For quite sometime, we friends – the 8 of us – had been planning to go to few temples in Northern Kerala, particularly the Muzhakkunnu Mridanga Saileswari Temple in Kannur, having read several interesting stories about it. At last we planned to take a three day trip to cover few temples in Kannur, Kasargode and Mangalore. We started in the morning of 28th November and reached back Kozhikod on 30th November night.
Our first destination was Mridanga Saileswari Temple at Muzhakkunnu in Kannur, which is around 105 kms. from Kozhikode.
It took about three hours to reach there. This temple is said to be one of the 108 Durga Temples established by Lord Parasuraman. The presiding deity is Goddess Durga, who originated as “Sangeeta roopini” in the form of a “Mridangam” or “Mizhavu” – a divine musical instrument used as one of the accompaniments, especially in Karnatic music recitals.
This temple is open from 5 AM up to 1230 PM and in the afternoon from 5 to 8 PM. We reached by about 1130 AM and so could spend some time there, going around the temple. Unlike in other temples in Kerala, we noticed that there was no need for men to wear dhoti here – they were allowed inside wearing Pants. Ladies could wear Salwar Kameez. Just at the entrance into the inner temple premises, there is a huge photo of Devi kept which gives you an idea of the Devi’s Roopam.
The Sanctum sanctorum was closed for Naivedya puja (offering of food to God) when we reached and we had to wait outside for about 15 minutes. Once it was over, all were allowed inside for Deeparadhana (Aarti) which followed. We were happy that we could reach there in time to be part of the Deeparadhana. Being the first temple that we were visiting during our 3 day temple tour, we all felt it as a good start and good omen.
Despite the crowd, we could have darshan of the Devi several times and for quite some time. We saw that majority of the devotees were lighting Ney vilakku (Ghee lamp) and keeping them in front of the Devi shrine, which seemed to be an important Vazhipadu here. In other temples in Kozhikode and many other places, I have seen that during the Adachu (closed) Pooja someone in the service of temple (mostly an Ambalavasi) stand near the Sopanam (steps to the Sanctum sanctorum) and sing verses in praise of the Lord to the accompaniment of an Edakka (or Idakka) slung over his left shoulder, beating the side of the instrument gently with a thin curve ended stick. However, here we noticed that it was Chenda melam being performed during this time. Subsequently in other temples of Kannur also we saw this practice, which was new to me.
The main deity in this Temple is Durga, in the form of a beautiful woman. We were told that in this temple Devi is worshipped in three forms – Saraswati, Lakshmi and Kali. Mizhavil Bhagawathy is worshipped in the south east side within the temple, where Devi appeared in Mridanga form. Inside the main temple, there are shrines of Lord Ganesha and Dakshinamoorthy (Siva) also. Then, outside the Chuttambalam (outer circle of temple), on the southern side, there is a shrine for Ayyappa swamy. We also prayed at the Porkkali Aroodha Sthanam, which was a little away towards the west side, where the Raja used to seek blessings of Kali for victory before proceeding for war. This was a part of the Palace. “Por” in Malayalam means war and hence the name Porkkali. We saw that here there was no idol and no lamp was lit.
In a hall in the temple premises, we noticed that there was arrangement for Annadanam for all devotees for which people had already formed queues by the time we reached. We were told that this is a regular feature there. Beyond this hall there is the temple pond, which offers a nice scenic view.
This temple is famous on several counts. Firstly, it is from this temple premises that the famous art form of Kerala, Kathakali originated. Kottayam Thampuran (Raja) himself is said to have penned the texts of certain Kathakali verses which are used even now. When he could not visualize the costume of lady characters in Kathakali, he sat meditating and praying to the Goddess and he had a vision of Goddess in the Temple pond, showing how the feminine costume should be. The same costume is being used for feminine characters in Kathakali ever since.
There is also a story about how the name of the specific place in Kannur – “Muzhakkunnu” – where the temple is situated came about. It is believed that Devi first appeared as “Swayambhoo” in this place in the form of Mridangam or Mizhavu and the place had a musical reverberation. The Malayalam word for echo/reverberation is “Muzhakkam”. This place is in a hilly area and “Kunnu” is the word for hill in Malayalam. So the hill with the reverberation or echo came to be known as Muzhakkunnu. The exact place within the temple where the swayambhoo appeared inside the temple is identified as “Mizhavil Bhagavathy”, meaning “Devi in Mridangam”.
There is an interesting story about how four attempts were made in the past to steal the main Panchaloha Vigraham (Idol made of five metals) of the temple, which was told in a speech by the then ACP of that place, Mr. Alexander Jacob, IPS. The beautiful and huge panchaloha idol is said to be weighing more than 84 kg. and its cost during that time itself was over 1.5 crore. All the attempts to steal were said to have been foiled due to divine intervention. For some reason, twice the thieves could not go beyond 200 yards from the temple and hence left the idol behind. Once the thieves reached upto Palghat and left the Vigraham there, alongwith a note saying that it belongs to the Mridanga Saileswari temple and may be taken back. Another time on an intimation received over the phone, the Vigraham was recovered from a lodge in Kalpatta where the thieves had left it. Much later, over a period of time, three out of the four cases were solved when three different gangs were caught while making similar attempts in other temples in Cochin and Kasargode. One gang belonged to Tamil Nadu, one was from Karnataka and another one from Malappuram. These people when caught confessed to having tried to steal the Vigraham at Mridanga Saileswari and how they failed to carry it with them. They had told that after coming out with the Vigraham they were unable to make out the direction in which they were to go and they were forced to flee, leaving the idol.
These stories were reiterated by the local persons to whom we spoke, who are staunch believers in the divine powers of the Bhagawathy. According to them, of late there has been a considerable increase in the flow of devotees to this temple, and during pilgrimage season of Sabarimala it is much more.
Having had a good darshan, we started off to Kannur, which was about 44 kms. from there, to have lunch (at Arya Family Restaurant) before we moved on to the next temple in Taliparamba, viz., Trichambaram Sri Krishna Temple.
The Trichambaram Sri Krishna Temple, located in Taliparamba is about 20 kms. away from Kannur. The temple is quite big and has several unique features. The Temple remains open from 5 am to 12 noon and then from 5 to 8 PM. There are steps from the main road leading to the front side of the temple which is slightly on a lower level than the main road. We, however, approached the temple from the opposite side where we had parked the vehicles.
We reached the temple by 5 PM and had a very good walk around the temple and also had a nice darshan. Here again we were lucky enough to be able to partake in the Deeparadhana (Aarti). The main deity here is Lord Krishna and the idol is very attractive and lively. The inner shrine has beautiful carvings and murals, some of which however, need restoration work. We saw that presently some restoration/repair work is going on inside the temple and also that a temporary structure is being erected just outside the main shrine. In the inner part of the temple there is a shrine for Vishwa senan also – stated to be another form of Vishnu.
Outside the main shrine, there is the Durga deity, facing the main deity. This shrine is built in the middle of a tank and we found it quite unique.
The temple surroundings, the inner shrine, the pond, and the entry areas are all so serene that one can spend quite some time enjoying the peaceful environment and the temple architecture.
While doing the outer pradakshina, we saw the shrine for Lord Ayyappa whereafter on the western side, there was a structure where Goshala Krishna is worshipped. We were told that this was earlier a Goshala with lots of cows. Adjacent to that there is a huge tree where we could see idols of Nagadevta being worshipped.
The elephants are strictly not allowed in the temple. The myth behind this is that King Kamsa had sent a wild elephant to kill Sri Krishna. Therefore, unlike in other temple festivals, this temple does not parade elephants during the annual festival. The annual festival of the temple will be in March. It is a 14 day ritual and during these days, we were told that ladies are not allowed entry into the temple. During this period, there is also a dance with deities of Krishna and Balarama which is very unique to this temple.
This temple is of particular significance to us since my father-in-law hailed from this place and was closely associated with the temple. From the temple premises we could see the house where he once lived before he migrated to Kozhikode. The house, is on the banks of the Chira (water body) adjoining the temple, with direct entry into the Chira, but has changed hands and no longer belongs to the family.
Since we have never been to the annual festival of this temple, we made up our mind to come here again very soon during the festival days.
From there we proceeded to Sri Rajarajeswara temple which is a famous Shiva Temple in Taliparambu itself and is very near to the Trichambaram Sri Krishna Temple – just 2.2 kms.
There are several things one should know before visiting this particular temple. Firstly, the entry time for women, which is generally after 7.30 PM. We chose the late evening time to visit this temple because women are allowed entry into the main shrine only after the last pooja of the day, viz., Athazha pooja, which takes place after 7 PM. Children below 4 years are not allowed inside the temple. Men are allowed to enter the shrine at any time. This temple is also very strict about the things we carry inside the main temple area. Handbags and Prasdams from other temples cannot be carried inside. One can keep a small money purse and nothing else. Men can enter the temple only wearing a Dhoti. Pants are not allowed. Shirts also are not allowed and have to be hung on a place provided for that.
It is compulsory for women to carry a Ghee pot which is called Neyyamruthu, while entering the shrine, which is to be offered before the Lord before praying. For men it is optional to carry the Neyyamruthu. Nobody is allowed to do pradakshinam (going around the temple deity) after the last pooja, viz., Athaza pooja. It is believed that after Athazha pooja Lord Siva is with his consort goddess Parvathi. This time is considered as the most auspicious time for women to enter the temple as they get the occasion to worship the divine couple.
A uniqueness about this temple is the Bhadradeepam which is a ghee lamp indicated as first lit by Agasthya muni, which has never been doused from that time and is still kept going.
We noticed few other interesting and unique things here. Here, Tulsi leaves are used for puja, whereas in Shiva temples, usually Koovalam leaves (Bel patra or bilwa) are used for puja. We could see huge bunches of Tulsi leaves being cleaned for the puja. Another difference we noticed was that unlike in other temples of Kerala there is no Kodimaram (Dwajasthambham) here. There is also no annual festival here.
We were surprised to find that we were allowed to enter the temple early, around 7.15 pm. Since there was no rush, we could go inside and offer prayers twice, of course, both times with the Ghee pot in hand.
Having had a good darshan from there we left for Kanhangad, stopping for dinner on the way. Our accommodation was booked at Hotel Raj Residency, Kanhangad, which was 48 kms. from Taliparamba.
Next day our plan was to visit some temples in Kasargode. ………. Will come back with those details in a couple of days …………….
Till then …………
#Travel#North Kerala#Kannur#Mridanga saileswari temple#Rajarajeswara temple#Trichambaram temple#
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