Monday, November 21, 2016

Chinakkathoor Devi Temple where the Festival begins with screaming of people


Chinakkathoor pooram is the anual temple festival at chinakkathoor Devi Temple
As per Indian Vastu (Ancient Indian Architectural Science) facing south direction is not advisable. Usually, those who believe in Vastu will never construct houses facing the south. In such a scenario, you will be shocked to know about a temple in Kerala which is south facing.
 Chinakkathoor Devi Temple, at Palappuram about 5 KM away from Ottappalam in the Palakkad district of Kerala is a south-facing temple dedicated to Goddess Devi. There are two shrines in this temple premises known as Melekkavu (Upper Shrine) and Thazhekkavu (Lower Shrine). The deity in the lower shrine is believed to be self-originated or Swayambhoo. The rituals at the upper shrine are being performed by the members of the Kulangara Nair family and the same in the lower shrine is by Brahmin Namboodiris.
deities at thazhekkavu and melekkavu of chinakkathoor Devi Temple, palakkad
Deities of Chinakkathoor lower shrine (left) and upper shrine(right

Another interesting feature of this temple is that the annual temple festival begins with the screaming of devotees. Devotees in large numbers will gather around the flag mast of the temple and started screaming “Ayyo…..”  Amidst the screaming, the chief priest will raise the temple flag announcing the beginning of the temple festival. The reason behind this totally strange ritual is related to the legend of the temple which goes to the period of Ramayana.
Lord Rama and Lakshamana reached Thirunelli on their way to Sri Lanka. Tired of walking all the way, Lord Rama asked Dharma Sastha and Goddess Devi who were accompanying him to find an ideal place to take rest. Both of them went in search of a place but did not return even after a long time. Lord Rama and his brother Lakshamana went in search of Devi and Dharmasastha.
Lord Rama became furious seeing both of them taking rest at a serene place at Vilwadri or Thiruvilwamala. He pushed Dharmasastha and sastha fell in a pit nearby. Even now the Sastha idol at Thiruvillwamala temple is in a pit and is called “Kundilayyappan”, Sastha or Ayyappan in a pit in the local language Malayalam.
Then Lord Rama slapped Goddess Devi on her face. With heavy pain, she screamed “Ayyo…” and ran away from there. She reached Palappuram and sat there. The screaming at the beginning of the festival is meant for commemorating this incident.
The annual temple festival is very famous in the state of Kerala and is known as “Chinakkathoor Pooram”. There is a legend behind this festival which also narrates how the temple became south faced.
chinakkathoor devi temple is located near ottappalam in palakkadu district of kerala

Earlier, the idol in the temple was facing North direction. On those days, the Palappuram was under the regime of Zamorins or Samoodiris of Calicut. Kerala was divided into several feudal kingdoms on those days and they all were indulged in fighting with each other. Once, Samoodiri was moving southwards to fight a war with the King of the princely state of Cochin.
When he reached Palappuram, his palanquin bearers stopped moving. Although the tried their level best they could not move even an inch and stopped there as if their feet are chained. King alighted from the palanquin and enquired some locals about the reason. They told the king that he is on the backside of the Chinakkathoor Devi Temple and probably it is because of the divine power he is not able to move ahead.
King moved towards the temple and asked who is sitting there. Goddess Devi, who was sitting north faced turned back towards South to show her face to the king and told him that she was Kali. King worshiped her with great devotion and offered many offerings. Since then, the Devi is sitting facing south. King asked his subjects who gathered there to celebrate that occasion every year as a festival and thus started Chinakkathoor Pooram.



Sunday, November 20, 2016

The Temple Where the Unsettled Soul of a Judge is Worshipped

judge ammavan temple at cheruvally has the soul of a former judge as the deity

Judge Ammavan (Uncle Judge) Temple is a sub temple of Cheruvally Sri Devi Temple but it is more popular than the main temple because of the specialty of the deity worshiped here.  The deity here is the soul of an old Judge who was really honest.
Justice Govinda Pillai was the Chief Justice of the Royal Court of Travancore. He enjoyed the reputation for his fairness and honest. Nothing had influenced him in making the verdicts. Once, he ordered one of his nephews’s to be hanged to death and the order has been carried out by the Royal Police.
Later he came to know that his nephew was innocent. This was really a shock to him and he could not sleep due to guilty consciousness. He approached the King and told the incident. Justice Govinda Pillai told the king that he committed a heinous crime by ordering an innocent to be killed and he should get the death penalty for this.
Cheruvalli Sri Devi temple has a satellite temple where Judge Ammavan has been consecrated

King was not in a mood to listen to Pillai as he was enjoying the reputation as an honest judge and the king was very pleased with him. King tried to console him saying mistakes can be happened as they all are simply human beings and not gods. But Pillai was adamant and was not ready to go back from the decision. Finally, the king told him that the duty of the king is to execute the orders and only a judge can pass orders. Then Govinda Pillai insisted that the case will be taken care of by himself.
He went back to his office and prepared an order. It was clearly mentioned in the order that the intensity of the crime will be more if the same has been conducted by those who are responsible for ensuring law and order. He ordered himself to be hanged to death. There is one more punishment he added in his order that the legs should be chopped off before hanging.
King has no other way but to execute the order. Later, the family members of Govinda Pillai experienced many tragedies and approached an astrologer who practices Kerala Astrology. He told them that the soul of Pillai has not yet settled and they should invoke it and consecrate in their family temple, Cheuvally Sri Devi Temple.  That is the legend behind this temple. Devotees used to offer a special type of offering called “Vellam Kudi” (offering beetle nuts) to the deity which is affectionately called as Judge Ammavan or Uncle Judge. Devotees are saying that there are many instances where many complicated legal cases have been cleared in favor of the devotees who offered Vellam Kudi to Judge Ammavan.
presiding deity of cheruvalli devi temple is cheruvalli sri devi amma

The Cheruvally Sri Devi Temple is also an ancient temple which is claimed to be constructed about 800 years before. The legend behind this temple is that the divine power of Goddess Devi appeared there as per the request of Saint Sankaracharya. Later the divine power left there ignored for centuries and a lady belongs to a lower cast found a stone bleeding when she rubbed her sickle on it to sharpen it.
It has been found to be the divine power of devi. Then a temple has been constructed there and the power has been invoked to a stone idol of Devi which is about four feet high.  History says that King Marthanda Varma came here when he was in a battle with his cousins over the control of Travancore and stayed at Vanchipuzha Madom (A monastery for Vedic Studies) in the hide. Later he became the king of Travancore and conquered the feudal kingdom of Chembakasseri, Cheruvalli came under his rule and he handed over the temple to Vanchipuzha madam. Now it is under the control of Travancore Devaswom Board.  


Saturday, November 19, 2016

Duryodhana is Worshiped in Poruvazhiy Malanada Temple

Malanada Duryodhana Temple at Poruvazhi is unique temple with the eldest kaurava as the presiding deity

The news about Mahishasura worship has stirred a hornet’s nest in the recent past and a lot of controversies have been come up about celebrating Onam in Kerala as a commemoration of Demon King Mahabali. All these havocs have been generated out of ignorance of Hinduism.
Hinduism is a broad religion that offers different methods and ways to attain salvation. It promotes diversified methods of worships and it provides the freedom to worship anyone and anything. Devotion and dedication are the two prime things needed in worship and all other things such as the rituals, hymns, etc are irrelevant. This fact is being undermined by a small temple at a small town in Kerala “Poruvazhy” which is very near to Karunagapally in the Kollam district. Here the presiding deity is none other than the eldest among the Kaurava brothers, Duryodhana.
Originally the temple belongs to a family “Kaduthasseri” who belongs to the “Kurava” cast which is a scheduled cast as per the cast system prevailing in Hinduism. The legend is that Duryodhana came to Poruvazhi in search of Pandavas when they were in exile. As he had to walk a long distance and as it was summer days, Duryodhana felt thirsty and became tired.
At that time an old man belongs to Kaduthasseri family came there and offered water and food to Duryodhana. The affection the old man shown towards him touched the heart of Duryodhana. Duryodhana came near the old man to hug him, but the scared man moved away from Duryodhana saying that he belongs to a lower cast and not supposed to touch a Kshatriya who belongs to a higher cast. Then Duryodhana came nearer him and hugged him tightly and told that who helps in critical conditions is always belonging to the higher cast. Before leaving, Duryodhana promised the old man that he will meet him once he accomplished his mission.
At malanada temple there is no idol of duryodhana but this peetham is worshiped

However, Duryodhana could not find Pandavas and later the great war of Maha Bharatha started. At the end of it, Duryodhana has been killed by Bhima, the second Pandava. Once out of the body, his soul remembered the promise given to the old man of Kaduthasseri family and it moved to meet him.
On that night the old man had a dream in which Duryodhana appeared. Duryodhana apologized to the old man for not visiting him. Duryodhana also mentioned that he did not breach the promise as he could not accomplish his mission. He further said that he cannot forget the affection of the old man extended towards him on that day and he will live with him and his family members forever.
Waking up from the dream, the old man saw a divine light just outside the home where there was a small banyan tree. The very next day morning he placed a small stool at that place and started worshipping Duryodhana.
Even now, the members of Kaduthasseri are performing rituals at this temple and there is no Brahmin priest. There is no idol and all the rituals are being performed in front of the stool beneath the banyan tree. Alcoholic liquor is used to cleanse the stool and then banana is offered as the main offering here. Kaduthasseri's family is following the matriarchal system and on the death of a priest, his nephew will become the next priest.
Later, by the then Diwan of Travancore, C. P. Ramaswamy Iyyer has allotted 108 acres in the hillock and 108 acres of paddy fields to the temple. The most interesting thing is that the documents proving the award of this land are in the name of Duryodhana and thus, even now Duryodhana possesses a piece of land on earth when none of his brothers or Pandavas has.
procession on the festival day at Malanada Duryodhana Temple
Procession on the festival day at Malanda

The annual temple festival is celebrated in the Malayalam Month of Meenam every year. On the first Friday of Meenam, the temple flag will be hoisted on the flag mast denoting the beginning of the festival. The main festival is on the second Friday of the month.
People from seven blocks (Kara) nearby the temple will gather in the paddy fields near the hillock where the temple is situated. They will be carrying huge models of houses built with wood and hay. The chief will come down and receive them to the temple. They all will move up to the temple in a procession carrying the huge models of horses and dancing to the tune of drum beats.
Earlier, there was the presence of all Kauravas in the vicinity. However, now only Dussala, the lonely sister of Kauravas is being worshiped in the temple apart from Duryodhana. Her place is on the northwest side of Duryodhana. There is a place where Dussasana the second Kaurava is worshiped is located very near to this temple at Ennasseri. Their Uncle, Sakuni is also consecrated in the vicinity. He is consecrated in Pavithreswaram hillock.
Duryodhana is worshiped in some parts of Himalayas too.



Sunday, November 13, 2016

Nenmara Vallangi Vela and Nellikkulangara Devi Temple

nenmara vallangi vela is being celebrated at Nellikulangara devi temple every year

Nenmara Vallangi vela is a famous event across the globe. Caparisoned elephant’s procession along with Melam (traditional drum beats) and vast fireworks add more attraction to the event. The event called “Vela” is being organized by two villages Nenmara and Vallnagi as a competition. Both the villages try their level best to gain supremacy in all areas including the melam and fireworks. This event is being organized on the premises of Nellikulangara Devi temple which is an ancient temple. The temple is located in the Palakkad district of Kerala.
Nellikulangara was a part of princely state “Parambikkulam” during the Sangha period, which has been ruled by the feudal lord “Pari”. In a yearlong battle, he has been defeated jointly by the kings of Chera, Chola, and Pandya dynasties. At that time, a Devi idol was kept at Nellikulathu Mana, a house of a Brahmin and the family members used to worship it.  After the defeat of Pari, the significance of Parambikulam and Nellikulam and along with the Mana, the Devi idol also left uncared. There is a mention of this Devi in the “Puram Kavithakal” written by Kapilar in the 14th century.
nellikulangara devi temple where nenmara vallangi vela is being celebrated

Years have passed and the control of Chera kings over Nellikulam started diminishing. Parambikulam, which was a strong kingdom with more than 100 villages under it has got divided into several smaller regions ruled by feudal lords.
On those days, the feudal lord of Nellikulam heard about the Nellikulathu Mana and the Devi idol kept there. He took possession of the idol and consecrated near Pothakkulam. Although the idol has been worshiped as Goddess Devi by the family members of Nellikulathu Mana, while consecrating the same, the tantric did so but giving the form of Goddess Bhadrakali to the idol. At present, the deity is being worshiped as Goddess Bhadrakali. Later a new temple has been constructed in the present place and the idol has been consecrated. People belonging to Pappukkara Mana enjoy the tantric rights in this temple.


Every year on the 20th of Malayalam month Meenam, Vela is being organized by two adjacent villages Nenmara and Vallangi. People from faraway places used to gather here. Caparisoned elephants’ procession will begin at noon and it will be over by the dusk. Fireworks start post-midnight and will last until dawn. 

Friday, November 11, 2016

Kottankulangara Devi Temple; Celebrating Femininity

chamaya vilakku at kottankulangara devi temple
Kottankulangara Temple is one of the famous temples in Kerala dedicated to Goddess Bhagavathy or Devi. It is located in the old seaport town Chavara in Kollam district. The temple is more famous with a not so common ritual during the temple festival when men and boys gather in large numbers in the disguise of damsels and the ritual is called “Chamaya Vilakku”.
The legend behind the origin of the temple goes like this. The area where the temple is located now was a forest in good old days with huge trees, creepers, and grass. There was a small pond called “Bhootha kulam” or the “Pond of Ghosts” was located on the northwest side of the plot and there was a large pond on the eastern side. Always filled with freshwater, this large pond kept the area fertile.
Cowherds used to visit this place with their cows. After letting the cows free, the boys used to get engaged in different games and jokes. During such funny moments, one boy climbed on a coconut tree in the vicinity and plucked down a coconut. In order to remove the husk, they hit the coconut on a stone that was there near the “Bhootha kulam”. To their utter shock, they saw blood oozes out from the stone.
Scared of this unnatural incident, the boys rushed to their village and narrated the entire incidents to the village elders. The elders accompanied the boys to the spot and saw the blood oozing out from the stone. They came to the conclusion that some divine power is there in the stone. Upon invitation by the elders, two astrologers came there and they confirmed the presence of the divine power of Goddess Devi in that stone.
As per the instruction of the astrologers, boys and the elders constructed a temporary temple immediately using poles, leaves, and tender leaves of coconut palm at the place where the stone was situated. Then the boys came in disguise of damsels wearing female costumes with a lamp as the tradition practiced on those days was the damsels to offer light and flower garlands in the family temples. Later a permanent temple has been constructed there and the tantric rituals are been awarded to Adimattam Mana. The most astonishing feature is that the Sanctum Sanctorum does not have a roof here.
The temple hit the headlines with its special rituals during the temple festival which falls in the Malayalam month of Meenam (March 15 to April 15).

Chamaya Vilakku

chamaya vilakku at kottankulangara devi temple

This is a unique ritual which will be held on 10th and 11th of Malayalam month every year. During this festival, male devotees throng to the temple wearing female attire. This is to commemorate the incident of cowherds offering light and flower garlands when they performed the rituals for the Devi idol for the first time. Usually, people will carry out this ritual as a thanksgiving for fulfilling any of their desires. It is believed that the Goddess Devi will fulfill all your desires if you offer to carry Chamaya Vilakku.
Chamaya Vilakku is a lamp fixed on a long wooden piece. These lamps will be available for rent in the nearby shops. At midnight, men and boys come in female attire carrying the lamp. During the festival, the temple authorities will arrange the facilities including make-up rooms. Professional make-up men also will be available. When boys and men carry the chamaya vilakku, their mothers and wives will accompany them till the temple. However, men and boys who are planning to dress up as a damsel should observe certain penance or vrutha for a period of one month.

Kuruthola Pandhal

kuruthola pandhal made at kottankulangara devi temple during festival

This is another attraction during the temple festival.  In order to commemorate the origin of the temple, a model of the first built temple will be constructed every year with tender leaves of the coconut palm. This is called as “Kuruthola Pandhal”.  This is being built under a banyan tree called “Kunjalum moodu”. Hundreds of devotees line up from this point to the Arattu Kadavu, to see the procession of Devi. It is believed that Devi will be most happy at this moment as a sort of nostalgic feeling will be evoked in her after seeing the model of the first temple and whoever gathered there will be blessed by her.

Jeevatha Ezhunnellathu

Jeevitha ezhunnellippu at Kottankulangara devi temple

Just like in many other temples, Jeevatha Ezhunnellathu has performed at Kottankulangara Temple also. Wearing traditional attires men will carry Jeevatha on their shoulders and dance to the rhythm of drums. Devotees offer materials such as paddy, rice, etc to the goddess at this time.


Legend of Kandiyoor Mahadeva Temple

Kandiyur Mahadeva temple is one of the 108 Shiva shrines established by Lord Parasurama

An ancient temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is located on the banks of Achankovil River in Kandiyoor near Mavelikkara is considered one among the 108 Shiva temples consecrated by Lord Parasurama, the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu to protect the land of Kerala, which he had recovered from the sea.

There are many legends associated with the origin of this temple and the most popular one is of Saint Mrikandu, father of Markandeya. Once, the saint was taking in the holy rivers of Ganges and there he got an attractive idol of Lord Shiva in the form of Kiratha Murthy (As a tribal warrior). As he took hold of the idol, he heard a heavenly voice saying him to take the idol to a serene place and consecrate it.

Believing those words are from Lord Shiva, the Saint started his journey in search of a suitable place. Finally, he reached in Kerala, near the banks of Achankovil River, and the place found to be the ideal one. He consecrated the idol there. That being the best place among many places seen by him, it came to be known as “Kandathil Nall Ooru” which means the best place among the places seen in the local language Malayalam and later it became Kandiyoor.

Another legend says that it was the place where Lord Shiva beheaded Lord Brahma and hence the name “Kandiyu” came after one of the many names of Lord Shiva, “Sri Kandan”. Later, Lord Parasurama found the idol there and consecrated it after constructing the temple. It was he who gave the tantric rights to Tharananallur Illam.
Sanctum sanctorum of Kandiyoor Shiva Temple

A group of historians claims that the temple belonged to Hinayana sect of Buddhists and the King of Mavelikkara ordered to remove the Buddha from the temple and to consecrate Shiva idol there. They are of the opinion that the Buddha idol, which has been found in the nearby paddy fields years before and that has been installed near the temple was the original deity installed inside the temple.

Kandiyoor Temple is believed to be a Devadasi Temple. In other words, the Devadasi system has been practiced here. According to a 14th century Sanskrit Text "Shiva Vilasam", written by Damodara Chakyar, then king of Odanadu, Kerala Varma married a devadasi woman Cherukara Kuttathi, who used to reside in this temple. There are mentions of some other devadasis also in this text.

The temple has great significance in the history of Kerala. Before the present Malayalam calendar “Kollavarsham” has introduced it was Kandiyoorabdam was used in Kerala. This started from the date of the consecration of the idol in the temple.

Kandiyur was the capital of the erstwhile Odanadu dynasty. Later it has been conquered by the King of Kayamkulam. Later, it has been annexed to Travancore by Marthanda Varma. It is believed that the King of Kayamkulam visited the temple when he was defeated by Marthanda Varma and left his sword inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple and left through the back door. The door has never opened since then.

The deity is called as Kandiyoorappan and is being worshiped in three forms or bhavas. In the morning the rituals will be conducted assuming the deity is Dakshina Murthy, in the noon the rituals will be for Lord Shiva in Umamaheswara Bhavam and in the evening it is as Kiratha Murthy.


Thursday, November 10, 2016

Legend of Chettikulangara Devi Temple

devi temple of Chettikulangara is one of the prominent temples in kerala dedicated to Goddess Devi

Chettikulangara Devi Temple is one of the prominent temples in Kerala dedicated to Goddess Devi. The most astonishing feature of the deity here is that it has been worshiped as Goddess Saraswathi in the morning, Goddess Maha Lakshmi in the Noon and Goddess Durga in the evening. It is the number two temple under Travancore Devaswom Board in terms of collection. Sabarimala Sri Ayyappa Temple holds the number one position.
There are many legends behind the origin of the temple and the most popular one is as follows. Annual festivals in Temples of Kerala are of great significance and are being celebrated with great enthusiasm. Koyapallikarazhma Bhagavati Temple is another prominent temple in the nearby area and once the chieftains of Chettikulangara went there to enjoy the annual festival at that temple.
Temple authorities misbehaved with them and they felt humiliated by the insult meted out to them. The chieftains came back and decided to construct a temple there in Chettikulangara. They discussed the issue with each and every family in the village and all were of the same opinion. After taking the consent of the villagers, a few people went to Kodungallur Devi Temple to seek the blessings of Goddess Devi.
kettukazhcha is an important ritual during chettikulangara bharani day
Kettukazhcha

They completed 12 days worship at the temple and on the 12th night, Goddess Devi appeared in their dreams and asked them to go back to their village and construct a temple. She assured them that she will come there soon.
They reached Chettikulangara and started the construction of the temple. On one fine evening, the boatsman who used to ferry people across Karipuzha Rivulet was about to call it a day. He tied the boat to a tree on the shore and was about to leave. At that time an old lady came there and requested her to take her to the other side of the rivulet. She told him that she should reach Chettikulangara soon.
Being a good person, the boatsman took her to the other side. By then it was dark, so he decided to accompany the lady till Chettikulangara. On the way, they entered the house of a washerman family and had dinner there. By the time, the boatsman fell asleep. He woke up the next day early morning and the old lady was not there. Even the family members of the washerman family could not tell anything about the lady as they too fell asleep as soon as they finished their dinner.
The boatsman spread the news. In the very next day, there happened one more miracle which proved the presence of Goddess at Chettikulangara. Some repair works were going on in a Brahmin’s house in the nearby locality and during lunch, Brahmin’s wife called all labors for serving lunch. At that time a strange woman appeared. She had lunch from there and disappeared suddenly.
By that time, the chieftains have consulted a famous astrologer and he confirmed the presence of Goddess Devi there. In the very next auspicious time, the consecration of the idol has been performed by Padmapadacharya, a most prominent disciple of Shankaracharya.

Chettikulangara Kumbha Bharani

kuthiyottam is a traditional ritual art form performed during the bharani celebrations at Chettikulangara Devi Temple
Kuthiyottam

Kumbha Bharani is the major festival at Chettikulangara and it falls on the Bharani Star day of Malayalam month Kumbha (Feb 15- Mar15). Kuthiyottam is a ritual art form that has been played by groups of boys. It is quite often offered to Goddess as an offering.

The devotees who are planning to offer Kuthiyottam will adopt boys under the age of 12 for a few days since the day of Shivaratri. Every need of these boys will be taken care of by the devotees who offer kuthiyottam, including food and accommodation. A miniature of a temple will be constructed at the house of devotees and special rituals will be performed there every day till Bharani. Boys will be trained in Kuthiyottam these days and whoever visits the houses of devotees who are planning to offer kuthiyottam will be provided food.

On the day of Bharani, these boys will be taken to the temple as a procession. 

Kettukazhcha is performed in the evening of Bharani Day. Huge procession with huge effigies of characters from Hindu epics such as Bheema, Arjuna, Ganapati, Draupadi, etc will be built and brought to the temple is well-decorated chariots in a procession.

There is an interesting fact about Kumbha Bharani. Usually, Hinduism favors vegetarianism and most of the Hindus will not have non-vegetarian food on auspicious days but it is just opposite on Kumbha Bharani day. Almost all households in and around Chettikulangara will prepare a special dish on this day with dried prawns and mangoes (Konchum Mangayum). This dish is an integral part of Bharani celebrations and there is a legend behind this too.

On one Bharani day, an old woman was preparing a curry with dried prawns and mangoes. When the cooking was half the way, she heard the drum beats of Kettukazhcha. She could not resist seeing the Kettukazhcha. She prayed to the Goddess Devi to take care of the curry and went out to participate in Kettukazhcha, leaving the stove on.

When she came back after a few hours, she saw to her astonishment that the dish is ready and the stove is off. There were enough wooden logs inside the stove which indicated that it has not gone off for want of logs and the dish was perfectly cooked. The news spread across the land and since that day, every household started preparing this dish on the auspicious day of Bharani believing that the Goddess Devi will visit their house to supervise the preparation.

It is believed that Goddess Devi will move to Kodungalloor to visit the goddess thereafter the kettukazhcha. Hence the temple will remain closed on the day following Bharani and will be opened only on the next day.

Meena Bharani
meena bharani at chettikulangara is also known as children's bharani

Just after one month from Kumbha Bharani, on the day of Bharani star in the Malayalam month of Meenam, Meena Bharani which is also known as Children's Bharani will be celebrated at the temple. There will be a children's kettukazhcha on that day which will have miniatures of effigies made on Kumbha Bharani day. These small effigies will be carried by children to the temple in a procession. 




Sunday, November 6, 2016

Legend of Vaikom Mahdadeva Temple

Vaikathappan, the idol at Vaikom Mahadeva Temple in Kerala
Probably, Vaikom Mahadeva Temple may be the only temple devoted to Lord Shiva which has been equally revered by both Shaivaites and Vaishnavaite. It is one of the oldest temples in Kerala where the rituals have never been stopped since its inception.
Vaikom is a temple town located in the Kottayam District of Kerala and about 32 Km away from Ernakulam on the way to Sabarimala. The temple is one of the most popular and one of the largest temples too in Kerala. The legend behind the temple is mentioned in the ancient text Bhargava Purana and the Sanalkumar Samhita.
Kharasura (The Demon with the name Khara) was an ardent the devotee of Lord Shiva and he went to Chidambara to worship Lord Shiva after attaining Shaiva Vidya Upadesh from Saint Malyavan. He underwent a severe penance there and pleased with his devotion and dedication, Lord Shiva appeared in front of him.
The Lord gave all the boons asked by Kharasura and also gave three Shiva Lingas. Lord asked him to consecrate the lingas at suitable places and start worshiping them. He promised that he will appear in front of anybody who worship these lingas and eradicate the agony and troubles.  Happy with the boon, Kharasura started his journey with three llingas.
Vaikom mahadeva temple or shiva temple at Vaikom
He held one linga in his left hand the other one in the right hand. The third one he kept on his neck. On the way, he felt tired and sat in a calm and serene place to take rest. After some time, he decided to start his journey. When he tried to pick up the idols, he realized to his utter shock that they have got fixed to the ground.
Saint Vyaghrapada was following him invisibly throughout the journey and at this juncture, he appeared in front of Kharasura and asked him to leave the lingas there and start worshipping there. The linga which he was carrying in his right hand is believed to be the one at Vaikom Temple. The one in the left hand is the idol at Ettumanur Temple and the one he was carrying on his neck is the one at Kaduthuruthi Temple.
The fact that the distances from Vaikom to Kaduthuruthi and Kaduthuruthi to Ettumanur is almost equal, gives this legend a high level of credibility. Besides, the belief is that praying at all these three temples in a single day is more auspicious.
Later Kharasura attained salvation and Vyaghrapada Maharshi remained there worshipping the idol installed with the right hand of Kharasura. On an Ashtami day of Malayalam Month Vrischikam, Lord Shiva along with his consort Parvathy appeared in front of the saint and blessed him. Lord told him that this place will soon be called Vyagrapadapuram and will attract a lot of pilgrims.
Years have passed and the Saint too got salvation. Once, Parasurama, the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu was moving by the sky, he experienced the presence of divine rays at a particular place on the earth. He came down and searched for the source of the rays and found it to be a Shiva Linga immersed in water.
Vaikam Ashtami Celebrations

He picks up the Linga and did rituals chanting many holy hymns. Pleased with this act, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi appeared in front of him and asked him to construct a temple and consecrate the linga there. Lord told him that as the consecration was done by Parasurama, the Linga will have both the energies or Chaitanyas of Lord Shiva and Vishnu.
Parasurama constructed the temple and installed the linga. Then he called a Brahmin from a nearby village and handed over the temple to him. He instructed him on how to perform rituals and also taught him many holy hymns for performing rituals there. It is the same system that is being followed even today.

Closed Door at Vaikom Shiva Temple
There is a door in the western courtyard of the temple which always remains closed. Here is the legend behind that. Parasurama awarded the rights on the temple to one hundred and eight families. As time passed they got divided into two groups supporting and opposing the ruler. The quarrel between these two groups intensified day by day.
One day, one group was performing “Nivedyam” (Offering food to the deity) at the western side of Namaskara Mandapa when a prominent person belongs to the other group came there. He kept his apron (Melmundu) on the western door and went inside. He spat the beetle nut he was chewing into the offerings (Prasadam) prepared for the god and thus stopping the ritual he came out. When he took out the apron from the door, a highly poisonous snake appeared from beneath the apron and bit him.
He felled out of the door as if somebody has pushed him and died immediately. At the same time, the door closed automatically and a voice came from within the sanctum Sanctorum saying not to open that door anymore. Till then the door has not been opened and even now it is closed.


Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Legend of Kodungallur Devi and Kodungallur Bharani


Goddess Devi of Kodungallur Temple
Kodungallur is a small temple town located in the Thrissur District of Kerala. Although this small town houses many temples, most of them are dedicated to Lord Shiva, Kodungallur Sri Kurumba Temple or Kodungallur Devi Temple is the most famous one. It is believed that Kannaki of Tamil classic Chilapathikaram attained salvation here.
The mythology behind this temple goes back to the period of the creation of Kerala by Lord Parasurama, the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. When he created Kerala and donated the land to many Brahmins to free from the curses of killing kshatriyas, a demon called Daruka came there. He started driving out people and they all approached Parasurama.
Parasurama underwent a penance to appease Lord Shiva to find a solution. Shiva appeared in front of Parasurama and asked him to construct a temple and consecrate an idol of Goddess Bhadrakali and start worshipping her. Parasurama did accordingly and the Goddess appeared in her most fierce form. She fought a long war with the demon and killed him.
When she came back, Parasurama pleaded her presence at that temple forever for the protection of the people. Pleased with the devotion of Parasurama, she agreed to do so. And the temple is believed to have the presence of Goddess Kali there.
Another legend says that Kannaki of Chilapathikaram came to Kodungallur after setting ablaze the entire Madhurai City and prayed to the goddess. After a few minutes of prayer, she got absorbed into the idol of Goddess.
Kodungallur Sri Kurumba Temple

Kodungallur Amma, as the deity is called quite often by the devotees, is the family goddess of the royal family of Kodungallur. Hence, the presence of the senior member of the family, who is referred to as Kodungallur Thampuran is necessary for all festivals related to the temple.
Kodungallur Bharani is the major festival in this temple. On that day there is a ritual called “Kozhikkal Moodal” which was originally the sacrificing of cocks and offering the blood. After the ritual performed, Kodungallur Thampuran will spread a red umbrella. This is called “Kavu Theendal” which is a symbolic way to give permission to people belonging to all casts to enter the temple. As soon as this is over, devotees, especially hundreds of oracles wearing red cloth will enter the temple and run three times around the temple holding sticks in their arms.
kavu theendal ritual at Kodungallur devi temple on Bharani day

This ritual is to commemorate the return of Goddess Kali and her army after killing Daruka. The sticks in the arms of devotees represent weapons. After completing three rounds, they will enter the temple. In earlier days, the devotees used to air filthy languages against the Devi while they run around the temple. This ritual was based on a belief that the Goddess enjoyed the victory in the war with her soldiers who were shouting bad words out of joy. Later this ritual has been stopped.
Later, Adi Shankara installed five Sri Chakras in the temple and these chakras are believed to be a source of the power of the temple.   People belong to the Namboodiri community or Adiga communities have the right to perform rituals here in this temple. There is one more Sri Kurumba Temple in the Southern part of the town where the rituals are being performed by the people belonging to the Kudumbi community.


Sunday, July 10, 2016

Another Legend of Kerala Ayurveda


Charaka is the father of Kerala Ayurveda
Kerala Ayurveda is famous across the globe for its effective treatments without any side effects. Almost all diseases have effective treatments in Kerala Ayurveda and people, even from far away nations visit this tiny southernmost state of India to take treatment for various diseases.
History of Ayurveda in Kerala is many centuries old and there are many well-reputed Ayurvedic treatment centers in Kerala which are centuries old. The mantle has been carried from generation to generation and even now it is glowing brightly.
Edathotty is one such traditional ayurvedic family in Kerala which is located at Idayar, near piravom in Ernakulam District. There is a legend behind this ancient Christian family becoming a name to reckon with it in Ayurveda.
Edathotty family was basically a Brahmin family, who are believed to be converted to Christianity during the visit of Saint Thomas in Kerala. Once, a strange Brahmin from a faraway place was passing through Idayar. As it was too late in the evening he decided to take shelter in some houses. On those days, most of the people used to travel by walk and it was regular practice for them to take shelter at different homes during the night. Being a Brahmin, he enquired about Brahmin houses in the locality with some people and they directed him to Edathotty.
However, the head of Edathotty did not want to deceive the Brahmin by hiding the fact that they have converted to Christianity. However, the Brahmin was not much interested in religion as he was too tired and hungry. He stayed at Edathotty house that night. When the family head went to wake him up the next morning, he found the Brahmin to be dead. Frustrated with happening, he informed the local people about it.  They all gathered there but could not recognize the Brahmin. Hence they decide to do his funeral at the local Church where the Edathotty family visits regularly and according to the Christian rituals.

After the funeral, when the family head came back to his home, he saw the rucksack left over by the Brahmin. He opened and saw many books. To his astonishment, he saw a note which is supposed to be written by the Brahmin in the previous night. In that, he mentioned that his time was almost over and the books in the rucksack should be taken care of by Edathotty family. He further said in the note that the family members should learn Ayurveda from those books and should start practicing as Ayurvedic Doctors.
Since then, members of the Edathotty family started learning Ayurveda and became very famous Ayurvedic Doctors. They passed the knowledge generation by generation and there were many famous doctors in that family.

Edathotty Kunjithomman Vaidyan

Although there were many famous Ayurvedic Physicians in that family, Kunjithomman Vaidyan was the most famous one. He shot into fame even before he officially starts practicing. He was learning Ayurveda during those days and as he was passing by one of his relative’s house, he saw a crowd there.  Upon enquiring about the reason he understood that the lady in the house was suffering from labor pain and delivery is not happening even after a long time. Many doctors have come there and did many treatments but everything went in vain.


At that time, some of the family members saw him and requested to do something to save the mother and child. He went inside and examined the lady thoroughly. Then he came out, took two midribs of the blade of coconut leaf, and tied it together. Then he entered the room and asked everybody except a nurse to clear off from the room. When all left he closed the door and went near the lady. He once again examined the stomach of the lady closely and beat at one specific point of the stomach with the midrib of coconut leaf. It was so powerful that the child came out of the stomach.  All were happy and from that day onwards, Kunjithomman Vaidyan also being regarded as a doctor. 

Saturday, May 21, 2016

Palayur Church and the Importance of Chavakkadu in the History of Christianity in Kerala


Christianity came to India even before it entered Europe and in India, it is believed to have come to Kerala at first. The common belief is that Saint Thomas, a direct disciple of Jesus Christ visited Kerala after the death of Christ and he converted many people to Christianity.
Palayur and Chavakkadu have a prominent place in the history of Christianity in Kerala. Palayur was very famous even before Christ and it has business relations with Egypt, Greece, and Arabia. Many Jews used to reside in this small town in ancient times. Although there are now Jews now, there are many structures to remind their presence. Jootha bazaar (Jew Market) and Jootha Kunnu (Hillocks of Jews) are a few among them.
When Saint Thomas got down at Musris, Present day Kodungalloor, he directly went to Palayur as it was very famous then. There many Jews got attracted to his speech and converted to Christianity. Thus, Palayur town became a center of Christianity and it even enjoyed the nickname “Rome of the East”.
At the place where the present-day church is situated, there was a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Later, when the devotees got converted into Christianity, the temple too got converted as a church. It was in 1607, a modern church has been constructed at the place. Construction has been carried out by an Italian priest Feni Paul.
As mentioned earlier, Palayur and Chavakkadu have great significance in the history of Christianity in Kerala. It is believed that Saint Thomas converted the first Indian at this place. The legend goes like this.
Saint Thomas was traveling through the river on a boat where he saw a group of Brahmins performing death rituals. He stopped his boat and watched it curiously. At the end of the rituals, the Brahmins took water in their hands and threw it upwards.
Saint approached them and asked then why they threw water up. They explained that it was a ritual to get salvation for the soul and at the end when they threw the water up, it will cleanse the soul. Saint Thomas told them he could not believe what they said. He further asked them why the water drops are falling down. His argument was that if the souls are there, the drops should get stuck with them and will not fall back.
When the Brahmins stood answerless, he told them that he can keep the water drops in the atmosphere with his divine power. Brahmins challenged him to show and Saint took a handful of water and threw it up. To the utter surprise of the Brahmins, none of the drops fell down but remained in the atmosphere.
Seeing this divine act, one of the Brahmins expressed his willingness to join Saint Thomas. He took a handful of water and poured it over the head of that Brahmin. That is believed to be the first baptism conducted in India.

However, the remaining Brahmins could not agree with the one who got converted. They became angry too with his act. They cursed that the place will never develop and they left the place. The place that bearing the curse came to be known as Shapakkadu (Forest with a curse) soon and later it got corrupted to Chavakkadu.
Although the curse was there, Chavakkadu experienced its immense development in the coming years. It became very famous even in foreign countries. However, the invasion of Tipu Sultan changed the fate of this international business center.
Many Christians had to leave the place and had to seek refuge in nearby Travancore during Tipu’s invasion. He even attacked the Palayur Church. Thus, Chavakadu lost its glory.


Sunday, May 15, 2016

Thiruvattatu Adikesavan and Azhaka Pillai; a rare story of love and affection between an Elephant and Mahout


The procession of caparisoned elephants is an integral part of any temple festival in Kerala. It is more a Kerala tradition than a Hindu tradition as it is being seen in local festivals related to churches and mosques too. Elephants, the largest wild animals in the world have a significant role in the history and cultural heritage of Kerala and that is the reason for including elephants in the official logo of Kerala state.
Elephants have significant role in Kerala Mythology

Although it was a practice for centuries to use elephants for procession in temples and for other cultural events in Kerala, a movement is getting stronger against this practice nowadays. Many eminent persons are also backing this movement terming it as an act of cruelty towards animals. Indeed it is cruelty in some cases whereas it is not in some other cases. There were and are many mahouts who have loved their elephants more than their wards and this story is about a story about the implausible relation between an elephant and its mahout.
As all are aware, Kerala has been divided into several fractions before the arrival of British and each fraction has been ruled by different dynasties and feudal lords. They used to fight with each other to establish their supremacy and to conquer the other. After a long battle which lasted for several days, Marthanda Varma, then King of Travancore subjugated Kayamkulam a nearby princely state. After the victory, King Marthanda Varma visited Thiruvattatu Adi Kesava Temple, which was the family temple of Kaymkulam dynasty. There he found a cute calf elephant. He adopted it and named it after the temple deity as Adikesavan. He appointed a teen aged boy, Azhaka Pillai as the mahout for Adikesavan.
He ordered Azhaka Pillai to keep the elephant at the Thiruvattatu Temple and gave him permission to take elephant to other temples too if they need Adikesavan to take part in the procession. He also gave permission to Pillai for using the elephant in bringing large woods from the forest. On those days, it was elephants that are used to bring huge wood pieces from the forests.  However, the king put a strict condition that on 15 th of every month, Pillai should bring elephant to his palace in the early morning as he wants to see Adikesavan as the first sight of the day on that day.
King has designated a specific place in his courtyard for Adikesavan to wait so that he can see the elephant as he wakes up and open the windows. Azhaka Pillai used to bring the elephant on every 15th and keep it at the place. Then he will move far as he did not want the king to see him too as the first sight. After seeing the elephant, the king will come out and give bananas, sugarcanes and jiggery which are kept ready. Once the King as given him one piece from each item, Adikesavan will move a bit back. This is a sign that he does not want the king to take trouble in feeding him. As the king understands Adikesavan well, he will move back and sit on a chair after giving permission to Adikesavan to have all. Even Azhaka Pillai has been rewarded with clothes and money on those days.
It has been a practice for both the elephant and the mahout and on some occasions, when Azhaka Pillai was not well, Adikesavan had come alone to the palace travelling miles and miles.
Suddenly one day, the King expired and his predecessor, Dharmaraja took the Charge. As Azhaka Pillai knows that the news of demise of king will be hard to digest, he did not inform Adikesavan. The next month, as usual Adikesavan came to the palace along with Pillai. As usual he trumpeted to wake the king. Dharmaraja, the new king did not have the habit of waking up early. Hence the trumpeting irritated him. He got furious and shouted the mahout to take the elephant away.
Experiencing a different treatment, Adikesavan broke down and he ran away from the place taking Pillai in his trunk. They travelled many miles and stopped for a while to take rest. At that time Pillai told Adikesavan about the demise of the King. It was really painful to him and the tears started coming out of his eyes. He did not eat anything.
Caprisoned Elephant Procession is an important part of any temple festivals in Kerala

At the same time, back in the palace, when the king woke up, companions told him about the practice of Marthanda Varma keeping the elephant for first sight in the morning. They also told him that Adikesavan might not be aware of the demise of Marthanda Varma and hence he came there as usual. Hearing the details, Dharmaraja too felt bad on his behavior and he sent persons to bring back the elephant. However, Adikesavan was not in a mood to obey royal order.
Seven days have passed and Adikesavan did not even drink water. All these days, officials used to come there to take Adikesavan to the palace. On the seventh day Azhaka Pillai told Adikesavan that it is not a good practice to disobey the royal order. He agreed and went to the palace.
With a great joy on his arrival Dharmaraja offered him bananas, coconut leaves, sugarcane etc but he did not went near the king. Then Pillai told king that the elephant did not have bath for last seven days and if it touched King, he will became impure. Hearing the reason for Adikesavan keeping a distance, King ordered Pillai to take the elephant to the nearby river and to have bath. Adikesavan came back to the palace after taking bath and accepted the materials submitted by his majesty. Then the King ordered to continue the practice as usual but not very early in the morning.
Both Adikesavan and Azhaka Pillai were of same age and both of them were getting weak as they grew older. Azhaka Pillai became very weak and he became bedridden. However, Adikesavan used to go for temple processions and for brining woods from the forest alone. He insisted that Azhaka Pillai should his part of wages. Temple authorities used to come to Azhaka Pillai’s house and present him his part of money. Then only Adikesavan will go there. He never created any mishaps even when he was alone and without a mahout.
Whenever he is free, he used to spend his time in the premises of Azhaka Pillai’s house. One such morning he heard a loud cry from Pillai’s house and he understood that his friend has left the world. He lifted his trunk as if he is paying homage to his friend of the life and moved to a corner in the compound. He lied on the ground and did not eat anything. On that night, Adikesavan too left the world to join his lifelong friend Azhaka Pillai. Both of them were around eighty years old then.
Since his teen ages, Azhaka Pillai never worked as a mahout for any elephant other than Adikesavan and Adikesavan never had a mahout other than Azhaka Pillai. They started life together, lived together and died together too.