Some Interestig Kerala Temples

This time I could visit temples in Kerala that I have never visited before. I give below some interesting facts about these temples that I heard during the visit or culled out from other sources which I have listed at the end of this Blog.

Temples near Alapuzha (Alleppy)
Our first stop was at the Kathyayani Temple at Cherthala, a town about 12 kms north of Alapuzha. Th Divine Mother is enshrined here. The idol was placed by Vilwamangalathu Swamiyar. The Swamiyar had seen the Goddess swinging on a swing in the bushes near the temple. He tried to catch her and failed as she jumped into the nearby pond. He managed to catch hold of her hair which came away in his hand while the Devi’s head was immersed in the mud, thus giving the name Cher (Mud) Thala (Head) to the place! It is also significant to note that there a few holes on the head of the idol indicative of the spots where the hair was uprooted by the Swamiyar.

The Swamiyar, exasperated by his failed attepts to catch the Goddess is said to forgotten himself and uttered filthy words. This might have been the first Pooram song! These songs which are essentially obscene songs sung during the Pooram festival ostensibly to appease the Goddess and obtain boons from her! (In India, where the Gods live like people and People behave like Gods, anything is possible. A religion that believes that God is everywhere has the flexibility to accept any form of devotion within its fold!)

The Saastha here is placed in a separate shrine on the southern part of the temple and is called “Udayon” or “Kavudayon” which means protector of the temple.

The temple is overrun by a host of Cockerels that have been donated to the temple as an offering to the Goddess.

We were in time to witness the Aaarthi. Before that the Temple musician sang melodiously in praise of the Goddess. The opening stanzas of the Shyamala Dhantakam “Manikya Veenamupalaalayantheem…Namasthe, Namasthe, Jagadekha Mathaha” was rendered with deep emotion. In the silence of the shrine the ringing voice of the singer instilled a sense of peace, tranquility and trust in the Divine plan, which are the tangible and lasting fruits of true devotion.

Our next stop was AmbalaPuzha. The Sree Krishnan Temple here is arguably next only to Guruvayoor. In fact, the idol of Guruvayoorappan was placed in a small shrine near the main temple for sometime to safeguard it from the hordes of Tipu Sultan.

I understood from our Guruswamy Hariharasubramanian that Guruvayoorappan is an Avatar of Vishnu that precedes the Krishna Avatar. This idol of Maha Vishnu was actually worshipped by Lord Krishna himself in Dwaraka. When the time for the disappearance of Krishna drew nigh, Sree Krishna settled his presence and power in this idol so that it thereafter became an idol of Sree Krishna. The idol sank into the sea with destruction of Dwaraka after Sree Krishna’s disappearance. Later Brhaspathi (Guru) and Vayu (the God of air) retrieved it and installed it in the place which is today called Guruvayoor.


The Ambalapuzha-Paalpayasam or sweet broth made of milk, sugar and rice is well-known because of its speciality.

Parasurama the warrior-brahmin created Kerala by reclaiming land out of the sea, thus giving the name Parasuram Kshetram to that thin slice of India on the south western part. Parasurama made Kerala bountiful and beautiful. He settled groups of Brhmins in this land and made them responsible for various temples all over the land. There are various temples built by Parasurama or Bhargavarama that pepper the state.

M G Narayana Namboodri of Mannarsala describes this in his “Mandrasalodayam” thus:

“He (Parasurama) brought learned people from other regions; installed Durga and other deities in different places; appointed Brahmins who were Thantric experts for performing pujas; nominated Kshatriyas, peasants and the Ashtavaidyas… thus he made Kerala a land filled with beautiful vegetation and prosperity in every way; in this way the land of Kerala was filled with the peaceful pulsations of the quiet rural atmosphere.”

Serpent worship, too is shrouded in the venerable history of Kerala and dates back to the time when Parasurama commanded the establishment of Snake Groves, where the serpents could live freely and thrive. The worship of serpents ensured the maintenance of the delicate ecological balance in the essentially agrarian society. Snakes protected the fields from the vermin and rodents which were the scrouge of the farmer. The snake groves ensured greenery and tree cover thus ensuring regular rains and consequent good harvest.

Chief among the Serpent Groves is the one in Mandrasala or Mannarsala where living serpents are revered and worshipped as Sarpayakshi, Nagayakshi and Naga Chamundi in the midst of a green and lush grove. There is a pond called Karoli Kulam which is deemed to have been created by the divine serpent Vasuki (an embodiment of Shiva). Another fascinating place is “The Grandfather Grove” which is the favourite haunt of the five-headed serpent who is respectfully known as Appooppan or Muthassan. The Mannarsala Namboodris believe that Anantha the Lord of the Serpents was once born as a child in their family. He is visible only to the Antharjanam who is called the Valia Amma. The five headed serpent still lives in the Cellar here. Only the Valia Amma is allowed to enter the Cellar on every Ayilyam day.

More details of the temple at Mannarsala and its history may be had from the English transliteration of M G Narayanan Namboodri’s Mandrasalodayam titled “Mannarsala—The Serpent Temple” by Dr. Ayyappan Panikker. (Published by Manasa, publications)

We also visited both the temples of Subrahmanya in Kerala, where the idol has been installed by Parasurama. The first is Haripad. This is thje place where Lord Karthikeya was received by Hari and other Devas after killing Tharakasura. In memory of the presence of Sree Hari, Subrahmanya and the Devas, the people of the locality built a shrine to worship them. We can still see the foot-prints of Hari and the Devas at the Eastern or main entrance of the Temple. Since the foot-prints of Hari and the Devas were imprinted here, the place came to be known as Hari Pada Puram, later shortened to Haripad.

Temples on the Ernakulam-Kottayam Route

The other temple is the one at Udayanapuram. This temple is closely associated with the Vaikom Mahadevan Temple, which we visited first. Vaikom is the shortening of Vyaghrapadhapuram. The lord at Vaikom is worshipped as Dakshinamoorthy in the Morning. In the Forenoon he is adored as Kiratheshwara. The Hunter who blesses Arjuna with the Paashupathastram. In the evening he is Jagat Pitha and blesses his devotees with his entire family of Jaganmatah Parvathi and Ganesa and Karthikeya around him.

The Udayanapuram Temple is situated about Two Kilometres north of the Vaikom Temple. The legend has it that the Kumaramangalam Temple near Kottayam waqs originally built to house the idol of Muruga now installed in Udayanapuram. But Devi Kathyayani, proclaiming ‘Kumaranalla-uru (Meaning not for Kumaran) decided to stay there. Consequently the idol was installed in Udayanapuram Temple which was originally meant to be a Devi Temple!

Here Lord Karthikeya assumes the form of the Sura Senani or Chief of the Army of Gods (Suras). When we entered the sanctum we had a divine Darshan of Lord Karthikeya in Sandalwood Paste Covering.

People believe that all the poojas and visits to the Vaikom Temple are completed only upon visiting Udayanapuram! This is because of the immense love that the father Vaikathppan bears for his son Udayanpurathappan!

References:

The Important Temples of Kerala, Kunjikuttan Elayath, (2003), Translated by K. Janardhana Kurup. H& C Publishing House, Thrissur, 680001. (0487-2421467) A treasurehouse of information about Kerala Temples. A must for every devout visitor to the state.

The Nagaraja Temple Mannarsala, Dr. Ayyappa Panicker, (2006) Mansa Publication, Mannarsala P.O. Harippad.

Vaikom Mahadeava Temmple, History and Legend, T D Narayanan Nampoothri, Translated by Achrya gowrishankar, Mumbai, (1998) Malayalarajyam Book Depot, West Nada,Vaikom- 686141 (0482-622750) A very inspiring account of Vaikkathppan and his greatness.

The Significance of the Eighteen Steps at Sabhari Mala

21.09.2008



I am just back from my annual pilgrimage to Sabhari Mala. Yes, I am tired and my legs are stiff and sore! Yet I am totally at peace with myself. As I use this Sunday to contemplate on the journey and the temples we visited, I thank Lord Ayyappan for being with us throughout the Journey and protecting us from harm and danger.

Before I begin a brief description of some of the Temples we visited, I thought it fit that I should dwell upon the significance of the Eighteen Steps which are at the heart of the Pilgrimmage to Sabhari. In fact, most veterans of Sabhari Yatra invariably enquire whether the pilgrim could comfortably transcend the Eighteen Steps. While the divine darshan is the boon of the pilgrimage, for the devotee who has maintained his Vratha and has carried the Iru Mudi on his head, climbing the Eighteen steps in peace and tranquility is the culmination of the Yatra.

What is the significance of the Eighteen Steps?
As in most symbolism related issues, especially more so in Hindu Mythology, there is more than one way of understanding the Eighteen Steps.

Significance of the number Eighteen
To begin with, Eighteen is significant number in Hinduism: the Mahabharathe war was fought in Eighteen Days; The Bhagavad Geetha has Eighteen Chapters; The main Puranas are Eighteen. Eighteen is a complete number.

The origin of the Eighteen Steps.
When Ayyappan decided to leave this earthly abode and take up his rightful place amongst the celestial pantheon, he selected the sacred Sabhari hill as the spot for his ascent. He bade farewell to his father-on-earth, Panthala Raja and ascended to the skies where Indira the King of Gods had created the Seat of Knowledge (Jnana Peetam). This throne was a bit high for our Lord who was just twelve years old. In order to facilitate his
Ascent, eighteen Devas who had come to witness the sight, lay themselves down quickly at His feet. Ayyappan then climbed on these Eighteen divine “steps” to reach the throne where he sat in the Yogic position. The Eighteen Devas froze into the Eighteen Steps. Later, when Parasuramar established the original temple, he worshipped these Eighteen steps and further sanctified them. The Steps are in themselves divine and therefore worthy of worship. This is called Padi Pooja.. These steps are also called The Eighteen Golden Steps of Absolute Truth. (Sathiyamana Ponnu Pathinettu Padigal)

Some also state that Ayyappan was carrying Eighteen different types of weapons when he came t Sabhari, which he sacrificed to create the Eighteen steps that he climbed to reach his throne.

The original Eighteen Steps were narrow and difficult to climb. The earlier practice of breaking Coconuts on the step indicating the number of each pilgrims journey to Sabhari had chipped and mutilated the steps so much that the Devaswom has covered the original steps with Gold plated even ones that we see today. (By the grace of Ayyappan, I have had the opportunity to climb the original steps on my first, second and third trips during 1982 to 1984.)

The Symbolism of The Steps
There are many lists of Eighteen associated with the steps. A popular one gives the following:
The Five Sense Organs (Eyes, Ears, Nose, Tongue, Hands and feet), The Five Senses (Sight, Hearing, Smell, Taste and Touch), the Five Koshas or figurative coverings of the body (Annamaya, Pranamaya, Manomaya, Jnana Maya and Ananda Maya) and the Three Gunas ( Rajogunam, Thamogunam and Sathva Gunam).

These Eighteen are obstructions in the path of oneness with God. The true devotees of Ayyappan alone are taught the secret of controlling and Chanelizing these qualities and transcending these limitations by crossing the Eighteen steps. In this sense the climbing the Eighteen Steps is a figurative conquest of our own limitations and achieving our fullest potential by the grace of God. Om Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa!!!

Another view links the Eighteen steps to the eighteen Vital spots in the Human nervous system as listed in the Shareera Sasthra namely 1. Mooladharam,2. Swaadhistanam, 3. Manipooragam, 4. Anaahatham, 5. Vambi, 6. Visuddhi, 7. Aangatha, 8. Bindhu, 9. Ardha Chakram, 10. Rosini, 11. Naagam, 12. Santharam, 13. Shakthi, 14. Vyanikam, 15. Samanam, 16. Unmanam, 17. Maha Bindhu and 18. Sahasraaram. These Yoga Saasthra secrets are symbolically represented in the Eighteen Steps.

(If anyone knows of any other significance or reasons, do communicate it to me for my enlightenment and sharing with others. Om Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa!!!)

None can climb these Eighteen steps without an Iru Mudi or sacred offering on their head, except the High Priest and his assistants and even they only after great purification and test during the performance of Padi Pooja. It is not possible to lift your head while carrying the Irumudi. Thus by a natural tendency the devotee climbs with his head bowed down, one step at a time. This, in my humble view is the true significance of the Pathinettu Padi. Our growth should be step by step and not a meteoric flash that disappears almost as it is seen. Such steady growth in slow yet sure steps is vouchsafed only to those who walk with a firm yet humble steps guided by God in His infinite Wisdom. Om Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa.

(I have taken some of the data given above from a very useful and authoritative book written by Kovi. Arangan Swami titled “ A Complete Guide about Sabarimala. Set in Q & A pattern the book throws light on almost every facet of the Sabhari Pilgrimage through answers to 300 Questions. I happened upon it in the Ayyappa Seve Samajam bookj stall. After I had gone through it I asked the voulunteer for a copy I was pleasantly surprised to note that he was none other then the author Kovi Arangan Swami. He not only sold the book to me, he also autographed it for me!)