Peruvanam - Bowing before the omnipotent percussion maestro

Periyavanam, later turned into Peruvanam, is considered as one of the most famous villages among the league of 32 well-known villages(Gramams) of Kerala with Sasthas(Ayyappa temples) guarding the four cardinal boundaries of the village and having Peruvanam Shiva temple, surrounded by umpteen banyan trees, on its centre. The Peruvanam Mahadeva temple(located at cherppu, 12 Kms away from Trichur city) is one of the biggest Shiva temples in the district of Trichur.

Erattayappan, the presiding deity of Peruvanam temple, is considered as the village deity along with Thiruvullakkavu Sastha. It is one of the rare temples where Lord Shiva faces west. The main attraction of the temple is the unique idol of Lord Shiva. Here we can see two Shivalingas on the same pedestal and hence called as Erattayappan(Eratta refers to two of the same kind). The Siva is considered to be in the Uma-Maheswara Bhava and the linga is swayambhoo(manifested by its own). The Sanctum Sanctorum is noted for its intricate carvings. Vattezhuthu and Malayalam inscriptions have been engraved on the walls of the temple.

On the south side of the shrine of Erattayappan there is another tall shrine of Madathilappan facing west. He is also considered as Lord Shiva. The shrine, which is three-tired, is simply magnificent and is the tallest of the shrines(21m high) that you see in any other temple in Kerala. Shiva linga is having a whopping six feet height with proportionate diameter. The legend related to Madathilappan is that Puru Maharshi once made a supplication to Shiva and God gave him a Shiva linga. The saint was forbidden to keep it on the ground. Unfortunately, he kept it on the branch of a banyan tree before going for his daily prayers at evening. On his return, he found that Shiva linga got attached to that branch. So he constructed a shrine there in the height of that banyan tree in such a way that it encloses the divine Linga.

Behind the idol of Erattayappan, Parvathi's daru(wood) idol is also enshrined facing east. The sub deities of the temple are Saint Puru, Mahaganapathi, Raktheswari, Manikanta and Gosala Krishna. The main offerings at peruvanam are chathussatham(a typical payasam made of four things such as coconut, jaggery, rice and banana), shankhabhishekam, dhara, sathabhishekam etc.

This is an ancient temple of archeological value that dates back to the 12th century. Spread over an area of 6 acres, the temple was built in Kerala style of architecture. It is a rare temple that comes under both Travancore and Cochin Devaswom Boards. The temple is governed by Cochin Devaswom Board while the Ucha pooja(pooja at noon) is done under the surveillance of Travancore Devaswom Board. The murals and other paintings that glorify the walls of the Sree Kovils were done by Samoothiri as the temple was under his guardianship for a short span of time during one of his periodical conquests to the Cochin province. Samoothiri had also done the renovation of the temple at that time. The Nalambalam, built in wood, is decorated by a million oil lamps. These lamps are lit during festive occasions. The octagonal shikhara on top blends with the gabled roof, furnishing a magnificent appearance. The temple doesnot either have a flagstaff or a festival of its own.

The Peruvanam Mahadeva temple premises host the world famous Peruvanam Pooram. This annual festival is a one-day celebration. This is not actually the festival of Peruvanam temple. In the evening, elephant processions, from the neighboring temples, reach the Mahadeva temple and pays tribute to Lord Shiva followed by the displays of thirty decorated elephants. In olden days festival had lasted for 28 days and 108 deities will come during that time to offer their salutations to Peruvanathappan. Peruvanam is the homeland of many renowned traditional percussion artists such as Peruvanam Kuttan Marar, Peruvanam Appu Marar etc. The Panchari Melam of the instrumentalists, before their Lord of lords, submitting their exceptional fabulous skills by vibrating a variety of drums in a multitude of uncanny tones sequentially orchestrated, creating a high-voltage atmosphere drenched with scintillating symphony as it progresses to crescendo, is literally a heart-pounding experience to watch.