A new book recounts the legends behind the Thirunakkara Mahadevar Temple in Kerala’s Kottayam
Mohan Gulrajani
A new book recounts the legends behind the Thirunakkara Mahadevar Temple in Kerala’s Kottayam
An excerpt from ‘The Forever Green Lore and Legends of Kerala’, by Sreekumari Ramachandran.
Celebrations underway at the Thirunakkara Mahadevar Temple. |
According to legend, enshrined within the Nakkara Hills of Kottayam, Kerala, lies the abode of Lord Shiva, known as Thirunakkara Devan. This sacred site owes its origin to a devout king of the Thekkumkur dynasty who resided in Thaliyil Palace, a mere kilometre away.
The king was an ardent worshipper of Vadakkumnathan, the presiding deity of Thrissur, which was 150 kilometres away. In an era with limited transportation, the king undertook this arduous pilgrimage every month to offer his prayers at the lord’s sanctum.
As age took hold, the journey became increasingly difficult for the king. One day, after a strenuous pilgrimage to Thrissur, he poured out his heart to the lord at the Sopana, the steps leading to the sanctum. “Oh Lord,” he cried, “I fear I may not have the strength to visit you again. Yet, the thought of living without your worship brings me unbearable sorrow. Please, take me to your abode and grant me salvation!”
His prayers complete, the king returned to the rest house. As he lay chanting the Panchakshara Mantram, the five-syllabled sacred mantra of Lord Shiva, a divine voice filled the air. “Your devotion pleases me,” it boomed. “You need not travel so far again. I shall manifest myself as a Swayambhoo, self-originated idol, within the Nakkara Hills near your palace. There, you can find me easily. Look for a bull in front of me and a white chrysanthemum behind me.”
Thus, the legend recounts how Lord Shiva, moved by the king’s unwavering devotion, established himself within the Nakkara Hills, becoming Thirunakkara Devan, a cherished pilgrimage site for devotees ever since.
The king awoke to an empty chamber. “It must have been the lord himself,’ he thought, convinced of his own piety. ‘He is surely content with me.” Contentment soothed him back to sleep.
At dawn, the Thampuran returned from his prayers at the Vadakkumnathan temple. On his way back, he stopped at Vaikkom to pay his respects to Lord Shiva at Perumthrikkovil. There, in the temple grounds, he saw a sight that tugged at his heartstrings. A frail man with matted hair and a long beard, his body smeared with holy ash, sat hunched over.
The Thampuran inquired about the man and learnt that he was a poor Brahmin from Perepparambu Illom. The man had just completed a year of penance at the temple, seeking the lord’s blessings to find a way to make a living.
“He has five daughters of marriageable age,” someone whispered to the king, “with only the lord to help him.”
Moved by the man’s plight, the Thampuran called him forward. “If you’re willing to come with me,” he offered, “I may be able to offer some help.”
The Nambudiri exclaimed joyfully, “Definitely! I am happy to come with you!” before accompanying the Thampuran to Kottayam. He was lodged near the palace. As days turned into weeks, Perepparambu Nambudiri, with the Thampuran’s permission, sought an audience with the Swamiyar at the Swamiyar Madhom in the Nakkara Hills.
The Swamiyar and his disciples were about to commence the Chaturmasa Vrath, a rigorous four-month penance. The Swamiyar warmly invited the Nambudiri to stay, promising him monetary assistance. The Nambudiri gladly accepted.
As the Chaturmasa Vrath neared its end, the Swamiyar instructed his disciples to prepare a modest feast. They ventured into the hillock to gather vegetables. While attempting to extract an elephant yam with a spade, one of the disciples was horrified to see blood oozing from the spot. Terrified, he abandoned the spade and retreated. The disciples rushed back to the Madhom to report the strange occurrence to the Swamiyar.
The Swamiyar, intrigued, proceeded to the spot, cleared the soil, and revealed a divine Shivalingam, a sacred representation of Lord Shiva. The Swamiyar declared that a Swayambhoo (self-manifested) Shivalingam would vanish without immediate worship. His disciples procured raw rice and flowers. Perepparambu Nambudiri cooked the rice and performed a timely pooja.
News of this miraculous event reached Thekkumkur Thampuran, who arrived at Nakkarakkunnu. Prostrating before the Shivalingam, he observed a bull in front of it and a white chrysanthemum sprouting behind it. Recognising the divine presence of Lord Vadakkumnathan, he proclaimed the sacred site as Thirunakkara.
To honour the divine manifestation, the Thampuran initiated the construction of a grand temple. It was adorned with four majestic gopurams, a Nalambalam, a Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum), a Thidappalli and other traditional features. To ensure the temple’s perpetual upkeep, he generously donated extensive landholdings. Detailed guidelines were established for daily poojas, nivediam and annual festivals.
Perepparambu Nambudiri was appointed the chief priest, while members of the Chengazhassery Illom and Punnassery Illom were assigned as temple assistants. The Nedumangad and Palakkod families were entrusted with the care of the temple’s landholdings.
In the idyllic village of Thirunakkara, life flowed smoothly until a new challenge emerged. A rogue bull, a trespasser of nights, devoured crops from farms and gardens. Its origin and destination remained a mystery. Those who glimpsed it under the moonlit sky attempted to scare it away with stones and torches, but the swift beast vanished before they could act.
One fateful night, the bull materialised in a paddy field at Veloor, a village 2 kilometres west of Thirunakkara. Paraya, a member of the local community, managed to drive it away with a well-aimed stone. That very night, the Thampuran dreamt of a magnificent bull. “You have provided richly for your lord,” the bull rumbled in a voice that echoed in Thampuran's dream, “yet I, his loyal vahanam (vehicle), am left wanting. To sustain myself, I am forced to steal. Tonight, Paraya dared to harm me.”
The Thampuran awoke with a start, the dream’s message lingering. He immediately summoned the royal astrologer. After intricate calculations, the astrologer proclaimed, “The bull is none other than Nandikeshwara, the sacred bull of Lord Shiva himself! Your Highness, unless you appease him with an offering, his wrath shall befall you.”
Without hesitation, the Thampuran donated the very paddy field that materialised in his dream, the one in Veloor, to serve as Nandikeshwaran’s nivedyam. This field, known as Kalakkandom even today, became a testament to the Thampuran’s devotion.
With this act of appeasement, the temple flourished. The Thampuran, a devout soul, continued his daily prayers at the feet of Thirunakkara Devan, the Lord of Thirunakkara, until his final journey. The temple’s fame grew far and wide, attracting devotees from far and beyond to seek blessings at the lord’s shrine.
The prosperity of the temple inevitably led to an increase in the chief priest’s income. Recognising the need for assistance, he appointed a Nambudiri from the Madippilly Illom in the nearby village of Manganam. Over time, the Perepparambu Nambudiri, as he came to be known, prospered under Lord Shiva’s grace. He eventually elevated Madippilli Nambudiri to the position of chief priest and returned to his ancestral home.
However, a deep connection remained. Once a month, the Perepparambu Nambudiri, or a male descendant from his lineage, would undertake a pilgrimage to Thirunakkara to perform the Panthiradipooja, a sacred service before the noon offering. This tradition endured even after the Perepparambu Nambudiri’s passing, a testament to the family’s devotion.
Tragedy struck during the tenure of the Madippalli Nambudiri as chief priest. The Thampuran of the Thekkumkur dynasty, enraged by Moothathu the Shiveli priest, ordered his soldiers to execute him. In a case of mistaken identity, the soldiers mistook the chief priest for the Shiveli priest, and shot him down. Heartbroken and despairing, his wife sought solace in the sacred embrace of the temple. At the very threshold, the Sopana, her life’s journey tragically ended. With her passing, the illustrious Madippally Illom lineage was extinguished, casting a long shadow over the temple’s history.
In the wake of this profound loss, a sombre decree was issued: Nambudiri women were forbidden from entering the temple’s sacred precincts. Moreover, Moothathu Brahmins were barred from participating in the Shiveli ritual.
A peculiar phenomenon was observed with the temple’s sacred bull: it would occasionally suffer from dropsy, a condition that often led to some calamity. Historical records indicate a disturbing correlation between these incidents and calamities within the principality, most notably the passing of the maharaja.
To appease the divine and avert potential misfortune, special poojas were conducted at the feet of both the lord and of Nandikeshwara whenever the bull exhibited signs of dropsy.
As the sands of time flowed, the Thekkumkur kingdom was integrated into Thiruvithamkur and naturally, the Thirunakkara temple came under the administrative control of the state. However, the Thiruvithamkur government allocated a substantial sum of 1000 rupees to cover the expenses of these extraordinary rituals.
Excerpted with permission from The Forever Green Lore and Legends of Kerala, Sreekumari Ramachandran, Penguin India.
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