KALLARAKKAL MAHAVISHNU-MAHADEVA TEMPLE –
A BRIEF ANNOTATION:
“Yatha Sivamaya Vishnuh Evam Vishnumayah Sivah
Yathantharam na pasyami tathame swastirayushi.”
(Shiva in the form of Vishnu and Vishnu in
the form Shiva – I bow down -. Vishnu is
the heart of Shiva and Shiva is the heart of Vishnu as both are essentially
one. As I do not perceive any difference
between the two may my life be blessed and prolonged).
About Kerala temples, Stella Kramrisch once
wrote like this “In this beauteous, bountiful country, between sea and
mountains, green in the density of high trees and fertile land, the temples –
2200 are in worship – are part of the scene”.
This may not be the scene at present; but there are many more temples –
small and big – important and unimportant which worshiped by a small group of
devotees. Kallarakkal Temple is one of
such.
To an average Malayali, particularly to
Nairs/Namboodiris and allied communities, the day begins with a bath in the
temple tanks or a tank in their compound itself, and dash to the nearby temple
with the wet MUNDU.
The influence of Marxism and materialistic philosophy could not make
much changes, indeed, the gods and goddesses in Kerala seem more real than
elsewhere. Kallarakkal Temple is one of such temple which influenced the heart
of the masses.
Kallarakkal Temple Complex is one of the
important religious and cultural centre for the people of Koovappady and
surrounding areas.
There is no prolific history available
about the origin of this temple but a hear-saying-evidence passed through
generations clearly indicates that it was well in existence during the time of
Tipu Sultan’s Malabar invasion. Angry soldiers of Sultan who were returning to
Mysore after an unsuccessful mission to conquer TRAVANCORE said to have
destroyed the original structure of Kallarakkal Temple. Hence we could presume that the same was built somewhere during the
Seventeenth Century or even earlier.
According to other version of the legend,
the origin of this temple goes back to Adi Sankaracharya’s period i.e. eighth
century A.D. A couple, among the Brahmin
community settled earlier in this place had no issue for a long time worshipped
Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva with all their heart. The Lord appeared before them in a dream and
blessed. In due course of time, a child
was born to them. Overwhelming with the
result of their prayer, the couple with the help of other important gramavasi’s
(villagers) had built up a temple, installed the idols of Lord Vishnu and Shiva
on one compound with separate srikovils.
They started worshiping as their ishtadevata. The earlier structure of the Srikovil was
square shaped one made of Vettukallu (red bricks) without roof on it. This may be the reason to call the temple as
“KALLARAKKAL KSHETRAM”.
During the later part of the twentieth
century (say in 1960-61) some enthusiastic devotees, well wishers of the area
came together and decided to form a committee for the purpose of saving the
temple from its dilapidated conditions.
After a long, hectic and hard work they could collect some fund through
donations in cash and kind. Their
efforts were materialized in building the present day concrete structure with
square shaped and roofed sanctum-sanctorum (Srikovil) for both the deities.
Karimpanakkal Bhagavati is said to be the
other deity adorned here, whose small Srikovil is situated just outside the
north-eastern corner.
Incidentally there seems to be no sign of
GANAPATI being offered worship here.
As there were no ruins left behind to
recognize the spot where the Bhagavati temple stood, the then constituted
Temple Renevation Committee, in the year M.E. 1174 (i.e. 1988-89) held an Ashta
Mangallya Prasnam in which it was revealed that a Devi Chaitanya appeared and a
suitable Kovil be built in the North-Eastern corner of the compound wall. In the earlier prasna conducted during 1960s
also the same devichaitanya were appeared.
Due to lack of fund available at that time, the construction of Srikovil
was postponed. Now the same was
completed and Devi pratishta together with Kumbhabhishekam performed during the
annual festival season i.e. on 14th April, 2001.
Even though, it is a small temple without
any architectural or cultural decorations as we normally seen in most Kerala
temples, we find a splendid artistic work that created on the VISHNU IDOL
endowed with the four lustrous arms carrying the conch, the discuss, the mace,
the Lotus and made of Anjanakallu (Black Stone) to make on the spot feeling of
his blessings on His devotees and save them from the evil effects of KALIYUGA.
Now, a permanent arrangement has been made
to elect the working committee by rotation, to look into the daily affairs of
the temple and a total renovation programme being chalked out. With the ample support of the ardent devotees
and general public, the temple authorities are able to conduct daily pooja and
also annual festival in April every year.
A list of various offerings, that displayed
in the temple premises, will help the devotees to get a first hand knowledge of
the same.
()oooooOOOOOooooo()
N.R. Pillai (Raju)
Dombivli West
3rd Feb. 2005.
