Temples in Kumarakom

In ancient period the people of Kerala followed the Dravidian religion. This religion was a mixture of animism, totemism and spirit worship. The main religious practice was to make offering of food in the open air to the deities. Feeding the crow was almost a daily religious rite; sacrifices, ritual music and ritual dancing were also among the most common religious practices.
The coming of the Aryans brought about profound changes in the Dravidian practices. Hinduism, which took shape in Kerala in course of time, was the outcome of this synthesis. But before Hinduism established its hold on the minds of the people, it had to face competition from the other Aryan religions, which came from the north viz. Jainism, and Buddhism. But later a movement for establishing the supremacy of Hinduism originated in Kerala and gathered momentum in the 8th century AD. The movement threw up a galaxy of colourful personalities of whom the most outstanding were Prabhakara Guru, Sankaracharya, Kulesekhara Alwar, Cheraman Perumal Nayanar and Viralminda Nayanar. Each of these persons made solid contributions to the progress of Hinduism.

The teachings of Prabhakara and Sankaracharya appealed more to the intellect than to the emotions of the people. The sixth century saw a fresh revival of the Bhakti (devotion) cult consequent upon the sense of fear and insecurity produced in the minds of the people by Portuguese atrocities.

Thunchathu Ezhuthachan (author of Malayalam Ramayana and Mahabharatha) Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri (author of Narayaneeyam) Poonthanam Namboothiri (who wrote Krishna Gadha) were the shining lights of the new age and their contribution to Hindu religion could hardly be exaggerated. The works of these religious savants were supplemented by the efforts of the rulers at the political level. Marthanda Varma’s (1729-1788) action in dedicating the newly expanded kingdom of Travancore to Sri Padmanabha in 1750 was in a sense an assertion of the superior position held by Hinduism, for thereafter the Kingdom itself belonged to the Hindu deity and its ruler became Padmanbha dasa, the servant of Sri Padmanabha. Nevertheless, within the framework of the Hindu religion, as it developed, only the upper castes counted and the lower castes held only an inferior position.
All temples of Kumarakom are Dravidian in style and therefore square or rectangular. Most temples face east, but some west. They are usually located near streams because of the functional value, enabling devotees to bathe before entering the Temple. A wall with entrances (or recesses) usually encloses them at the cardinal points. A wide pathway surrounds each temple. The big Kerala temple often forms a complex comprising one area for worship and one for the storage of food, cooking and eating. Several other shrines to deities such as Parvati and Ganapathy may be included as well as a large hall, Koothampalam, used at festival times for the recitation of prayers and sacred stories such as puranas.

Hindu Temples and Deities in Kumarakom

1. Sri Muthen Nada Mahadeva Temple

Mahadeva is Lord Siva. Siva was worshipped by the early Dravidians and as such should be considered a pre-Aryan, non-Aryan deity. The admission of this deity into the Hindu pantheon must have taken place during the period of Aryan-Dravidian fusion. There are many Siva Shrines all over Kerala. The Mahadeva temples in Vaikom, Kottayam and Ettumanoor are famous Siva Temples.
In Kumarakom there are two temples of Siva with certain differences

Sree Muthente Nada Mahadeva Temple is more than 400 years old. Pulaya Community, whose caste is considered most inferior, controls the administration of this temple.

Main Idol – Siva

Vellyachan – a minor God has more power and fame. On Fridays & Thursdays, Vellyachan’s Velichappadu will have velipadu & will do thullal (a kind of ritual dance performed in temple)

Other minor Gods – Devi, (Goddes), Ganapathi

Location – Near Konchumada, Kumarakom South
Worship time: 5.30 a.m. – 9.00 a.m., 5.30 p.m. – 8 p.m.,

Main day – Friday

Main offerings – Abhishekam (A sprinkling with water on the head of Idols), Vellamkudy (Offering of drinks and eatables) for Vellyachan

Festival – April (4 days before Vishu)

2. Thekkumkara Sri Ardhanariswara Temple

It was a family temple recently given over to the villagers. The temple is more than 300 years old.

Main Idol – Siva & Parvathy sitting together in the same idol having half male and half female (Ardhanariswaran – Hermaphrodite – Half man woman god)

Minor Gods – Bhagavathy, Bhuvaneswary, Naga (Serpent God)

Location – About 1½ km south of Pandan Bazar, Kumarakom South.

Worship time – 04.30 a.m. – Temple entrance will be opened, at 05.00 a.m. – Nirmalyam, 06.00 a.m. – Morning worship, 07.00 a.m. – Usha worship, 08.00 a.m. – Panthiradi worship, 10.30 a.m. – Mid-day worship, 11.00 a.m. – Temple entrance will be closed, at 05.00 p.m. – Temple entrance will be opened, 6 – 7 p. m. for Deeparadhana, Supper worship, 09.00 p.m. – Temple entrance will be closed.

Main offerings – Dara for Devan, Akhora worship

Festival – April

According to Malayalam calender, during the month of Meenam. Hoisting the flag will be on Thiruvathira star. The final day will be on Utram star. Mandala time is also important (41 days from Vrischika 1 – Dhanu 11) i.e. during November – December.
3. Puthiyakavu Devi Temple
In almost every village there is a shrine dedicated to Bhagavati, in one form or the other, for example, as Bhadrakali, Thampuratti, Annapurnneswari, Durga, Parameswari, Devi and Kumarakom village is no exception. Here Puthiyakavu Devi temple is very famous.

3.Puthiyakavu Devi Temple

In pre-Aryan and pre-Vedic religion Devi was worshipped as the Goddess of war by the hill tribes. She was the guardian of the Kalari or the military gymnasium. She wielded the great trident in her hand and her worship came to be associated with the worship of Siva. The idea is that Siva and Sakti form the role of Purusha (Spirit) and Prakriti (nature) representing the premeval forces of creation. Prakriti is the negative counterpart of Purusha, the former being not imbued with intelligence, while the latter is the fully intelligent principle.
At first, Puthiyakavu was owned by all Nair families at Kumarakom, but later surrendered to Travancore Devaswom Board. It is more than 150 years old.

Main Idol – Bhadrakali
Minor Gods – Siva, Bhuvaneswari

Worship time – 5.30 a.m. – 10.00 a.m., 5.30 p.m. – 07.30 p.m

Main offerings – Arunazhy payassam (A kind of pudding made of six measures of rice, candy, etc.), Guruthy(blood sacrifice)

Mandala time (from Vrishchika 1) for 41 days is also important. On all these 41 days, there will be Kalamezhuthupattu (decoration of floor with figures of deities in powders of various colours as part of `tantric’ rituals and singing)

Festival – Month of Meenam (April)

During festival time, even two days before the hoisting of flag, there will be an artistic performance as part of a religious rite known as “Theeyattu”(a kind of ritual worship of goddess Kali)
4. Sri Dharma Shastha Temple & Subrahmanya Temple (Kumaran)

Both the temples are inside the same wall. They are more than 500 years old. Among these Subrahmanya temple is older. The temple was at first owned by Kizhakkemadom (a Brahmin house). Dharmasasthavu is on the south side and Subrahmanya is on the north side. This is the first temple in Kumarakom. The name Kumarakom derived from this temple.

Other minor Gods – Ganapathi, “Nagaraja-Nagayakshi”, Bhoothathan
Worship time – 5.30 a.m. – 10.30 a.m., 5.30 p.m. – 07.30 p.m.
Festival – Makarasamkramam (January – February), Uthram Shiveli in the month of Meenam (April).

Subrahmanya

Subrahmanya (Kumaran) has been a very popular deity in Kerala from very early days. He may be identified with Murugan, the favourite deity of the Kurinji tract of the Sangam Age, who had the peacock as his vehicle and the trident as his most important weapon.

Sastha

Sastha or Ayyappan is one of the most popular deities worshipped by the Hindus of Kerala. There are quite a few major temples in Kerala with Sastha as the presiding deity, the Sabarimala temple being the most celebrated among them, but he is accommodated as a minor deity in most of the temples. Sastha is considered as Hariharaputhra, the offspring of the union of Siva with Vishnu in the latter’s form as Mohini. There is a tradition according to which Sastha was found in the forests as a baby by the childless king of Pandalam and after achieving manhood he fulfilled a son’s obligation to his parents and thereafter returned to his usual residence in the celestial world. The Pandalam Royal family has even now some special privileges in the Sabarimala Temple. The Lord’s stock of jewelry known as Thiruvabharanam is still kept in the Pandalam palace and carried to Sabarimala at the head of a special procession during the Makara Vilakku festival in January every year.

Worship of Serpents, Trees etc.

Over and above the worship of the deities, the Hindus of Kerala have evolved through the ages such practices as Naga worship, Tree worship, Ancestor worship and Devil worship.
The distinction of having a major temple dedicated to the Naga or Serpent goes to Mannarasala in Alappuzha district. At Mannarasala Temple serpents are worshiped and here the high priest is a lady. Siva has got his innumerable serpent ornaments from the Naga cult and Vishnu his couch of a thousand serpents.

As compared to the rest of India, Kerala is unique in respect of Naaga (Serpent) worship. Every ancient house (illom, mana or tharavadu) of a Hindu family had a Sarpa-kaavu (serpent grove), which is treated with great veneration. No orthodox person would dare to kill or even hurt a serpent, for, it is a very common belief that those who accidentally or willfully kill a cobra will be punished with suffering from childlessness, leprosy or opthalmia. Its tradition goes back to Lord Parasurama. After the creation of Kerala Lord Parasurama brought the first colonists but they abandoned it and ran back to their own country, because of the incessant attacks of the Naagas (serpent). Colonists, being forced to return after sometime, were resisted
by Naaga occupants, whereupon a fierce fight ensued between them. Parasurama intervened and arbitrated between his own people and the Naaga usurpers and compromised their disputes by ordering that the Naagas should be given one corner of every occupied compound and they should be propitiated by performance of annual ceremonies. From that day onwards every householder in Kerala set apart a bit of ground in the south-west corner of every tharavadu garden which is turned into a grove known as Sarpa-kaavu or serpent grove (See picture on page 74). These present the appearance of a miniature reserve forest where the underwood trees and creepers, left unhampered, grow luxuriantly. A pool of water is also seen as part of it. Further, according to Keralolpathi tradition, Lord Parasurama appointed members of Pampudimekkattu mana (in Vadama near Mala in Thrissur district) as higher authorities in Naaga worship. Apart from this there are some other families engaged in Naaga worship, which are also considered important centres. Naaganpozhi mana near Udayanapuram, Vaikom and Parambur mana, Nattasseri are two important families in Kottayam distrtcit, but Mannarassala illom, (Harippad) in Alappuzha is most famous.
The tree worship popular in Kerala even today is illustrated by the sanctity attached to the fig tree (arayal ), the bilwa or Kuvalam, the sacred medicinal treat – Crataeva religiosa and Tulsi (basil – Ocinum sanctum) plant. The bilwa is sacred to Siva and Tulsi to Vishu. The leaves of the latter are used in connection with the floral offerings in all temples. The Hindus of Kerala also practise ancestor worship and devil worship, both of which are non-aryan practices.

Worship of Ancestors and Devils

The deceased ancestors are looked upon as benefactors of the tarawad (ancestral family) and they are worshipped with due rites. The observance of Sraddha or annual rites performed in memory of one’s ancestors and the offerings of Vavubali on new moon days, particularly in Karkatakom (July-August) are important ceremonies connected with the ancestor worship. The Devil or Bhuta worship is in vogue among certain sections of Hindus, particularly among the hill tribes. The shrine dedicated to Kuttichathan at Triprayar is one of the well-known spirit temples of Kerala.

5. Sri Kumara Mangalam Temple

This famous temple in Kumarakom was consecrated in 1903 by Sri Narayana Guru who has greatly contributed to the upliftment of the oppressed classes in southern India. This temple is dedicated to Kumaran (Subrahmanyan) who has been a very popular deity in Kerala.

Main Idol – Kumaran (Subrahmanyan)

Other minor Gods – Ganapathi, Gurudevan
Worship time – 05.00 a.m – Nirmalyam, 06.30 a.m. – Usha worship, 08.00 a.m. – Panthiradi worship, 10.00 a.m. – Mid-day worship, 05.30 p.m. – Temple entrance will again be opened, 07.00 p.m. – Deeparadhana, 08.00 p.m. – Supper worship
Main day – Saturday

Main offerings – Akhora worship, Panaka worship, Sahasranamarchana

Festival – In the Month of Kumbham (February – March)

Final day on Pooyam (a star). The festival lasts for 6 days. A day known as “Shashti” is very important. It is a very special day for God Subrahmanya.

Sri Narayana Guru set up shrines dedicated to Siva as a parallel system to that of the caste Hindus who denied entry of the Ezhavas and other oppressed classes in their temples. The Harijans and other lower castes are allowed entry into these temples in which Ezhavas and not Brahmins officiated as priests. He wanted to have a common place of worship where all could come and offer their worship with no discrimination of caste, sex or religion. The installation of his first temple at Aruvippuram became a milestone in the history of India’s spiritual emancipation. The caste-ridden tradition of India suffered at the idea of a common man who had no claim to priestly tradition, installing a temple. When a Namboodiri (Kerala Brahmin) expressed his anger and concern about such an act of “sacrilege” the Guru simply remarked that he did not install any `Namboodiri Siva’. After the installation of Siva in the temple at Aruvippuram the Guru founded temples in many places including one in Kumarakom. When the Guru was requested to install a temple at Meluveli he said that the future temples should be schools. He brought about many reforms in the temple he consecrated, with the intention of educating people. In one temple he installed the words Sathyam, Dharma, Daya, Sneham (Truth, Righteousness, Kindness, Love) at the altar instead of  placing an image of any Hindu God. In another temple he preferred to have only a burning lamp at the altar. At Kalavamkodam, Cherthala, he installed a mirror in the place of the diety with the great dictum Aum Tat Sat (Aum that is existent). Aum or Om is not a word; it is God himself, according to Swami Vivekananda. So what the great dictum says is “that is existent, in existence, living, obtaining, present, prevailing, and surviving is God”. At the Advaitsramam in Aluva he preferred to have no image at all. Now in Kumarakom apart from the main idol Kumaran, Ganapathi and the Guru are also worshiped as gods. The temple authorties also run a big high school and pre-degree school near the temple following the words of Guru “that the future temples should be schools’.

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