Raja Thatha's Kerala temples

Chithalancheri is a small village in Melarcode Panchayath and is located on the way to Pollachi from Trichur . This village ias about 20 km from Palghat town and is 4 km from the small town called Nemmara.. It is believed that the name of the village is derived from the word Chuthu illam cheri (Village surrounded by Namboodiri houses) The goddess presiding in the temple here is called Cherunatturi Bhagawathi. Apart from the Bhagwathi , the temple also has sub temples for Shiva, Ganesa as well as NavaKanyas. Apart from this is also a statute of a five headed serpent. Worship is also offered to this Naga devatha,This main statue is kept over statues of other serpents. Devotees believe that if we worship Cherunatturi Bhagawathi by doing Pushpanjali (Ashtothara which is common in temples of other states in South India is uncommon in Kerala. The Priest worships the Goddess with flowers , mainly red hibiscus using thanthric methods . A special pooja is called Rakthapushpanjali) then the fear for snakes or dreams involving snakes would get cured. Another peculiarity of this temple is the freely roaming cats in the temple.

The major festival of the temple is Chithilancheri Arattu , which is celebrated in the month of Makaram(January 15^th to February 15^th).The Chithilamcheri vela is celebrated in the month of Medam.

Thursday, December 31, 2015

Tiruvanchikulam Mahadeva temple

Compiled by

P.R.Ramachander

Tiruvanchikulam temple is located 2 km away Kodungallore town in Kerala. This is a very unique Siva temple in Kerala on three counts.

1.It is the only temple in Kerala sung by the Saivaite saints of Tamil Nadu called Nayanmar and is termed as a” Padal PethaShiva sthalam”. The great saivite saint Sundaramurthy Nayanar has sung about this temple.

2.This temple has the largest number of upadevathas among all the temples of Kerala. The upadevathas are Ganapathy , Lord Subramanya , Palliyara Sivan,Dakshinamurthy , SAndhyavelakkal Sivan, Parameshwara , SAkthi Panchakshari Bhagwathi , Goddess Parvathi ,Goddess Durga , Goddess Ganga , Goddess Varahi , Goddess Indrani , God Veerabhadra Pradosha nrithya saptha mathas , Ayyppa, Hanuman , Nagaraja, Nagayakshi ,Sundarmurthy Nayanar, Cheraman Perumal and so on. It is interesting to note that there is no temple for Lord Vishnu in side this great temple.The main lIngam is having a scar mark on its left side. It is supposed to be caused by the arrow of Arjuna when Lord Shiva as a hunter attacked him. Kani KOnna (Indian Labrnum) is the temple tree. This is also one of the four Tali temples of Kodungallore.

3.It is perhaps the only temple in Kerala with two Thidapllies, where Naivedyams are prepared to the God .One Thidapalli is used for Naivedyams of the forenoon worship and the other for the afternoon worships.

It is believed that this temple is located in the old capital city of the Cheras which was called as Mahodhayapuram. Cheran Senguttuvan was the most famous king who ruled from this city .He was also called as Cheraman Perumal . It was his brother Ilango Adigal who wrote the great Tamil epic Silappadikaram. It was he who built the temple for Kannagi , the heroine of Silapadikaram in Kodungallore. This temple was completely destroyed both by the Dutch as well as Tipu Sultan and the present temple is believed to have been reconstructed in 1801 by Paliath Achan of Kochi kingdom . It is believed that both Sundara Murethy Nayanar riding on an elephant and Cheran Senguttuvan riding on a blue horse ascended to the heaven from this temple and on the way to heaven, Sundaramurthy Nayanar sang about this temple and sent the song back to this temple,.It is believed that the Siva Linga which is consecrated in this temple was brought from Chidambaram.

It is believed that A Nambudiri Brahmin took away the serpent Vasuki guarding Mahadeva in his Palm leaf Umbrella. Then onwards , his house became famous as Pambumekkattil Mana, which is about 6 km from this temple and is visited by all people who want to worship the serpent. It is also believed that sage Parasurama did penance at this temple to get rid of the sins associated with following of Marumakka Thayam (the properties go from uncle to nephew) in Kerala

One of the major worship of the temple is Dampathi Pooja where the Lord is worshipped along with Goddess Uma. Sankabishekam , that is anointing the Linga using a conch is also an important form of worship.Daily there are five poojas in the temple .” Five poojas and three shribalis are the routine. The day starts with Palliyunarthal (waking up of the lord) at 3.00 a.m., escorting the lord and his consort from Palliyara to Mukhamandapa, changing of Nirmalyam, Abhishekam (ablutions), and leading them to the Moolasthana, Usha pooja, Dhaara to the accompaniment of Rudram, Pantheeradi pooja, Navakam, Panchagavyam, Uchapooja and closing of temple for noon at 11.30 a.m. The sanctum opens again at 5.00 p.m., changing of Nirmalyam followed by Abhisheka, Deeparaadhana, Athazha pooja, escorting the lord and consort to Palliyara and conducting Palliyara pooja (Dampathi pooja).”

The pooja of Palliyara Sivan is believed to help in early marriage .There is an eight day festival in the temple in the month of Kumbam which is believed to commemorate the ascending of heaven by king Seran Senguttuvan.

The nearest railway station is Irinjalakuda and the nearest air port is Cochin airport(35 km) . There are frequent buses from Trichur to this temple. The temple is open 4.30 Am to 10.30 Am and 3.30 Pm to 8.30 PM.

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Pachalloor Bhadra Kali temple, Trivandrum

Complied by

P.R.Ramachander

This is a famous BHadrakali temple situated 7 km from Trivandrum on the Trivandrum-0Kovalam route. It is also referred to as Pachalloor CHudukadu (cremation ground) Bhadrakali. It is supposed to be a very ancient temple and is included in the list of 64 Shaiva holy places in Vizhinjam. But there is an interesting story about it. There was a learned Acharya , who was the head of the famous Valiya Vila family which was located in this area. One day when he was returning home he saw two old and tired ladies sitting in the shade of the banyan tree .When the gentleman enquired with them, they tld him that they are from Kodungallore .Seeing that they are very worn out he offered them Tender coconut, Puffed rice and banana fruit. When he reached his home he saw one of those old ladies sitting in the pooja room of his house. But next day morning she had disappeared but in the place where she was sitting , there was a glowing lamp filled with ghee . The Goddess from then on used to give Darsan to the head of that family once in a while from then on. And that house was later made in to the temple of Pachalloor . There is also a story that after Bhadra Kali killed Dharikan , she was greatly angry and no one could pacify her .Lord Shiva who was her creator pacified her and made her to stay in Pachalloor so that she could take care of her devotees. There is also a belief that the old lady from Kodungallore who became goddess there is Kannagi herself .During festivals the story of Kannagi is sung at this temple.

In the temple the Goddess has a peaceful form and faces north., There are temples of Ganesa, Sastha nd Nagar(serpents) in the temple compound. There is also a temple for Kanda karnan below the banyan tree in the temple. He is believed to be the brother of the Goddess There is daily worship in the evening.Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays are more important. Tender coconuts , Puffed rice and fruits are generally offered to the Goddess. Kadum Payasam (Very sweet jiggery kheer) is another important offering. The temple opens at 12 noon, closes at 2 P.M and again opens at 5,30 Pm and is open upto 8.30 PM There is Deeparadhana at 1.30 PM, &.30 PM and 8 Pm. On every first day of the Malayalam month the temple is open from 5.30 Am in the morning .

One of the important forms of worship of the Goddess is Nercha thookkam.This consists of Devi Dasans hanging on a bow carrying a child and doing a round of the temple. There are no restrictions of caste , religion or creed for this form of worship.The web site of the temple says,

“There are many unique features about the customs and pooja rites followed in this temple for years. The poojari (priest) is from the ‘Kolla’ community. The heavy rope for the ‘Nercha Thookka Villu’ comes from a family from the Ezhava community and the ‘Katcha’ comes from the ‘Mannar’ community. Carpenters from the ‘Aasari’community make the ‘Thookka villu’. The ‘Chanam’ is brought by a family from the ‘Araya’ community. The ‘Parikarmi’ are people from the ‘Thattaar’ community before whom ‘Panam’ (cash) is offered on the ‘Pallippalaka’ on the first day of festival. The drums (Chenda) accompanying Devi are played by people from ‘Paanar’ community and people mainly from the ‘Thandaar’ community are the Devidaasas.

When the human race distances itself by building boundaries in the name of caste and religion, people become members of one family in front of the ‘Boon-giver’Pachallooramma. They are devotees, children of Pachallooramma.”

This ritual is on the seventh day of the festival of the temple which starts on the Makeeram day of the month of Kumbha. The people who offer themselves to the ritual starts penance from the first day of festival itself. The devotee is hung by the bow , while he would be carrying a child and villu would take one round of the temple .Several children would be waiting for their turn and would continue till the next day morning as people believe that once their baby undergoes nercha thookkal, their future is secure On the eight day the ladies around the temple offer Pongala to the Goddess The festival comes to an end with Kuruthi Tharppanam on the ninth day when Thatta nevedhyam is offered to the Goddess. There is a you tube video on the temple festival –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M75ex2uubYg

You can see large number of photos of the temple in https://www.facebook.com/pachallooramma/photos

The temple can be contacted in e mail id pachallooramma@gmail.com . The administration of the temple is looked after by Nair Service Society , Pachalloor, Trivandrum -27.

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Legend of Mazhoor Sri Balarama Temple (Dharmi Kulangara temple)

Ravi Kumar Ambadi

Balarama, the elder brother of Sri Krishna is regarded as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Out of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, only the Sri Krishna incarnation is the complete one, while the rests are partial ones (Amsha Avatharas). Some others believe him to be the manifestation of Serpentine Anantha (Anatha Naga) who is quite identified with Lord Vishnu. However, there are a few temples dedicated to him and there are very few devotees worship him. One such temple is there in the Kannur District of Kerala which is located about eight kilometers from Thrichambaram Sri Krishna Temple. (Near Thaliparamba town) This temple is also called Dharmi Kulangara Balarama temple .Three more temples dedicated to Balarama are there in Kerala located in Aluva ,Nenmini and Aranmula.

Balarama is the first peasant king in our world. He was a king who was very particular about the prosperous of his country and its subjects. At a time, when Vrindavan hit with severe draught, he requested River Kalindi to change her path and provide water to the farmers of Vrindavan, but she did not listen to his words. Furious Balarama, digged the sides of the river with his mighty plough and took the river water to the Vrindavan. Although he has been depicted as a savior of peasants in the epics, it is quite astonishing that there are very few devotees for him in a country which mainly depends on agriculture for revenue.

Anyway, now let us talk about Mazhoor Sri Balarama Temple. You might have read legend behind Thrichambaram Sri Krishna Temple, which has been published in this blog. We have mentioned there that Sage Narada presented two idols, one of Sri Krishna and other is of Balarama for that temple. That idol of Balarama has been brought here and consecrated in this temple.

Puthukkudi Perumthatta Illam was one of the prominent families in that area who had several rights on Thrichambaram Sri Krishna Temple. Once, a person was there in that family who was an ardent devotee of Lord Sri Krishna. He used to visit Thrichambaram Temple daily to worship god. As the time passed he became old and weak. He could not go such a long distance by walk. The fact that he had to stop his temple visit made him sad and depressed. He prayed to god for a solution.

One night in his dream, Lord Sri Krishna came and told him that the next day morning he could see the calf with the name Dharmi near his house. The place where she put cow dung should be dug and there he will get a Salagramam (a holy stone which is believed to have divine powers). Further, Sri Krishna insisted him to dig a pond at that place and keep the salagramam inside it. He asked the devotee to consecrate an idol of his elder brother near the pond and start worshipping.

The very next day, the man saw the calf Dharmi near his house and followed the instructions of Lord Krishna. He took out the Salagrama first and then dug a pond there and kept the holy rock inside it. Then he brought the idol of Balarama from Thrichambaram Temple, which has been presented by Sage Narada and consecrated near the pond after constructing a temple.

In the beginning we told you the story of Balarama, changing the route of Kalindi. That is told in Maha Bhagavatham. Almost similar incident happened at Mazhoor also. Once, Mazhoor experienced severe draught as experienced by the people at Vrindavan. There was no rain and the crops have been destroyed due to the lack of proper watering. Entire village suffered a lot due to this. Then head of the Puthukudi Perumthtta Illam family got touched with the miseries of his fellow villagers. He went to the Balarama Temple and shouted at the deity.

Can’t you see people suffering from drought? Why are you holding the plough in your hands? That is a weapon for farming and not a decorative piece. If you cannot help us, then what is the point in calling you the Peasant King?

Once the shouting is over, the man got repented. He thought that he did a wrong thing by calling the lord with such words. Then he consoled himself that the lord can understand his agony and will forgive him. Yes, the Lord Balarama not only forgave the devotee, but blessed him too with lot of showers. The very same night Mazhoor experienced heavy rain.

Balarama of this temple visits Thrichammaresan temple near by and the brothers have a walk together and this is called Pookothu Nada during an annual festival held in month of march,..A very unique dance called THidambu nrutham is held at that time (see write up of Trichamaresan temple) , The address and telephone number of the temple is

Sri dharmikulangara balabhadra swami seva samithi

Mazoor,Taliparamba-Kannur

Ph: 94950 04205, 0460 2203057, 0460 2203236

Please visit my other web sites and Blogs

1. For reading translations of 656 stotras: http://stotraratna.sathyasaibababrotherhood.org/ 2. For reading about meanings of 606 Carnatic music krithis : http://stotraratna.sathyasaibababrotherhood.org/gi.htm 3. For reading about rules and rituals of Brahmins: http://brahminrituals.blogspot.com/ 4. For reading Raja Thatha’s 77 Blogs : http://rajathathablog.blogspot.com/ 5. For reading about 59 Kerala temples: http://rajathathaskeralatemples.blogspot.com/ 6. For reading about, 65 village gods of Tamil Nadu : http://villagegods.blogspot.com/ 7. For reading stories and rhymes for children: http://rajathathacorner.awardspace.com 8. For reading poems by Ramachander : http://poetrypoem.com/cgi-bin/index.pl?sitename=ramya475&;item=all 9. For stories illustrating Malayalam Proverbs : http://keralam.kairaly.net 10. My translation of Narayaneeyam: http://narayaneeyamtrans.blogspot.com/ 11.Stories of Vikramadhithya : http://vikramadhithya.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Alphabetical index of Kerala Temples

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Cherunatturi Bhagawathi of Chithilamcheri