Kerala, the southernmost state of India houses many temples.
When some of them are very famous and attract thousands of devotees, some
others are not so famous and the number of visitors also will be lesser.
However, a visit to these small and not crowded temples will really give you
peace of mind. I have once experienced god and had a conversation with the
almighty in one of such temples.
Thruppuliyur Maha Vishnu Temple is one such temple. When you
travel westwards from the Chengannur town you can see the beautiful landscape
of paddy fields on both sides of the road. When you travel about five
kilometers you will reach in front of a small hillock on the top of which is
this temple situated. It is believed that the idol consecrated here is the one
which has been worshiped by Bhima, the second Pandava. Hence it is believed
that still, the presence of Bhima is here. Locals have many stories to prove
this.
Once, a gang of burglars came to attack Aranmula Temple.
Then Bhima from Thrippulliyur went there along with a huge black dog and killed
all of them. Locals believe that the reason for the absence of theft and
burglary in this area is due to the presence of Bhima and his dog. It is also
believed that the single stone pillar for the “Ottakkal Mandapam” ( a
historical structure) at Thiruvananthapuram was installed there by Bhima.
Elephants have great significance in the festivals of Kerala
Temples. No festival will be complete without a procession of caparisoned elephants.
It is common that some of the elephants will create problems going out of
control of the mahouts. They have even killed people. However, no elephant will
behave rudely in this temple as they all are feared by Bhima who is still
present there. There is another example of the presence of Bhima here.
There is a community called “Kauravas”, a tribe who are
performing rituals at the Duryodhana Temple in Malanada. If any member of this
community came to Thrippuliyur, they cannot sleep. It is believed to be a
result of the vengeance of Bhima towards Duryodhana.
However, this temple has witnessed a massacre once. Once,
this temple has been controlled by twenty-eight families. Out of that twenty-seven were Brahmins and the last one was a Nair. Nair was the richest among
them and being a warrior he used to command a lot of respect in the society. It
was a custom prevailed on those days that the most significant person should
sit on a blanket when there is a meeting. With the respect he enjoyed in the
society, Nair was eligible to sit on the blanket when others (Brahmin Family
Members) used to sit on mats.
According to the hierarchy prevailed on those days, the cast
Nair was at a lower layer when compared to Brahmins. The egoistic Brahmins
could not tolerate the significance given to this Nair. They hatched a plan to
finish him off. Once, the temple committee meeting has been planned as usual.
Brahmins came very early and they dig a big pit on the compound where the
meeting was supposed to be held. Then they spread the blanket over it. When
Nair came there for a meeting, they all stood up and invited him to sit on the
blanket. Ignorant of the crooked plans of the Brahmins, Nair sat on the blanket
and fell down in the pit.
Brahmins have kept many spears inside the pit. The sharp
edges of those spears created many wounds on the body of Nair and he died
inside the pit.
On those days, nobody dared to raise their voice against
Brahmins, hence the family members of Nair kept quite. Days have passed and the
first death anniversary of Nair has come. Nair’s family members arranged a huge
function inside the temple. After the rituals, there was lunch for all people.
As per the prevailing custom, Brahmins were invited first to have lunch. As
soon as they finished lunch and about to go out of the temple, Nair’s
nephew came there with a group of people who were all armed. They killed all
the Brahmins using sharp swords. It happened inside the temple. Only one The brahmin family was not present on that occasion as they have moved out of the
village on some other engagement. Hence they escaped the massacre.
All the doors of the temple were closed at that time. In their
run to save the life, one Brahmin went inside the sanctum sanctorum and held
the idol of Lord Vishnu tightly. Nair’s nephew entered there and killed him
with his sword. The sword created a wound on the idol also and it is still
visible. Every day the priests apply sandal paste on that move even now. After
the massacre, the nephew of Nair and his gang escaped from there.
The temple closed for about two centuries after this
incident. Then a saint came there one day and understood that the souls of
those Brahmins are wandering around inside the temple. He performed all the
rituals needed and gave salvation to those souls. Then the temple has been
reopened.
