Chelamattom Sri Krishna swamy temple

Chelamattom Sri Krishna swamy temple 

Compiled by

P.R.Ramachander

    This  is a famous temple dedicated to Lord Krishna on the road connecting Kalady  and Perumbavoor, through the main central road. This temple has the distinction of having Lord Krishna, Lord Narasimha and Lord Vamana  and Durga Devi in another adjacent temple ,Lord Krishna and Lord Narasimha are in the meditation pose.The periyar  river  here flows from west to east near the temple and so it is called Dakshina Kasi   and is considered sacrosanct for worship of our manes(Pithrus) , On the  new moon days(amavasya) very large number of people   gather for doing pithru  karmas.A thila Havanam (Thila homam) to please the PIthrus   is performed in this temple on the day by the chief priest himself.

Malamakkavu Ayyappan temple

Malamakkavu Ayyappan temple

Compiled by

P.R.Ramachander

     This Ayyappan temple  is called as Mala mel Kavu  or Malayil Kavu  in the Anakkara  Panchayath in Palakkad district  . Though the name indicates that  it is on the mountain, it is only situated  in the plains.One of the specialties  of the temple  is that a  rare flower called CHenkazhuneer poovu is   found in the temple tank.

It is believed  that  that hundreds of years   earlier one low caste woman  went to the  forest  around  here for grazing cattle  When she was sharpening her knife  on a rock  , it started  bleeding .They immediately the nearby village , who  through Prasnam found that  rock was  lord Ayyappa.. They immediately built a sanctum and sanctified that rock  as Lord Ayyappa.This happened about 300  years  ago.Along with the Ayyappan temple  there are also idols oh Goddess BHagawathi and Lord Shiva in the temple . There are also  Rudiramaha Kali, Vettakorumugan   and Nagas consecrated in the temple  .It has been recognized as one of the 108 temples of Dharma Sastha  in Kerala and it is managed by a the Padinjarepat nambiar family . ADa is the main offering at the temple .The Ayyappan idol  faces  the east .The main festival of the temple is a THalappoli   celebrated  on the last   Saturday of the month of Dhanu .The pond of the temple is situated in the temple  premises itself. It is believed that  if a devotee offers a Chenkazhuneer flower  at the feet  of Dharma Sastha with great devotion  , a blue lotus(Neela Thamara)  would bloom in the  next day   in the temple pond.A film based on this legend called “Neelathamara”  has been produced in Malayalam.This temple can be reached from Guruvayur within an hour by driving.,

Anchumana temple , Padivattam, Edapalli

Anchumana temple  , Padivattam, Edapalli

Compiled by

P.R.Ramachander

     This temple is sitauated near edapally town of kerala which is near Ernakulam city near the Cochin bypass road. This temple has   temples   for three goddesses  Bhvanesawri, Annapoorna and Bhadrakali .Goddess .While Goddess BHuvaneswari grants prosperity and mental peace  , Goddess Annapurna blesses with long  and happy married life  and BHadrakali removes all problems caused by evil spirits.There are also several other Gods consecrated in this temple. They are Lord Ganapathi  , Lord Ayyappa,  , Lord Subrahmanya  , Nagadevathas, Lord Guru  ,Hidimba swamy  , Lord Hanuman  , Brahma Rakshas , Kandakarna swamy  and Arukola, the last three being folk gods. This temple was initially managed by  A nambuydiri family but  since they found it difficult , it is now managed by  Viswakarma  Dharmosharana samajam.(Viswakarmas are skilled artisans like carpenter, goldsmith, mason, black smith etc)

  Every Monday Vivaha sooktha pushpanjali is offered to Goddess Annapurna. iT is believed that those who participate would get married quickly.Guruthi Pushpanjali (also called Raktha Pushpanjali0 is offered to the Goddess   on Sundays, tuedays and Wednesdays, which is expected to solve all the day to day problem of the devotees.Nirapara with dasapushpam (ten flowers) and Samrudha vriksha leaves are offered  on the first of Chingam month  for getting prosperity ,Mass prayer is offered to Goddess BHuvaneswari   on all Friday evenings.After Usha pooja(morning pooja)   on Tuesdays and Fridays , devotees chant Lalitha Sahasranama. The chief thanththri of the temple performs a Thanthri pooja at   the temple   on the last Tuesday of every Malayalam month.During Navarathri Goddess BHuvaneswari is dressed up like Goddess Saraswathi and Visdhyarambham for tiny tots is conducted ,From first of Vruscigam there is a long festival at the temple for 41 days.On the first five days there is THalapoli and on all days the Goddess BHuvaneswari visits all villages round her   accompanied by  five elephants. On the last 7 days of this festival the temple is closed. The worship afterwards is resumed with the worship of Kandakarna swamy . During the month of Kumbham “Anguruthy” festival to Goddess Bhuvaneswari is celebrated .Thai poosam festival is celebrated in the Subramanya swami temple  .Special pooja for the Guru Swamy is conducted   by the chief Thanthri on the last day of Thulam month .The temple is open from 5 Am to 8 PM,This temple is sitauated 22 km from Amritha hospitals in Cochin.

Kirathamurthy temple ,Pallasanna

TEMPLE OF KIRATHAMOORTHY, PALLASSANA

by

RADHAKRISHNAN PALLASSANA

Probably many people knows only MEEN KULATHTHI  KAVU(TEMPLE) of Pallassana because of it is made famous by Tamilians and others who goes to the temple especially to ward off enemies, frequently. However the are many more temples in the small and less famous place of PALLASSANA in Palghat District of KERALA STATE For example there is one temple called PUTHIYA KAVU mostly frequented by NAIR CASTE people, LORD SHIVA TEMPLE of KIZHAKKE GRAMAM ( EAST VILLAGE ) , LORD SANTHANA GOPALA KRISHNA SWAMY TEMPLE OF PATINHERE GHRAMAM (West Village) , both manned by Tamil Brahmins where NATTI AMMAN is also placed. As far as NAATTI AMMAN is concerned, I do not know about the origin. I feel it  was worshipped by original inhabitants of PALLASSANA who worshipped  this deity which brahmins also worshipped due to fear or they brought this deity after proper AAVAAHANA of their family deity (KULA DAIVAM) who must be MOOKAAMBIKA or some other deity. I leave it to experts on the subject. There is also a famous temple called KIRATHA MURTHY TEMPLE which is mostly frequented by NAIRS of the locality on whom  I am writing this essay.  KIRATHA MURTHY IS BLACK IN colour which form is only black of LORD SHIVA. The story can be seen IN KIRAATHAARJUNEEYAM in MAHABHARATHA.  In this one will find LORD SHIVA taking the AVATHAARA of a hunter and blessing Lord ARJUNA with PAASUPATHA who became the devotee of SHIVA . The Idol is facing towards east and thrikala Pooja (3 times Pooja) is conducted. At this temple.    There is a common belief that if we are successful in getting a work done 1200 coconuts are broken to KIRATHA MURTHY, The UPADEVATHAS are VIGNESWARA and KAATTIL BHAGAVATHI i.e. NANDA DURGHA  There is  peculiar  custom in this temple. The children who attain 5 years old on THIRUONAM day are brought to the temple and made to stand before the deity and made to beat each other ones which will be witnessed by the MOOSAD who is the PALLASSANA’S HEAD at 2 O’clock in the afternoon. The festival  of the temple starts on the month of MESHA months 10^th day.The PALAKKADs famous KNYAR KALI is performed. On first 4 days it is performed in the house of PATHYYATTIL MOOSAD’ S ILLAM (HOUSE). This temple was once  owned by eight caste people. They are CHERUMAN, ANDI , KURAVAN, MANNAN, POOSHAARI,CHAKKILIAN, VALLON(MALAYAN), and PARAYAN . Now there are 99 Nair families and Moosad’s house around the temple which is nearby PUTHTHJEN KAVU which is  owned by the NAIRS. This BHAGAVATHI is said to be related to KOTUNGALLUR BHAGAVATHY. 

Regards to one and all,

Kaladi Trikaladiyappan(Krishna) temple and Sankara temple

Kaladi  Trikaladiyappan(Krishna)  temple and Sankara temple

Compiled by

P.R.Ramachander

    Kaladi   previously known as Sasalam   is the birthplace of Adhi Sankara.  It is 7 km from Angamali, 22 km from Aluva and 7 km ftom Cochin airport and iss on the shore of river Poorna called as Periyar in Malayalam.There is an ancient  Krishna temple there as well as a modern temple of Adhi Sankara.

    Adhi Sankara was born to Aryamba and Shivaguru as a result of their prayers  at Vadakkunathan temple at Trichur. Adhi Sankara’s father dies even when he was  in the womb of his mother. This Krishna temple was the deity of his clan. This fact has been mentioned by Adhi Sankara    in verse 243 of his work Prabodha Sudhalkaram It seems when he was a little child, on the way to the periyar river to take bath, Aryamba fainted. The child Sankara not knowing any thing to do prayer Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna told him to draw a line in the earth with his feet and assured that the river would change its course.  The child Sankara drew a line in front of the Krishna temple with his feet    and  the river came to that place , which was very near to home of Sankara. Kaladi in Malayalam means “feet”    and it got its name because the Lord asked Sankara to draw a line with his feet. Fromthen on the Krishna at the temple was being called as TRikaladiappan (The god of holy feet.). It is also believed that Adhi Sankara as a boy composed the  “kanakadhara sthavam”   addressed to Goddess Lakshmi , to help a poor women,  indirectly trying to influence his Kula deivam-Trikaladoyappan. This  ancient temple is being maintained  with thehelp of   Sringeri Sarada peetam   as well   as the thekke Madam of TRichur , both of which were established by   Adhi Sankara. The temple is open from 5,30 Am to 11 Am    and 5.30 PM to  7.30 PM

     Apart from all regular poojas and Homas like all temples in Kerala   , Kanakadhara  sthava Yagnam as well as Sri Vidhya  Rajagopala Yagnam are performed at this temple.  Apart from Akshaya Tritheeya which is celebrated in the temple  , The arattu of Lord Krishna , in which The uthsava idol is dipped in the river is held during January first week.

    Naearby by in the river there   are two Ghats which are connected with the history of Adhi Sankara.  The “Mudala Kadavu”(crocodile Ghat) , is supposed to be the place where the crocodile caught the feet of Adhi Sankara and his mother gave him permission to  undertake SAnyana   and  another Ghat where  the funeral rites of his mother were performed by Adhi Sankara,.

   Near toi this Krishna temple the Jagadguru of SArada peetam Sringeri has built a temple for Adhi SAnkara, Goddess Sarada and Lord Ganapathi  near to the Krishna temple on the banks of Poorna river  in the year 2010. The Samadhi   of ARyambhga, the mother of Adhi Sankara is located at this   temple,.There is also a  SAnkara Sthamba Mandapam(in octoganal shape/built by Kanchi Kmakoti mutt)  And Veda Patasala along with a guest house attached to this temple. SAnkara Jayanthi   and Sarada Navathri festivals are   observed at this temple.

      Apart from these two temples there are several temples in Kaladi and nearby areas. Two km away from Kaladi is the Vellaman thulli Shiva temple , which was supposed to consecrated by Adhi Sankara;s father Shivaguru , The Nayathodu Sankara Narayana temple where Adhi Sankara is supposed to have worshipped Lord Shiva as Lord Vishnu . Karpilly Kavu where Shivaguru , the father of Adhi Sankara was the priest . There is also a Ramakrishna temple in Kalady maintained  by Ramakshna mutt.

     

Chirayinkeezh Sarkara Devi temple

Chirayinkeezh Sarkara   Devi temple

Compiled by

P.R.Ramachander

       This very famous  temple of Goddess  BHadrakali is located   near    Chiyankeezh railway station and is near both Athingal and Varkala  and is 34 km from Trivandrum. Sarkara   is the name for Jaggery   in Malayalam. It seems once upon a time   some merchants from Ambalapuzha  who were selling Jaggery reached this place   at night fall.  They kept all their pots of jiggery in a place and slept. Next day when the wanted to go, they were not able to move one pot of Jaggery. They left it there and went away. Next day an old woman of the place    , located it and splitting open the pot saw the form of Goddess Bhadrakali in it.   The villagers then constructed  a temple around the idol  there. They also consecrated Ganapathi and Nagaraja idols in    subtemples within this temple.

      There is another story aboput   the origin of the temple. It seems the Vilwamangalath Samiyar who     was responsible in finding Lord Padmanabha in Ananthankad in Trivandrum , it seems saw Lord Vishnu siting on a branch of a tree and Goddess Kali in the form of a girl was playing   in the tree shade  . On seeing the SAmiyar the girl ran away    and joined the Pulaya settlement nearby in a place called  Chakkiamma ground. On the ground it seems some Jaggery merchants had camped     and kept their jars of jiggery there.   The goddess entered one of those jars and hid there. When the merchants  were not able to lift one jar, sage Vilwamangalam recognized    that  jar  had  Bhadrakali in it. He persuaded the goddess to stay there and built a temple for there.

 In this temple there is a very peculiar worship ritual called  Kaliyootu.   It was it seems started by    The king  Marthanda verma who was   going on a mission to conquer the nearby Kaymkulam kingdom.  Though the king had several times tried  to conquer this kingdom, he   was not able to do so. Once on his journey  of conquest he struck  camp  near the Sarkara devi temple.    The priests of this temple who had come and settled there from Malabar   suggested to the king to perform a Kaliyoootu to Bhagwathi. The king agreed    and he was able to annex the Kayamkulam kingdom that time. From that time    the Kaliyootu festival was being celebrated annually in this temple. Kaliyootu festival is celebrated in the month of February-march for 9 days at the temple. The first seven days there are dramas , dances and narration of the story of Kali and Dharika ,. On 8^th day  the Bhadrakali from the temple goes in search of Daruka. But returns back at the end of the day without finding that dreaded Asura.  On the ninth day a ceremony called Nilathil Poru(War on earth) takes place and Kali exterminates Dharika.  The memembers of Kannara families  put on the costumes of Dharika and Kali and the war is enacted. There is one more important festival at this temple celebrated    in the month of Meenam called Menathu Bharani. This is celebrated on the birth day of the Goddess. The  festival starts with flag hoisting and ends with Arattu( Anointing  of the goddess   in the nearby river.)

      The Goddess  is so popular that people call her “Sarkara Ponnamachi “ ( The golden Sarkara  mother.) Recently they have  also started a pongala festival  in this temple. It would be held on the first day of Kumbam month.

Athingal Bhairavi temple

Athingal Bhairavi temple

Compiled by

P.R.Ramachander

Athingal is a small town about 34 km  away from Trivandrum.  This was earlier a small independent  principality .   A lady called Avani amma thamburatti  who was the last member of the  royal family there. She adopted the king of Tranvancore at the time  and requested him to take over the rule of this kingdom  and also adopt a  girl child who would look after the kingdom under his direction. After her death, the themn king adopted two girls belonging to the Chirakkal Royal family of Northern Malabar and made them in charge of   the principality. He also made them independent and gave lot of land to them . These princesses brought with them an idol of Goddess from their native place . There is a story about this Goddess. It seems in the THaliparambu Rajarajeswara temple there was a fierce goddess. One day the Velichapadu  (oracle)   said that he  would throw a burning  fire wood. The temple of the Goddess  was to be built in that  place where the fire wood falls. . The fire wood fell in a forest little away from there  and a part of  forest was burnt.   The temple of Goddess was built there.  . This new temple was called THiru virago Kattiya Kavu or Madayi Bhagwathi temple .  The princesses  along with them  the  Uthsava idol    of this temple and c also large number of people including priests to worship this goddess  .

   Initially the  idol was  worshipped   in the palace itself and so it  was called as “Palliyara Bhagawathi.” And later it was consecrated in a new temple built near the Palace  on the top of a small hill.   This new temple was called as “Thiru virago kattiya Kavu” as well as :Puthan Kavu.”.You have to climb several steps to reach the temple..It was initially maintained by the king of Travancore and later on handed over to the Travancore Devaswam board. On the entrance to the sanctum sanctorum there are two lady gurards called   Sumukhi and Sundari.  To the south of the  sanctum , Vera Bhadra , Ganesa and the Saptha mathas have been consecrated. People believe that the Goddess is in the sanctum is powerful and is in an angry mood.. The statue has been made  using the alloy of five metals(Pancha loha) . There are also small temples for KIratha, Sastha and Ganesa  in this temple. There is also a temple for Naga Yakshi and a Shiva Linga with reddish tinge., On the northern side there is a temple for Brahma Raksas.

         The worship is done by the priests who have been brought from Malabar. The annual festival is in the month of Vruschigam..There are festivals in thew month of Makara as well as  anine day festival  in the month of Meenam . Ariyittu Vazcha which is very peculiar ritual which was brought from the original Malabar is observed  on the 9^th day Makaram month. It  is normally attended by the royal family members of the Travancore family. If the king is not able to attend for some reason, he is supposed to give the temple an elephant as fine. The Sword of the temple is worshipped using red rice before the king .Later this rice is taken inside the temple  and used to anoint the Bhagawathy idol, by taking the rice with a conch. The goddess is referred to as Bhairavi and keepos on blessing the people all around Athingal.