More Legends from Kerala - 2
5. Siva and His Dues:
------------
The Rajah of Nilambur was suffering from 'atyagni' - a severe digestive disorder that makes the patient perpetually hungry and consume huge quantities of food, all of which merely - and rapidly - passes through undigested.
People afflicted by atyagni would be severely weakened - and some are even driven to suicide by unbearable hunger. The Rajah consulted the best physician but his efforts could only arrest the progress of the already terrible disease. Although the Rajah's vast wealth ensured a continuous supply of food, the constant eating and severe hunger pangs soon drove him into the direst of straits..
Then one day, two brahmins called on the Rajah; one of them seemed very old and the other, much younger; the former claimed to be a skilled physician and the other, an adept in astrology. The king eagerly sought their inputs on his condition. The astrologer said: "your disease is the result of displeasing the gods. How you did it is not important. But he (pointing to his elder companion) will be able to tell you the solution!"
The physician: "Lord Siva needs to be propitiated. Just offer a 'Praathal' (a grand ceremonial feast) to Him at the Vaikom temple. As for medication, drink a liter of water each day before meals!"
The Rajah invited the duo to join him for lunch. "we shall be back after a bath in the river nearby" they said and left the palace - and were never seen again.
Though puzzled by their disappearance, the Rajah had a powerful feeling that the duo was Siva Himself and His son Murugan in disguise. He immediately set aside some gold to fund the Praathal and began the 'water therapy'. Needless to say, within a few weeks, he was completely cured!
At the earliest convenient date, the Rajah and his retinue made a pilgrimage to distant Vaikom (Nilambur to Vaikom is over 200 km), procured a massive amount of groceries and conducted a grand Praathal. After the feast, they packed up the left over foodstuffs and were about to start back when the Rajah suddenly felt the disease flare up in his belly. Scared stiff, he sought the advice of a local astrologer: "The lord says all material bought for the feast has to be used right here. If there is anything left over, conduct another feast tomorrow with it; and if the provisions you now possess prove inadequate, buy more!"
The devout Rajah acted as per the lord's directive. Till the end of his days, he would offer a Praathal at Vaikom every year. His descendents were less enthusiastic. Eventually, the practice stopped - and it is often said by Elders that the Nilambur royal family would not have suffered huge losses, as they did, during the Moplah revolts if only they had not discontinued the annual Praathal at Vaikom.
6. Bambi, the King Elephant:
-----------
'Bambi' - that would be a very odd name indeed for an elephant - at least a non-circus one! Our hero belonged to the Siva temple at Ettumanoor and was a fixture at every festival there. Being the tallest and best-looking tusker in those parts, Bambi was always the one who led any procession at Ettumanoor and was often hired to lead festivals at many nearby temples.
And Bambi's poise during the chaos of festivals was legendary - unruly crowds, the din of the 'melam', loud fireworks, nothing touched his calm and elegant presence. It is said once a rocket fired during a festival-closing pyrotechnic display went 'off course' and came screeching towards Bambi - who simply caught the rogue projectile with his trunk and stamped it out!
One less known fact about Bambi was that he was actually blind - in his youth, some cruel mahouts put out his eyes to cripple him and gain total control over him. But then, Bambi possessed a powerful 'inner eye' and could find his way through any mess anywhere.
Bambi was very particular that a full bunch of bananas be offered to him during every procession he went for. In case this demand wasn't met, he would simply walk away and never return. It is related that once the trustees of the Thirunakkara temple defaulted on the bananas and Bambi abruptly left the place when the festival there was but halfway through, rapidly covered the nearly two dozen kilometer distance to Ettumanoor without his mahouts - and without causing any damage to anything or anyone on the way - and rested only on reaching his own temple.
7. The Damayanti of Sucheendram:
-------------
Once a Nambuthiri brahmin approached the Maharajah of Travancore with a complaint: "I visited the temple at Sucheendram and the chief priest didn't let me see the Damayanti!"
- "Damayanti?"
- "Yes, your highness! In the underground 'nilavara' there is a golden statue of Damayanti, allegedly deposited at the temple by her husband, the legendary king Nala himself. I asked the priest to show it to me and he refused!"
The Rajah had never heard of the statue. His curiosity was aroused. And he was angry that a high-born brahmin was denied even a glimpse of a mere statue. The temple priest was summoned and quizzed.
The priest said: "Your majesty, only those who have complete mastery over their senses can withstand viewing that statue. In the entire history of the temple, only ascended Masters like Vilvamangalth Swamiyar and Sankaracharya have been allowed a darshan of the object. Ordinary men, even brahmins, aren't up to it!"
- "Why?"
- "Your majesty, it is said, the temple will be defiled if eyes of mere mortals see Damayanti!"
The king wasn't convinced. "I am not convinced by what you say. Lead this Nambuthiri into the nilavara and let him see the statue; it is my order!"
The priest had no choice now. He and the Nambuthiri went with an oil lamp into the dark nilavara. The priest kept his eyes fixed on the floor and saw only the feet of the statue. The Nambuthiri came face to face with 'her' and stood utterly dazed for a while. Then he was heard muttering: "Let's get out of here!".
Out in the open, the Nambuthiri had but one thought "I shouldn't have...!". He said "I will go and take a dip in the temple pond" and staggered out.
That very evening, the priest couldn't open the temple doors - they seemed sealed by some mysterious force. All pujas had to be cancelled. An astrologer was summoned and he promptly declared: "the temple has been polluted!" Soon special purifying rites were performed and things got back to normal. As for the nambuthiri, he wasn't seen again!
The Rajah, stunned by whatever happened, ordered that the Damayanti be wrapped up and buried in an unmarked location within the temple enclosure. And so it remains to this day. Nobody knows where she is - and nobody asks to see her!
Note: At the Panachikkatt temple near Kottayam is a subshrine dedicated to a mischievous Yakshi; she uses her seductive powers on men performing extended 'Bhajana' at the temple and causes the holy space to be defiled - as per Sankunni's Aitihyamala.
8. Piravam - Temple vs Church
------
In the town of Piravam, the Visharikkavu temple (dedicated to Durga) and a great church stand cheek by jowl. Hindu-Christian relations here were exemplary from the beginning and both communities used to participate in the festivals of the other with gusto...
In one of those days, Karthika Thirunal, the great Maharajah of Travancore, visited Piravam to have darshan at the Durga temple. He wasn't pleased to see the tall church right next to the temple. "How can a church be allowed to function so near a sacred temple?" he asked indignantly. Soon, the royal soldiers marched towards the church with hammers and pickaxes, intent on pulling it down. The Christians rushed to Karthika Thirunal and appealed for mercy. The benevolent king relented: "Well, dig a deep canal to divide the church compound from the temple sanctuary. That will do for now!"
The episode ended without much damage but interfaith relations began to sour. Within a generation or two the issue of who is the greater power - the Goddess or the God of the Christians - came to a head and once during the temple festival, a bet was declared: If the bronze idol of the goddess, taken for a holy dip in the nearby river to conclude the fest, would float in the water, the christians would deposit the big church bell at the temple and if the idol sank, the Hindus would hand over the conch being blown before every puja.
Durga's power saw to it that the idol actually floated - indeed, it 'swam' across the river! The Christians kept their word and deposited the church bell at the temple. The Hindus, in turn, graciously made an offering of the sacred conch to the church.
For a long time thereafter, the big church bell would toll from the temple before the daily pujas and the conch would be blown announcing the holy mass at the church. Whether the practice has continued to the present day, one doesn't know.
9. The holy Linga of Kuzhikkatt - Siva's dues, again!
-----------------
The Nambuthiri family of 'Kuzhikkatt Illam' were renowned for their prowess in magic and sorcery. At a certain point of time, the Illam came to be gripped by poverty. The then patriarch by name Narayanan was a learned and virtuous man like his forebears but found even ensuring three square meals a day for his family a challenge, however hard he worked.
In despair, Narayanan resolved to go and perform 'Bhajana' at the Trichur Siva (Vadakkunnathan) temple. He went through forty one days of rigorous austerities. One night, he had a vision of the lord. "Go back home tomorrow and cut down the giant Thanni tree in your compound. You will find a sacred Siva Linga among its roots. The Linga is ancient and used to be worshipped by your ancestors. Then the tree grew around the Linga and people lost all knowledge of it. Once the pujas stopped, your Illam fell on bad times. Get everything back to where it was and all will be well!"
The Thanni was felled and the Lingam emerged. A small temple was built around it and the Kuzhikkatt Illam regained its prosperity, never to lose it again.
Once the temple started functioning in their compound, the Kuzhikkatt family resolved not to pursue sorcery as a vocation and turned to more 'Satwik' career paths. However, their Tantrik powers remained intact. Local Elders relate how once when challenged by an inpudent revenue officer, the then patriarch of the Illam got areca trees in his compound to bend down on their own and offer their nuts to the officer - who was addicted to betel paan!
------------
The Rajah of Nilambur was suffering from 'atyagni' - a severe digestive disorder that makes the patient perpetually hungry and consume huge quantities of food, all of which merely - and rapidly - passes through undigested.
People afflicted by atyagni would be severely weakened - and some are even driven to suicide by unbearable hunger. The Rajah consulted the best physician but his efforts could only arrest the progress of the already terrible disease. Although the Rajah's vast wealth ensured a continuous supply of food, the constant eating and severe hunger pangs soon drove him into the direst of straits..
Then one day, two brahmins called on the Rajah; one of them seemed very old and the other, much younger; the former claimed to be a skilled physician and the other, an adept in astrology. The king eagerly sought their inputs on his condition. The astrologer said: "your disease is the result of displeasing the gods. How you did it is not important. But he (pointing to his elder companion) will be able to tell you the solution!"
The physician: "Lord Siva needs to be propitiated. Just offer a 'Praathal' (a grand ceremonial feast) to Him at the Vaikom temple. As for medication, drink a liter of water each day before meals!"
The Rajah invited the duo to join him for lunch. "we shall be back after a bath in the river nearby" they said and left the palace - and were never seen again.
Though puzzled by their disappearance, the Rajah had a powerful feeling that the duo was Siva Himself and His son Murugan in disguise. He immediately set aside some gold to fund the Praathal and began the 'water therapy'. Needless to say, within a few weeks, he was completely cured!
At the earliest convenient date, the Rajah and his retinue made a pilgrimage to distant Vaikom (Nilambur to Vaikom is over 200 km), procured a massive amount of groceries and conducted a grand Praathal. After the feast, they packed up the left over foodstuffs and were about to start back when the Rajah suddenly felt the disease flare up in his belly. Scared stiff, he sought the advice of a local astrologer: "The lord says all material bought for the feast has to be used right here. If there is anything left over, conduct another feast tomorrow with it; and if the provisions you now possess prove inadequate, buy more!"
The devout Rajah acted as per the lord's directive. Till the end of his days, he would offer a Praathal at Vaikom every year. His descendents were less enthusiastic. Eventually, the practice stopped - and it is often said by Elders that the Nilambur royal family would not have suffered huge losses, as they did, during the Moplah revolts if only they had not discontinued the annual Praathal at Vaikom.
6. Bambi, the King Elephant:
-----------
'Bambi' - that would be a very odd name indeed for an elephant - at least a non-circus one! Our hero belonged to the Siva temple at Ettumanoor and was a fixture at every festival there. Being the tallest and best-looking tusker in those parts, Bambi was always the one who led any procession at Ettumanoor and was often hired to lead festivals at many nearby temples.
And Bambi's poise during the chaos of festivals was legendary - unruly crowds, the din of the 'melam', loud fireworks, nothing touched his calm and elegant presence. It is said once a rocket fired during a festival-closing pyrotechnic display went 'off course' and came screeching towards Bambi - who simply caught the rogue projectile with his trunk and stamped it out!
One less known fact about Bambi was that he was actually blind - in his youth, some cruel mahouts put out his eyes to cripple him and gain total control over him. But then, Bambi possessed a powerful 'inner eye' and could find his way through any mess anywhere.
Bambi was very particular that a full bunch of bananas be offered to him during every procession he went for. In case this demand wasn't met, he would simply walk away and never return. It is related that once the trustees of the Thirunakkara temple defaulted on the bananas and Bambi abruptly left the place when the festival there was but halfway through, rapidly covered the nearly two dozen kilometer distance to Ettumanoor without his mahouts - and without causing any damage to anything or anyone on the way - and rested only on reaching his own temple.
7. The Damayanti of Sucheendram:
-------------
Once a Nambuthiri brahmin approached the Maharajah of Travancore with a complaint: "I visited the temple at Sucheendram and the chief priest didn't let me see the Damayanti!"
- "Damayanti?"
- "Yes, your highness! In the underground 'nilavara' there is a golden statue of Damayanti, allegedly deposited at the temple by her husband, the legendary king Nala himself. I asked the priest to show it to me and he refused!"
The Rajah had never heard of the statue. His curiosity was aroused. And he was angry that a high-born brahmin was denied even a glimpse of a mere statue. The temple priest was summoned and quizzed.
The priest said: "Your majesty, only those who have complete mastery over their senses can withstand viewing that statue. In the entire history of the temple, only ascended Masters like Vilvamangalth Swamiyar and Sankaracharya have been allowed a darshan of the object. Ordinary men, even brahmins, aren't up to it!"
- "Why?"
- "Your majesty, it is said, the temple will be defiled if eyes of mere mortals see Damayanti!"
The king wasn't convinced. "I am not convinced by what you say. Lead this Nambuthiri into the nilavara and let him see the statue; it is my order!"
The priest had no choice now. He and the Nambuthiri went with an oil lamp into the dark nilavara. The priest kept his eyes fixed on the floor and saw only the feet of the statue. The Nambuthiri came face to face with 'her' and stood utterly dazed for a while. Then he was heard muttering: "Let's get out of here!".
Out in the open, the Nambuthiri had but one thought "I shouldn't have...!". He said "I will go and take a dip in the temple pond" and staggered out.
That very evening, the priest couldn't open the temple doors - they seemed sealed by some mysterious force. All pujas had to be cancelled. An astrologer was summoned and he promptly declared: "the temple has been polluted!" Soon special purifying rites were performed and things got back to normal. As for the nambuthiri, he wasn't seen again!
The Rajah, stunned by whatever happened, ordered that the Damayanti be wrapped up and buried in an unmarked location within the temple enclosure. And so it remains to this day. Nobody knows where she is - and nobody asks to see her!
Note: At the Panachikkatt temple near Kottayam is a subshrine dedicated to a mischievous Yakshi; she uses her seductive powers on men performing extended 'Bhajana' at the temple and causes the holy space to be defiled - as per Sankunni's Aitihyamala.
8. Piravam - Temple vs Church
------
In the town of Piravam, the Visharikkavu temple (dedicated to Durga) and a great church stand cheek by jowl. Hindu-Christian relations here were exemplary from the beginning and both communities used to participate in the festivals of the other with gusto...
In one of those days, Karthika Thirunal, the great Maharajah of Travancore, visited Piravam to have darshan at the Durga temple. He wasn't pleased to see the tall church right next to the temple. "How can a church be allowed to function so near a sacred temple?" he asked indignantly. Soon, the royal soldiers marched towards the church with hammers and pickaxes, intent on pulling it down. The Christians rushed to Karthika Thirunal and appealed for mercy. The benevolent king relented: "Well, dig a deep canal to divide the church compound from the temple sanctuary. That will do for now!"
The episode ended without much damage but interfaith relations began to sour. Within a generation or two the issue of who is the greater power - the Goddess or the God of the Christians - came to a head and once during the temple festival, a bet was declared: If the bronze idol of the goddess, taken for a holy dip in the nearby river to conclude the fest, would float in the water, the christians would deposit the big church bell at the temple and if the idol sank, the Hindus would hand over the conch being blown before every puja.
Durga's power saw to it that the idol actually floated - indeed, it 'swam' across the river! The Christians kept their word and deposited the church bell at the temple. The Hindus, in turn, graciously made an offering of the sacred conch to the church.
For a long time thereafter, the big church bell would toll from the temple before the daily pujas and the conch would be blown announcing the holy mass at the church. Whether the practice has continued to the present day, one doesn't know.
9. The holy Linga of Kuzhikkatt - Siva's dues, again!
-----------------
The Nambuthiri family of 'Kuzhikkatt Illam' were renowned for their prowess in magic and sorcery. At a certain point of time, the Illam came to be gripped by poverty. The then patriarch by name Narayanan was a learned and virtuous man like his forebears but found even ensuring three square meals a day for his family a challenge, however hard he worked.
In despair, Narayanan resolved to go and perform 'Bhajana' at the Trichur Siva (Vadakkunnathan) temple. He went through forty one days of rigorous austerities. One night, he had a vision of the lord. "Go back home tomorrow and cut down the giant Thanni tree in your compound. You will find a sacred Siva Linga among its roots. The Linga is ancient and used to be worshipped by your ancestors. Then the tree grew around the Linga and people lost all knowledge of it. Once the pujas stopped, your Illam fell on bad times. Get everything back to where it was and all will be well!"
The Thanni was felled and the Lingam emerged. A small temple was built around it and the Kuzhikkatt Illam regained its prosperity, never to lose it again.
Once the temple started functioning in their compound, the Kuzhikkatt family resolved not to pursue sorcery as a vocation and turned to more 'Satwik' career paths. However, their Tantrik powers remained intact. Local Elders relate how once when challenged by an inpudent revenue officer, the then patriarch of the Illam got areca trees in his compound to bend down on their own and offer their nuts to the officer - who was addicted to betel paan!
posted by R.Nandakumar @ 7:46 PM
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