Legends and History of Koodalmanikyam Temple,Kerala,India.

Koodalmanikyam Temple is a temple located in Irinjalakuda, a small town in Trishur district, in the state of Kerala , India. This is my native place.This is a  place that is truly close to my heart.
India is an amazing country with populations belonging to diverse ethnicities . The Indian Census of 1961, had recognised over 1652 different languages in India. However, only around 150 languages have a sizable speaking population.  The language of Kerala , a state that marks the southern tip of India is called “ Malayalam”. Why mention this state in particular ?Well the temple I am discussing about  in this blog is “Koodalmanikyam Temple” and this is located in Kerala.
Koodalmanikyam Temple :

The main idol of the temple is ‘Bharatha’ ,the brother of Lord Sri Rama. In fact this is the only temple in India dedicated to Bharatha.The main diety is also Considered as MahaVishnu (Sangameshwara).

Legends on how the temple was named “Koodalmanikyam”.
The word “ Koodalmanikyam” is a malayalam translation of the Sanskrit word “Sangameswara”.
Legend 1:
There is a folklore about how the name of this temple originated.It is said that one day the Idol emitted a magnificent bright light from it’s forehead. Unable to find the source and cause of brightness some brought a Quartz ( Manikyam in malayalam) that belonged to the King of Kayamkulam for comparison .
As they were comparing the brightness of the Quartz to the one being emitted by the idol, it is said that the precious quartz mysteriously slipped from the hands of the person holding it and merged with the brightness emitted from the idol. Merging of the two manikyams led to the name Koodalmanikyam ( where ‘koodal’ means merge and ‘manikyam’ means precious stone/ quartz).
Similar brightness is said to have appeared from the idol in 1907.
Well, these are not just stories my grandmother said that her grandfather ( my great great grandfather) Chakkenchath Ravunni Menon , who was an advocate back then in the 19th Century had seen this incident happen (1907). When I asked more about it she said “He was in the court when this incident happened, that’s when people told him about the magnificent brightness  (translated as Jyothi in Malayalam and Sanskrit )emitted from within the Idol in the Temple. That is when he along with his colleagues went to the Temple and saw the Jyothi”.
Legend 2:
There was once a Brahmin in Thaliparambu who decided to collect Chaithanya (Sanctity) from idols from important temples in Kerala in order to transfer the collective Chaithanya into Lord Mahadeva Idol in Thaliparambu Temple.
This he did by entering the sanctum sanctorum of the temple and collecting the Sanctity( Chaithanya) from the idols onto the conch in his possession.
When he did the same in Irinjalakuda he accidently fell down and the conch was broken immediately transferring the Chaithanyas ( Divinity)that he had aquired from all the idols of gods into the Idol at Irinjalakuda.
Thus the Idol of Koodalmanikyam Temple at Irinjalakuda in which the divinity ( Chaithanyas) of several gods merged came to be known as Sangameshwara from then on( Sangam is a sanskrit word which means merge and Ishwara means God Almighty).

Legend 3:
Irinjalakuda, it is believed is on the confluence of two rivers – the Kurumali and Chalakudi and since this temple is at the confluence, (“Iru Chaal Koodal”) it is known as Koodalmanikyam Temple.
 History of the temple:
• It was believed that thousands of years ago the whole place of Irinjalakuda was a dense forest .
• A great sage named Kulipini Maharshi decided to perform an incessant yagna in order to please lord Vishnu with a simple request that his eternal presence in this land is warranted.
• Pleased by Kulipini Maharshi’s intensity and sincerity in his devotion Lord Vishnu appeared before him and the other rishis and granted them their wish.
•He blessed the whole land since all they wanted was his eternal presence at the place.
• Kulipini Maharshi and other Rishis then prayed to Goddess Ganga to bless the sacred Yagabhoomi where the Yagna was performed.
• The Kulipini Theertham/ Kulipini Theertha kullam ( the name of the pond outside the temple) is believed to be sacred as it is considered a blessing from Goddess Ganga.

“Homa” is a Sanskrit word that means and refers to a votive ritual and homakundam is where the the offerings are made.Fire is the main element in the homakundam into which the offerings such as milk, ghee, seeds and grains are made.Homa is an important part of most Hindu rituals even today.
The temple wasn’t immediately built after this incident mentioned above. The place was uninhabited for many years.
The story mentioned below explains how the temple is said to have come into existence:
“Once a local Chieftain, Vakkay Kaimal, had a dream one night in which some mysterious person appeared before him and told him that four idols have been washed ashore and that these idols are to be consecrated at such and such places. Kaimal being an ardent devotee hastened to the sea shore there lay four idols as indicated in the dream.
They were duly consecrated in four temples as directed in the dream. Rama at Thriprayar (22 Km North west of Irinjalakuda) Bharata at Irinjalakuda, Lakshmana at Moozhikulam (30 KM south west of Irinjalakuda) and Satrugna at Payammal (5 KM south of Irinjalakuda).
It is believed that worship at all these four temples on the same day is especially meritorious. Ardent devotees used to make it even in those far off days when they had to cover the entire distance by foot or in bullock carts. It has become very easy now- a-days”.
Earliest Historical References of the Temple:
Stone Inscriptions of Koodalmanikyam Temple attributed to Chera king Stanu Ravi Varman dated to 854 A.D, were the earliest historical references found of the temple.
The Temple was in the domain of Maharaja of Cochin, but the administration was under a person designated as Thachudaya Kaimal appointed by the Maharaja of Travancore.
In 1971, the Government of Kerala, through a special order, took over the administration of the Temple. A Committee appointed from time to time by the Government of Kerala now manages the Temple.
Interesting facts about the temple :

• “Tamara Mala” is the important ritual offering in the temple.”Tamara Mala ” is a malayalam term where tamara refers to Lotus and Mala means garland . Devotees offer Lotus garlands to god for his blessings.
• There are special people assigned to make these “Tamara mala”.It is said that god had blessed devotees who had helped him back then with a boon that they will be able to serve him even during Kaliyuga. Hence , from then on it has become a tradition that only people belonging to the blessed devotees family lineage make the lotus garlands and not anyone else.The interesting fact is that for some unexplained reason Tulsi seeds don’t sprout within the confines of the Temple except in the houses of these honourable families( Thulsi leaves are used to make the Lotus garlands for god).
• It is said that there is the invisible presence of Hanuman in Thidappally ( Kitchen).
• In the Malayalam month of Karkidakam (July 15th to August 15th) – the Ramayana Masa, thousands of devotees do this special pilgrimge, which is popularly known as “Nalambalam Tthozhal” in Malayalam which means a pilgrimage to the four temples”.

Temple Festival( Called as Utsavam)
The main reason I felt like writing this blog is because of all the beautiful pictures of the temple festivities that mom sent me during her visit to Kerala.

I remember when I was young, Utsavam was a time when I met all my cousins. All the relatives staying in different parts of the country come home  to attend the temple festival.
There are so many rituals and traditions that one can see during a temple visit especially if the visit is during the festival ( Utsavam) .
The Temple on it’s usual days ( days without any festivities)is heaven- “a symbol of tranquility”.I love the serene and blissful environment of the Temple.
However, during Utsavam, the temple is crowded.I personally don’t enjoy crowded places much but when I look at these pictures that Mom sent me I do see a beauty in the crowd enjoying the festivities.
Well, my personal favourite part of Utsavam is Shiveli ( this was an exception since this was a crowd I enjoyed) and Kathakali.

Shiveli is the ceremonial ritual scheduled everday during Utsavam in the noon .The whole Shiveli ceremony is repeated at night as well but with a different name . It is called Velakku.
There are a total of 17 elephants that participate in Shiveli and Velakku.

My second favourite part of Utsavam is Kathakali.To watch the kathakali Performances we used wake up as early as 3:30 am and go to the temple , as the kathakali artists perform throughout the night until 5:30-6 am morning. Hence by the time we reach the temple, finish our darshan  and go the auditorium we usually find the artists  already performing.

Pattabhishekam: On the 8th day of the Celebrations Kathakali Artists perform their final major act and that is “Sri Rama Pattabhishekam”- a Sanskrit word that means “Coronation Ceremony Of Lord Sri Rama”.
According to Hindu Mythology,
Dasharatha ,King of Ayodhya and a descendant from the Ikshvaku dynasty( also known as Suryavamsha or Raghuvamsha) had three wives Kausalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra.
Lord Sri Rama ( Son of Kausalya) returned to his kingdom after 14 years of Exile(Vanavasam)along with his wife Sita and Lakshmana( Son of Sumitra).
The story has it that it was Kaikeyi who had banished Sri Rama to forest for 14 years as she wanted her son to take the throne.Instead what actually happened was that Bharatha (Son of Kaikeyi) ruled the Kindgom in the name of Sri Rama instead of taking the throne himself by placing a pair of wooden sandals ( Padukka)on the throne and eagerly waited 14 years for his brother’s return since he loved Sri Rama dearly.
The Kathakali act “Sri Rama Pattabhishekam” depicts the happiness of Bharatha who is eagerly waiting in the Kingdom to welcome Sri Rama, Sita and Lakshmana and the celebrations upon their arrival.
This whole story is  so beautifully portrayed by the Kathakali artists.Each one enacting their respective roles with utmost excellence that at times I actually forgot that it’s a play/ dance -drama.
Being history enthusiasts, my husband and me, we appreciate and put an extra effort in understanding the beauty of Temple Architecture, culture, traditions , history, ancient languages , myths and legends of every place we visit .
There is no doubt that India is an amazing country rich in it’s history. Legends and mythology  of every place has it’s own beauty. Travel not just to have fun but also to learn more about the place, people, culture and traditions.
I am so excited about this blog and I really hope you enjoyed reading it as well!!!
Will get back with more such blogs soon.Happy Reading and Have a great day ahead!!!
Aswathi Ashok.