiastic to complain about Harihara Shasthrikal got blushed on these happenings and they felt sorry about making complaints about a stringent devotee. They believed that it was Goddess Devi who protected Harihara Sasthrikal as he was worshipping her with great devotion and a selfless mind. 

Legend of Thriprayar Sri Rama Temple

Among the various incarnations of Lord Vishnu, Krishna is being worshipped widely in Kerala and has a few temples dedicated to Lord Ram. Thriprayar is one of the most important temples in Kerala dedicated to Lord Sri Rama. It is believed that this temple was of Lord Ayyappa earlier and later the Lord Sri Rama has been consecrated as the main deity in the temple.

The legend behind the name “Thriprayar” goes to the period of the Vamana incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Aim for this incarnation was to kill the pride in Emperor Mahabali who otherwise was a noble person and an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu. When the emperor stated boasting himself, Lord understood that it will be difficult to provide him salvation. In order to help him, Lord decided to destroy the pride in him. Lord appeared in front of the emperor in the disguise of a dwarf Brahmin boy and asked for alms.

Emperor Mahabali, who considered himself the greatest person in the world asked the Brahmin to ask anything under the sun and he will get it for sure. Then the Lord Vishnu in the disguise of Vamana, asked for three feet land which he can measure with his own feet. Although Mahabali felt insulted with such a humble request, he agreed for it. Suddenly, the dwarf Brahmin changed to the cosmic form of Lord Vishnu and lifted his right leg to measure the first feet. At that time, the sharp nail on his toes damaged the peripheral layer of heaven, and Ganga started flowing down to earth through the hole created with the nails of the Lord. First Ganga fell on his lotus flowers and then on the earth.

The Holy River Ganga, when it fell on the lotus feet of Lord, came to be known as Thri Pada Aru in the local language Malayalam, which means the river fell on the lotus feet of the Lord. The place where it fell on the earth also called Thri Pada Aru, which later got corrupted to “Thriprayar”.

As mentioned earler, it was an Ayyappa Temple earlier and later the idol of Lord Sri Rama has been consecrated here. There are two different stories about this idol. One is that the idol has been created by the Vishva Karma, the architect of Gods seeing the form of Lord Vishnu, which he revealed to the Demon Khara, before killing him. The second one is that Visva Karma created this idol, keeping in mind the figure of Lord Sri Rama at the time when Sita Devi disappeared into the earth. In any case, the common thing is that it has been created by Visva Karma, the architect of Gods and it is believed to be the idol which has been worshipped by Lord Krishna at his palace in Dwaraka.

Unlike in the other temples dedicated to Lord Sri Rama, there is no temple or idol of Hanuman in this temple. It is believed that the presence of the divine power of Lord Hanuman is everywhere in this temple and hence it is important to chant the “Sundara Kandam” or Ramayana daily in this temple. Another interesting feature of this temple is the special offering called “Meenoottu”. Here the devotees will feed the fishes in the river flowing along the eastern boundary of the temple which is believed to be a major offering for Lord Sri Rama.

Azhakath Rama Kurup, the rebel who fought British in His Own Way

This is rather a history than a myth. This is a real story of one of the many unsung heroes of Indian Freedom Struggle. British officials recognized the need for English education to Indians when they had suffered the scarcity of working force to work as clerks in various organizations. It was financially viable for them to bring people from England to work in India as clerks. Lord Me kale, decided to provide English education to Indians to overcome this hurdle. He did not want Indians to be smarter; hence he limited the education to produce clerks.

When the schools and colleges started teaching English as a language, Malayalam took a back seat. Those who are teaching English were known as Lecturers and Professors and those who teach Malayalam are still called as Munshis. Even the salaries for Malayalam teachers were meager when compared to those who teach English. Many eminent people such as Kaikkulangara Rama Warrier protested against this injustice by quitting their jobs or by rejecting offers. But many people had to accept the jobs due to their financial situations. Azhakath Rama Kurup was one such person who had to join in the Thiruvananthapuram Maharaja’s College as a Malayalam Teacher for a meager salary, as there was no other option for him to take care of his family. Still, he was not ready to sacrifice his self-respect and the prestige of his nation.

As per the rule prevailing on those days, the teachers should wear waistcoats as a part of their dressing code, but Rama Kurup never agreed for it and used to come to college in normal dressings. Although it continues for two or three days, the principal of the college who was a British could not tolerate this anymore. He strictly instructed Kurup to come to the college wearing the coat from the very next day onwards.

Readymade dresses were not available on those days and so was the case of taking dresses on rent. As mentioned earlier, the salary he used to get was meager and he was not in a position to pay for a waistcoat. So he decided to teach the principal a lesson. He went to a tailoring shop belonging to his friend and took the measurements for stitching a coat. Then he asked the tailor to stitch a coat with that measurement using scrap pieces of clothes dumped in a corner. The next day, he came with that multi-color, multi-design coat and wore it as he entered the staff room. Suddenly the news of this awkward coat spread inside the campus and students gathered around the staff room to see it. The news reached in the ears of the principal too. He came there and dispersed the crowd with great difficulty and then entered the staff room and told Kurup that he need not wear waistcoat from the next day and he can come in the normal dressing.

After this incident, Principal started to avoid talking to Rama Kurup. He felt like got insulted by an Indian who was a substandard man according to his standard. Still, he maintained a grudge against Rama Kurup and tried to find out some loopholes to teach him a lesson. He made it a practice to watch the classes of Rama Kurup to find out some fault or the other, but the students were happy as he was really a master in Malayalam and his teaching skills were excellent.

Days have passed and one day Rama Kurup was teaching Kathakali Padangal (Songs used for Kathakali, a traditional art form of Kerala) in the class. Suddenly the principal entered the classroom and enquired what he was teaching. He politely replied that he was teaching the songs of Kathakali.

“What teacher are you?” Principal shouted at Kurup in front of the students. “Don’t you know that you should teach them, practical classes? Why are you not conducting practical classes?”

Rama Kurup, who was naughty by birth, decided to teach him one more lesson. He told the principal with folded hands that many materials are required to conduct practical classes and it will cost a huge amount. Principal, who thought that Kurup was making an excuse to avoid practical classes, asked him to meet him before leaving the college that day. Kurup did the same. The principal handed over him money and asked him to get all the materials by the next day and start practical classes immediately.

Kurup directly went to a nearby temple from the college. There was a person who used to train people in Kathakali. He was very close to Kurup. With his help Kurup arranged some minimum make up materials, a drum a symbol, and a huge Nilavilakk (A traditional lamp of Kerala). The next day he brought everything to the college.

After a few minutes of starting the classes, there heard a loud voice of drum beats followed with songs. All classes got disturbed due to this loud voice. Principal and other teachers reached in front of Kurup’s classroom tracking the source of the sound. There they saw two students beating drums and symbols and others are dancing in tune with the music. Angry principal shouted

“Where is Mr. Rama Kurup?”

A person fully painted the face with blank ink came in front of him from behind the huge lamp and bowed in front of him with respect. The principal recognized that it was none other than Rama Kurup. This made the principal angrier.

“What the hell is going on here?” He shouted once again.

“Sir, I was conducting the practical classes for Kathakali as per your instruction. Being a subordinate of you, how I can help to obey your orders?” He asked with great humbleness and showing great respect for the principal on his face. Still, the principal could understand that Kurup was fooling him. However, he could not do anything as Kurup was just obeying his rules. He saw smiles on the faces of other teachers too who came there by this time. There was nothing to do for him other than ask Kurup to meet him in his office room.

Kurup went inside the office room along with the principal.

“Mr. Kurup, I have nothing more to say. You can stop practical classes from now onwards and concentrate on theories.”

“Sir, but we have spent a lot of money on the materials. What to do with that?”

“You may donate it to someone who is learning this art. I don’t care. But please don’t disturb me anymore.”

Rama Kurup left the room with a lot of happiness. He returned the materials to his friend in the evening and gave him a reasonable rent from the amount is given by the principal to purchase those materials. The balance the amount, which was many times larger than his monthly salary was enough for him to get rid of all his debts. 

Myth behind the Shaliya Cast

Shaliya is a strong community among the Hindus of India. By tradition they are weavers and they are known in different names in different states such as Padma Shaliya, Shaliya, Chaliya, etc. Although Hinduism had to bear a lot of blames due to the presence of a cast system, it seems to be the real strength of Hinduism. The cast has become a part of life, rather than belief in India and each cast has a myth about their existence. Here is the one about Shaliyas.

Usually, the people belong to this cast worship Lord Ganesha. Each house will have a separate place to worship their family deity. There they will place the Ganesha Idol and worship it. Most interesting factor is that, they will not depend on Brahmins to perform rituals; instead they will do it themselves.

It is believed that they were Brahmins once. There is a saying that “Brahmano Bhojana Priya” which means Brahmins love to eat. Believing in this saying it was a practice once to invite Brahmins to the house and offer them meals with different varieties of dishes. People believed that if they are satisfied with the meal, they will bless the family, and thus the life will be prospering.

Once there were about forty-eight families of Brahmins living in a village and they used to get invitation from different places to have food. They were very skeptical and were never ready to accept the quality of the food offered by the host. They will find some, or the other fault with some dishes and display it in front of everybody presented there to prove the food was not up to the mark. People started feeling irritated due to their unholy behaviors, still did not react to it as they all were afraid of the curse of Brahmins.

However, one day, a smart man decided to handle them properly. He invited all these forty-eight Brahmins to his house for lunch. He prepared many dishes to serve and along with them, he prepared chutney with prawns. Brahmins are strict vegetarians and they have never tasted prawns. Hence they liked the taste of the new chutney. Although they discussed to find out some faults, the taste of delicious prawn chutney prevented them from it. They all agreed for the first time in the life that the food was excellent. Then the host came out with a burst of loud laughter and revealed that the chutney was made of prawns.

It was really a shock for them as they are not supposed to have non-vegetarian food and as its consumption by Brahmins is a punishable act. If one or two persons have committed this crime, they could have hidden the matter to escape punishment, but as many as forty-eight people have consumed it and that too in public.
As they could not find a solution to escape the punishment, they went to the Tantric samaj and revealed the entire episodes. Then the chief of the samaj examined various books related to Vedas and decided the punishment. According to the chief, since they have tasted nonvegetarian food and that too with the tongue that chants Gayatri Mantra, they are not eligible to live on earth. He asked all of them to end their lives by submitting the same to the fire on the next full moon day. They have no other option, but to accept it.

On the very next full moon day all of them gathered at the banks of a holy river. There the priests from the Tantric Samaj have arranged a huge pyre with lots of logs. When the chief priest finished chanting holy hymns, all the forty-eight people came near to the pyre chanting Shiva Panchakshari Slokas to praise Lord Shiva. As they were about to jump into the fire, they all heard a voice from the sky asking them not to jump into the fire. It further told them that as they have repented their action sincerely, they all have escaped from the clutches of sin. Then the voice from the sky asked them to leave the place and get settled in a faraway village and take weaving as their profession. He mentioned that he will send his son Lord Ganesha to protect them. Thus they started their new life and came to be known as Shaliya Community. They regard Lord Ganesha as their family deity and worship him with specific rituals. 

Vettakkorumakan, the Exclusive God of Kerala

Hinduism is a rather complicated philosophy and each text or each word mentioned in the religious texts can be interpreted in many ways. In other words, Hinduism does not believe in dictums and it does not insist on a specific method to worship the almighty. It extends freedom to the devotees to communicate with the divine power that is omnipresent and omnipotent. Like in other religions, it is not mandatory for the members to observe weekly prayers or to gather at some specific places to worship. Similarly, Hinduism has mentioned about many gods, even when it insists that there is only one god. According to scholars, these are symbols of certain messages which the ancestors liked to pass to the next generation. One can have real knowledge by understanding and interpreting these symbols in the right way.

Among the various gods worshipped by devotees, you will come across with a god with the name “Vettakkorumakan” who has been worshiped only in Kerala and that too more in Northern Kerala. You will not find any mention of this god anywhere in the Hindu epics or other religious texts. There is a locally approved myth about Vettakkorumakan which depicts him as the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathy. It is believed that the words, “Vettakkaran Makan” which means son of the hunter became “Vettakkorumakan”. The legend goes back to the period of Maha Bharath when the Arjuna underwent penance to appease Lord Shiva to derive magical weapons from him.

Arjuna underwent penance as per the guidance of Lord Krishna to please Shiva. His aim was to get the magical weapons, especially the “Pasupathasthra” from Shiva. Shiva and Parvathy appeared in front of him in the disguise of a tribal couple who were on hunting. A quarrel arose in between Arjuna and Lord Shiva in the disguise of a tribal hunter about a rabbit killed by arrows from both of them. Both of them claimed the ownership of the dead rabbit as it has been first hit by their arrows. None of them was ready for a compromise and thus the quarrel became a fight and which turned into a war of magical weapons. At the end of it, Arjuna recognized that the hunter is none other than Lord Shiva and fell on his feet and begged pardon. Pleased with the bravery of Arjuna and his expertise in arrow fight, Shiva presented him many magical weapons along with “Pashupathasthra”. Till here you will find the story in the epic Mahabharatha.

Now the legend, prevailing in Kerala begins from the point where Saint Veda Vyasa put a full stop to this story. It goes like this. After blessing Arjuna, Shiva and Parvathy spent many days inside the forest in the disguise of tribal hunters. There they got engaged in many romantic activities and fun. At the end, Parvathy gave birth to a child who resembles a tribal hunter. They left the child in the forest and went back to Mount Kailash. Before leaving, Lord Shiva has blessed his son with many magical weapons and the capability to fight with anybody in the world. The child has been brought up by one childless tribal couple who were also living upon hunting.

When he became a young boy, he started hunting in the forest. It was more a craze for him so that he went on roughly. Within a short span of time, all the animals in the forest got killed and there were no more animals for him to chase and hunt. Thus he entered the nearby villages and started challenging people to fight with him. Blessed with many magical weapons and with the blessings of Lord Shiva, nobody could defeat him. When the kings and feudal lords failed to contain him, he turned towards hapless people. When the cruelties became unbearable, people went to Mount Kailash and complained to Lord Shiva. Although he was not ready to take back those magical weapons and blessings from his son, he advised the devotees to pray to Lord Vishnu. As an answer to the prayers of devotees, Lord Vishnu appeared in the form of an old Brahmin. He went to Vettakkorumakan (who was known then as Vettakkaran Makan, son of Hunter) with a golden Paricha (a shield used to block the hit with a sword during the fighting) and narrated the special features of the paricha.

Interested with that, Vettakkorumakan insisted the Brahmin present it to him, but the Brahmin denied it. After strong requests, the Brahmin finally agreed to handover the Chrurika on one condition that he should not keep it down. Vettakkorumakan promised the same and accepted the present with his right hand after changing the bow to his left hand. Now with the golden churika in his right hand and as he cannot keep it anywhere because of the promise he has given, he found it difficult to use the bow to shoot arrows. Then the Brahmin changed to his original shape and appeared in front of Vettakkorumakan as Lord Maha Vishnu. He instructed him to go to the place which has been created by his incarnation Parasurama and be there to protect the people from all evil fates. Thus Vettakkorumakan came to Kerala.

After reaching here in Kerala, he met the King of Nilamboor and befriended him. It was Nilamboor King who constructed the first temple dedicated to Vettakkorumakan. This temple located in Nilamboor in Calicut district is still the largest Vettakkorumakan temple in Kerala. Although most of the Vettakkorumakan temples are situated in Northern Kerala, there is one such temple in Thiruvananthapuram also. However, the right for tantra in this temple is for the Brahmin Family located in Calicut district of Kerala.

Major rituals related to Vettakkorumakan is “Kalam Patu”, where the image of Vettakkorumakan will be drawn using five natural colors and will be rubbed off with tender coconut leaves by dancing in tune with songs that praise Vettakkorumakan. Throwing of coconut and invoking the divine power into one’s body are also being performed during this ritual.

Another Great Tantric who is not a Brahmin by Birth

Once, the right to perform tantric rituals was rested upon those who were Brahmins by birth. The time and history have already proved that the status of Brahmin, as mentioned in the Hindu epics cannot be attained by birth. Still, many people are reluctant to accept the truth. The effect of mesmerism, which kept generations under the Brahminical rule, maybe the reason for such a situation.

Here is a legend of Manakkadan Gurukkal, who was a great tantric and at the same time a great scholar. He was not a Brahmin by birth; still, he could master the art of tantra more than many Brahmins could. This great man lived in Karivalloor, in Kannur district in northern Kerala and was an Ayurvedic physician too.

Many stories of his greatness spread across Kerala and many people sincerely adored him as a personification of God. This created jealous in the minds of many people belonging to the upper cast, especially Brahmins. The king of Kolathiri, a princely state existed in Kerala before the independence of India, planned to test Manakkadan Gurukkal’s expertise in Tantra. King planned to put Gurukkal to a severe test. King and his cohorts believed that Gurukkal could not pass these tests and so he will get insulted and will run away from his country.

Actually, Gurukkal was undergoing some bad times in his life then; still, he could not reject the invitation of King as it was an order. He was sure that he will have to face many hurdles before reaching the palace and even after reaching there. He prayed to his family goddess and then started his journey along with his disciple Puthiyodan Nair.

On those days, traveling was not so easy and they had to travel by walk from Karivalloor and had to cross three rivers before reaching the king’s palace. They started their journey. When they reached near the first river, they could no see any boats to cross the river. Otherwise, there should be many boats to help travelers. Gurukkal understood that it was a test put up by the king. He did not speak anything, instead, hold the hands of his disciple and asked him to close his eyes. Then, Gurukkal performed a particular tantric ritual known as “Jalasthambham” by which the water in the river stood still. Both of them walked over it and reached the other bank. The same thing happened with the other two rivers, Pazhayangadi River and Valarpattanam River too. Finally, they reached the palace.

The doors were closed when they reached the Palace and there were no security persons too. It was another test. However, Gurukkal did not take aback. He caught hold of his disciple’s hand tightly and entered inside the palace with his tantric power. He went through the wall without breaking it. Once they reached inside the palace, Gurukkal saw many persons sitting on similar chairs with a similar royal dress. As he did not see the king before, everybody thought that he will get confused and will bow in front of someone among those. But Gurukkal identified the real king and bowed in front of him.

Then the king invited him for lunch. All others invited were belonging to upper casts and as per the system prevailed on those days, Gurukkal will have to take out the banana leaf which he used as the plate to have lunch. At the same time, those belong to the upper cast will not have to take it out as the servants will do for them. Sensing the insult well in advance, Gurukkal requested to serve the food on the leaf of cucumber and the same has been agreed. As the lunch is over, the leaf too disappeared. Thus, Gurukkal won all the tests.

On that evening King and his people enjoyed various performances done by Gurukkal. After finishing the performance, King gave him a list and asked to arrange all the forty “Theyyams” (A folk art form) by night. Nobody could arrange all those theyyams within a short period, still Gurukkal did it even without moving out of the palace. Here the most important thing is that there was no communication facility such as cell phones etc on those days. When Gurukkal won in that test, King expressed his desire to visit heaven and asked Gurukkal to help him. As they were talking, a rope came down from the sky just behind the king, and Gurukkal asked the king to hold it tightly. Slowly the rope went up as if someone is pulling it from up. Within a short time, everybody heard the loud cry of King saying that he could not withstand the sights and he wanted to come down. Then Gurukkal brought him down. With that test, King felt that if he continues, it will be he who will have to eat the pea, hence he stopped testing and send Gurukkal after honoring him with many awards.

Many years have passed and one day, Gurukkal called his favorite disciple Puthiyodan Nair and nephews and informed them that it was time for him to go from this world. He insisted they to constructed an underground cell with stone and leave a small hole for air circulation. He also instructed them to keep his books and pen inside the cell. After that, he entered the cell and asked them to close it. He also asked them to pour water over the cell for the forty-one days. Then the cell has been closed after he entered inside.

Nephews did according to his direction. On the thirtieth day, a nephew who was pouring water on the cell developed a curiosity to know what is happening inside the cell. He peeped through the hole meant for air circulation and at the same time, the pen of Gurukul, which has been kept inside the cell, came near and pierced his eyes. From that day onwards, no one dared to go near that cell which exists even today.  

Tharananalloor, The Last Word in Kerala Tantric Rituals

As told many times earlier, Kerala is being created by Lord Parasurama. After the creation of the land, he brought several people from other parts to live here. He has constructed many temples across Kerala and designated two Brahmin Families to take care of the Tantric part of the temple activities. Tharananalloor  and Thazhaman were those two families. There is an interesting myth about how those names have come to exist.

Lord Parasurama was sitting on the banks of Holy River Pamba. At that time heads of both these families appeared on the other side of the river. Parasurama asked both of them to come near to him immediately. Actually he intended to check their expertise in Tantra. When one of them crossed the river by walking over the waves, the other one crossed it by walking over the bed of the river. When the river stood standstill to enable the great tantric to cross by walking over it, it paved way for the other by keeping the water away from his way. The one who crossed the river by walking over it came to be known as Tharananalloor as he crossed it walking over it. The other one who walked over the river bed (Thazhe mannu in local language Malayalam means the sand beneath) came to be known as Thazheman.

Pleased with their expertise, Parasurama allotted the right of Tantra in all Sastha Temples to Thazhaman family and that of Devi temples to Tharananalloor family. As there were temples of other gods, these have been divided among them equally.  However, Tharananalloor Namboothiri, as the head of the family used to be known, had the rights of Tantra in different temples even outside Kerala too. He had the right to perform tantric rituals in the famous Madhura Meenakshi Temple in Tamil Nadu. He used to perform the rituals during the Kalabham Ceremony which has been conducted every year.

Once the administration of the temple has fallen in the hands of some new generation people who were not religious as much their predecessors were. They raised the necessity of performing Kalabham ceremony every year after spending huge amount. When the Tharananalloor Namboodiri came that year to perform rituals, the temple administrator demanded that he should be able to see Goddess Devi in person.

Namboodiri tried to deviate his attention to other things, so that he will not insist on it again. But the administrator stuck to his demand. Then Namboodiri told him that he can peep through the temple doors when Namboodiri performs the rituals after closing the doors. Namboodiri also warned him that he will not be responsible for any unwanted things, if something happens. Administrator agreed.

In the evening, when Namboodiri entered the temple for performing tantric rituals after closing the door, the administrator came in front of the door and peeped through the gap in between the two doors. He saw the ferocious form of Devi through the gap and fell down unconscious. Hearing his loud cry other people from the temple office came there and took the man away to the hospital. Although the hospital authorities tried their level best, he lost his eye sight and had to live as blind for the remaining life. Namboodiri did not know all these happenings and when he came out, people narrated him the entire incidents. He turned towards the sanctum sanctorum and told loudly.

“Oh, Goddess Ma, Now I am performing the rituals here. I am not sure whether my predecessors can do it or not. So I am surrendering my right to perform the rituals in this temple.” Thus Tharananalloor family ceased to be the Tantri of Madhura Meenakshi Temple.

There are many stories about performances of different Tharananalloor Namboodiripads, who were the heads of the family at different periods. Since it will consume too much of space, only one such story is being narrated here.

Once, the Namboodiri, then head of the family went to have bath in the family pond. It was early in the morning and the there prevailed silence in the atmosphere. Suddenly he heard a loud cry from the other side of the pond and sent his servant to enquire about it. Servant returned and told Namboodiri that Neelakandan, who was residing in the other side of the pond died due to snake bite and it was the cry of his wife and children they heard. Then Namboodiri told his servant that Neelakandan has not died and ask him to bring the body there.

Neelakandan’s family members brought the body to the pond side. He asked them to keep the body in an open space. Then He waited near the body holding a small stick in his hand. Hours have passed and nothing happened. Villagers started gathering at the place and there were some rationalists also among them. They started kidding Namboodiri. Still he waited there holding the stick and did not try to answer anybody’s queries.

After a few hours, a snake came there and raised its hood as if extending pleasantries with Namboodiri. Immediately Namboodiri asked his servant to bring milk and coconut water in two separate bowls. They have been brought and kept on both the sides of the body of Neelakandan. After that, Namboodiri turned towards the snake and told it.

“Take it back.” Snake went near the body of Neelakandan and bitted once again on his legs. It kept its teeth for quite some time and then came near Namboodiri. Namboodiri told it not to worry as he has kept milk there, it can dip its head in it. Snake did the same and to the utter shock of the crowd gathered there, the color of the milk turned blue. Namboodiri again instructed him to take back the poison and the snake obeyed it. This time Namboodiri asked the snake to dip the head in the bowl of coconut water and that too turned blue. When the snake finished sucking poison from the body of Neelakandan, Namboodiri broken the stick he was holding in his hand. Everybody presented there surprised to see the body of snake get sbreaking into two pieces. And adding more glory to the occasion, Neelakandan Waked up as if he was in a sleep.

By that time, Neelakandan’s relatives have made all arrangement for his cremation. The body of the snake has been cremated at that place and Namboodiri performed all rituals standing in the place of snake’s son. He even observed the deeksha (A ritual to be observed by the eldest son after the death of father) for a year.