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.
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.
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| 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.
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