Thruchambaram Sri Krishna Temple, The place where the childhood Jovialities being replicated

Thruchambaram Sree Krishna Temple is one of the most famous Sree Krishna Temples in Kerala, the southernmost Indian State. It is located near Thaliparamba in Kannur District. It is believed that Lord Sri Krishna, along with Balarama, Gopas and Gopikas visit this place and replicate their childhood days with which they enriched the blessed Vrindavan. A beautiful and highly romantic myth is there about this temple and it goes back to the period of Dwapara Yug.

Vasudeva and Devaki, the biological parents of Lord Srikrishna became old and was spending days alone. Sri Krishna visited them once. Since he found them to be very sad, he asked for the reason. They told him that, they have been told by many people about the Bala Leelas (Childhood Jovialities) of Krishna. Since they were in prison at that time they could not see and experience his naughtiness and they feel sad about it. Then Lord Krishna consoled them saying that they will be able to see everything shortly. He asked them to go to the Sahya Mountains. He told them that there is a village called Lakshmipuram on the western side of Sahya and Saint Shambara is undergoing penance in a dense forest nearby that village. He informed them that he has deputed Goddess Durga to maintain the serenity of the place. He assured his parents that he will come to that place along with Balarama and other friends to enjoy their childhood jovialities once again before the end of Dwaparayuga.

Meanwhile, Saint Agasthya went to Vaikunta to visit Lord Vishnu. Pleased with his devotion, Goddess Lakshi presented him with a beautiful idol of Lord Vishnu which she used to worship. Agasthy came back to earth with that idol and visited Kancheepuram. There he came across a great devotee with the name Pushkaran. He presented the idol to Pushkaran as regard to his selfless devotion. Pushkaran started worshiping the idol as per the rituals instructed by Saint Agasthya and he started experiencing many good things in life. Saint Narada came to know about this idol and he told the same thing to Indra. Indra decided to take the idol for his worship but knew that Pushkaran will not part with that. Hence, he entered Pushkaran’s house and stole the idol. Pushkaran was outside of the house at that time and he got shocked when he found the idol missing when he came back.

He started praying to Lord Vishnu for help in finding the idol. One day Lord Vishnu came in his dreams and told him to start his journey to find out the missing idol. He ensured Pushkaran that there will be many holy flowers on his way to show the right path. Pushkaran started his journey in search of the missing idol and whenever he missed the direction one or the other holy flower appeared in front of him to guide him. Finally, he reached the dense forest where Saint Shambara is undergoing penance. Seeing the Saint Pushkaran asked him about the reason why he has chosen this forest for worship when lots of other calm and quiet places are available in the nearby locality. Saint told him that Lord Krishna along with Balarama and other friends will come here soon to replicate their childhood jovialities and Goddess Durga is keeping this place serene for that. He is spending his days in worship of Goddess Durga and waiting eagerly to see the childhood jovialities of Lord Krishna. However, Pushkaran did not show interest in the story as he was eager to find the missing idol. Saint Shambara ensured him that he will get the idol, but will have to wait there till Parashurama comes. Obeying Saint’s advice, Pushkara too started living in that forest worshipping Goddess Durga.

After a few years, Parasurama came there and asked the same question to Saint Shambara and Shambara told the same story. Parasurama too waited there to see the childhood jovialities of Lord Krishna.  After a few days, one fine morning, they heard a beautiful humming of a flute followed with beats of drums. Within a short while, Lord Krishna came there along with Balarama and other friends came there and started dancing. Then they got engaged in different types of games. Along with old Vasudeva Devaki, Saint Shambara, Parasurama, and Pushkaran many saints and gods witnessed this wonderful act and they all praised them with shower of flowers. Touched with the beauty of the actions, Parasurama came forward and fell on the feet of Lord Krishna and requested him o came to that place once in a year and perform the same actions. Pleased with the devotion of Parashurama, He agreed to come to that place every year in the Kumbham month of Malayalam Calendar (February-March as per English Calendar) and to replicate his childhood jovialities. Suddenly Saint Narada came there with a divine Vishnu Idol and asked Parasurama to construct a temple and to consecrate that idol there. To the great astonishment of Pushkaran, it was the same idol which Saint Agasthya Presented to him.

Parasurama did as per the instruction of Saint Narada. Apart from the temple, he created a beautiful garden, a lake, etc inside the forest to provide a suitable atmosphere for Sri Krishna Leela. Then Narada came again with two idols, one of Krishna and the other is of Balarama. He told Parasurama that Brahmin children should hold these idols on their heads every year when Lord Krishna is supposed to visit that place and should dance and should engage in different games. This custom is still being practiced in Thruchambaram Temple.

The place where Saint Shambaram used to live, later came to know as Thiru Shambaram (Thiru being the prefix used to show respect to great people) and then corrupted to Thruchambaram.

There are many more interesting tales about the Lord Krishna residing at Thruchambaram and will be narrated in the coming parts. 

Legend of Malayalapuzha Devi Temple

Malayalapuzha Devi Temple is one of the famous temples dedicated to Goddess Durga in Kerala. This temple, which is located in the Pathanamthitta District of Kerala is regarded as one among the 108 Durga

Temples called 108 Durgalayas. As in the case of many other Durga or Kali temples in Kerala, the legend of this temple too has its lineage with the famous Kollur Mookambika Temple of South Karnataka.

There was a Brahmin (Namboodiri) devotee of Goddess Ma. He devoted his life to the Goddess and was always seen chanting her praises and holy hymns. Once he went to Mookambika Temple and started worshiping Goddess Ma. He used to live in the temple premises and used to have very little food that is offered from the temple. All he had with him was one Salagramam (A particular kind of stone seen in River Gandaki in Nepal. According to Hindu belief, this stone represents the divine power of Lord Vishnu and hence it is being worshiped) and an umbrella made of palm leaves.

He spent years there worshipping Goddess and one night he had a dream where the Goddess Ma came in the dreams and told him that she had her presence in the Salagramam worshiped by the Namboodiri and now he can return to his village and continue worshipping it instead of staying back at Kollur. Although he believed that it was the words from the Goddess, he was reluctant to go back to his village; instead he decided to go to Maruthva Hills and to indulge in penance till he gets salvation. Thus he started his journey by walk.

As mentioned earlier, all he had with him was the Salagramam and the umbrella made with palm leaves. Hence he did not have to worry much during his journey. Accepting the food given from different houses, he continued his journey and reached at Thombil Palace, the residence of a feudal lord. The feudal lord who is known as Thombil Thampuran was a religious person and generous too. Namboodiri stayed over there for a few days accepting the hospitality and the company of Thampuran. After a few days, Namboodiri informed Thampuran that it was time for him to leave and to grant permission for it. By this time, Thampuran developed a sort of respect and fondness towards the Namboodiri and was not ready to leave him. But the Namboodiri was adamant and decided to move out.

Surprisingly when the Namboodiri lifted the Salagramam and the umbrella both have not come up. They remain on the floor of the palace where they have kept. At that time an oracle (persons who will enact as a goddess after invoking the divine power in them) came there and told Namboodiri that Goddess did not like to leave those premises. Then the Namboodiri decided to stay back there worshiping the Salagramam and attained salvation within a few years.

After the demise of Namboodir, the Salagramam left alone and nobody took initiative to continue with the type of rituals Namboodiri did to worship the Goddess. This negligence reflected in the life of locals. They had to undergo many troubles and ill fates. Thombil Thampuran approached an astrologer to seek a solution for the problems faced by his subjects. The astrologer told that the Salagramam, worshipped by the Namboodiri has the presence of Goddess and it has been left alone without any worship nowadays. Goddess is angry with this negligence and all the problems are due to her anger. He insisted Thampuran to construct a temple for Goddess Ma and worship the Salagramam there.

According to this instruction, Thampuran started the search for an ideal place and found one which was under the jurisdiction of Edappally King. Hearing the entire story, the King happily handed over the land for constructing the temple and also helped Thampuran financially to construct the temple. This is believed to have happened almost 1000 years before and the same temple is still there in Malayalapuzha.

On the eastern side of the temple, there is a Siva Linga which is believed to have come up automatically (Swayambhoo). There is a golden shower tree near to that. When all other Golden Shower trees blossoms during the month of April-May, this tree blossoms throughout the year. Another interesting thing is that all the flowers from that tree will fall exactly on this Shiva Linga always. There is one another interesting fact about this temple and that is the presence of honey bees. These bees will fly very close to the devotees visiting the temple, but, not a single case of honey bees attacking the devotees, has not been reported so far. 

Legend of Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple

Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple is located in the Pathanamthitta District of Kerala. It is a temple that stands quite apart from the other Hindu Temples as far as the customs and rituals are concerned. In the old days, the temple used to be open for the devotees only during the Mandalam Season (41 days from the 1^st of Malayalam Month Vrischikam which usually starts on 15^th or 16^th of November every year and a few days before the 1^st of Malayalam Month Makaram which falls on 14^th or 15^th of January). However, the temple is being opened in the first five days of every Malayalam month nowadays. Still, more number of Ayyappa Devotees prefer the Mandalam Season to visit this shrine.

Probably because of the large number of devotees being attracted to this temple, it always finds a place in controversies, especially during the season. Even there are many contradicting myths and legends about this temple. Although the deity of the temple, Lord Ayyappa is regarded as Hari Hara Putrha (son of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu in Mohini Avatara) some historians are claiming it to be a Budha temple once and the deity here is Lord Budha. The most popular legend about this temple goes as follows.

As per the Hindu beliefs, the gods became older due to the curse of Saint Durvasav, and to regain their strength and youth, they had to drink Amruth. This Amruth is being kept under the milky sea (Palazhi) and had to take out by churning the sea. Being old and weaker due to the curse, gods alone could not do this, hence they took the help of demons.

When the Amruth came out finally, the stronger demons took it away. Lord Vishnu incarnated in the form of a beautiful lady named Mohini and approached demons. The stunning beauty of Mohini attracted demons and all of them wanted to marry her. She put a condition to marry her. She told all of them to sit in line with their eyes closed and then she will serve the Amruth. Everybody can open their eyes after consuming Amruth, but she will marry the person who opens the eyes last.

Nobody wanted to lose a chance to marry this charming beauty and hence they all agreed with her condition. When the demons closed their eyes, she took the Amruth and went back to the gods and handed it over to them. When Lord Shiva came to know about this incident, he urged Lord Vishnu to show her the Mohini Incarnation. Although reluctant at first, Lord Vishnu had to take the incarnation once again due to the compulsion of Lord Shiva. When Lord Shiva saw the Mohini, he too fell for her beauty. Finally, Mohini gave birth to a boy child from Shiva. This child is known as Dharma Sastha.

As in the other parts of India, Kerala too was being ruled by different feudal lords before independence, and Pandalam was one such princely kingdom. Rajasekharan was a king in this dynasty. Although he could rule the country to the satisfaction of his subjects, he could not live happily as he does not have children. He was worried more about the fact that the dynasty will come to an end after his death. He used to pray to Lord Shiva every day for a child.

Once, when the king was out for hunting in a thick forest, he heard the crying of a small kid and when traced it to a huge banyan tree he saw a newborn baby boy lying just beneath the tree wrapped in a piece of silk cloth. There was a small golden chair around his neck with a bell tied to it. When the King wondered about how the baby came there, a sage appeared in front of him and asked him to take the baby to his palace as it has been awarded as an answer to his prayers to Lord Shiva. The sage also revealed that the baby has a divine lineage and the truth will be revealed when the boy becomes twelve years old. He obeyed the words of the sage and took the boy to the palace. Even the queen was happy as she got a cute child. They named him Manikantan as there was a bell tied around his neck.

Days have passed and Manikanta started pursuing education. The queen gave birth to a boy child in between and he has been named as Raja Rajan. Although the King and the queen still loved and regarded Manikantan as their eldest son, the minister who was taking care of the administration developed a dislike towards Manikantan. The young Manikanta, who came back from the gurukul after finishing education, became more popular among the subjects. He was smart too. Minister, who used to misuse the power for his own benefits, became unable to continue with his activities. This again worried him. He hatched a plot to finish Manikanta when he understood the plan of the King to handover the thorn to Manikanta.

He lured the queen by creating confusion in her mind. He warned her that once Manikanta, who is not her real son becomes King, he will certainly kick out both her and her own son from the palace and they will have to lead a life that is similar to those of slaves. After the continuous effort, the minister succeeded in creating a dislike about Manikantan in Queen’s mind. Still, she was afraid of requesting the king to avoid making Manikanta the king as she knew that he has a lot of love towards Manikanta. Hence, both queen and the Minister hatched a plan. As per his direction, the queen fell on the bed pretending that she is suffering from heavy stomach pain. Then the palace doctor, who was an aide of the minister, came to examine her and prescribed some medicines. He insisted that those medicines should be taken after dissolving them in the milk of leopard. This suggestion stunned the king. One has to bring leopard alive to take out milk and it was quite impossible too. At that time minister came there and suggested Manikanta’s name for this task.

Although the king was reluctant to send Manikanta for his risky job, Manikanta himself came forward and offered his readiness. He went into the dense forest. There Lord Indra along with other gods appeared in front of them with bowed hands and expressed their consent to incarnate in the form of a female leopard and its kids. Manikanta placed himself on the mother leopard and started his journey towards the palace. All the people got stunned seeing this and they got scared too. They all went inside their houses and remained inside with closed doors. The message even reached the palace even before the arrival of Manikanta.

The same sage who appeared in front of the king years before and asked him to took the baby Manikanta to the palace appeared once again there and revealed the right identity of Manikanta. He revealed that Manikanta went inside the forest to kill the demoness Mahishi the sister of Mahishasura. She derived a boon from Lord Brahma that only the son of Lord Shiva and Vishnu can kill her. That happened inside the forest and now Manikanta is returning.

As soon as he reached in the courtyard of the Palace, the queen jumped out of the bed and confessed everything to the king.  When Manikantan came inside the palace, the King told him that everything happened due to the evil planning of the minister and he should punish the minister. But Manikantan did not agree with that. He told the king that it was the wish of the heavens due to which everything happened. Then he asked the king to crown Rajarajan as his heir and allow him to leave back to the world of gods as he has completed his duty. Then both the king and queen fell on his feet and requested him to live in their country to bless the subjects. They asked him to suggest a place for constructing a temple for him. Then Manikantan shot his arrow and asked the king to construct a temple where it fell. That was the place where the great sage Sabari used to live during the period of Lord Sri Rama. Manikantan also told the king that he will only bless those devotees who are coming to visit the temple after taking strict vrutha for forty-one days.

It is believed that Agasthya Maharshi led the foundation of the stone ceremony of the temple.

Legend of Malikapurathamma

There is another temple beside the Ayyappa Temple which belongs to the deity Malikapurathamma. She is none other than the Mahishi who got killed by Ayyappa. Mahishi was the daughter of a saint and had to become a demon with the face of a buffalo due to the curse of her father.  When she has been removed from the curse by the son of Shiva and Vishnu, she regained her old figure. She had fallen for the charm of Ayyappa or Manikanta and requested him to marry her. Manikanta, who is known as Ayyappa rejected her pleas as he was still in Brahmacharya. However, he agreed to marry her with a condition. She will be given a place just beside him in Sabarimala and when the Kanni Swamis (The devotees who are visiting Sabarimala for the first time are known as Kanni Swamies) stopped visiting the temple he will marry her.

There is a ritual for Kanni Swamies (First-time visitors) to throw arrows at a place called Saram Kuthi Alu (A huge banyan tree where the arrow of Manikanta fell during his fight with Mahishi). At the end of the Mandala season every year, the idol of Malikapurathamma will be taken out on an elephant to this place. After seeing the place covered with a large number of arrows, she will recognize that kanniswamies have visited that year too. She will then return to her temple with a broken heart. This divine lady love is still waiting patiently for realizing her dreams.