Mammiyoor Siva temple is located nearly half a kilometer north-west of famous Guruvayoor Sri Krishna Temple. It is one of the biggest Siva temples in Trichur district. The principal deity of the temple is Lord Siva who is served affectionately by his spouse Parvathy. She is consecrated at the back of the main Sanctum sanctorum. Lord Vishnu is also worshipped in this temple. It is one of the famous 108 Shiva temples established by Lord Parasurama.
According to legends, Lord Mammiyoorappa gave part of his land to Sri Guruvayoorappa. We all know that the idol of Lord Guruvayoorappa, made of a peculiar stone called 'Patalanjanam'(black Bismuth), was originally worshipped by Lord Krishna in Dwaraka. Lord Krishna is considered as the supreme incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It is believed that the idol represents Lord Vishnu in all aspects. The idol is in the standing pose with four arms carrying the shanku (conch), the chakra (discus), the gada (mace) and padma (lotus). The idol was installed in its current location by Brihaspathi (Guru of demi-gods) and carried there by Vayu ( Wind God) and hence the town got it’s name Guruvayur. Towards the end of his human incarnation, Lord Krishna instructed his minister Uddhava to take the idol away from Dwaraka and to consecrate it in a suitable place since Dwaraka was about to submerge in the Sea.
Uddhava sought the help of Brihaspati for the installation of the idol. Brihaspathi (Guru) along with Vayu (the God of wind), set out in search of a sacred place. They met Lord Parasurama (an earlier incarnation of Lord Vishnu) while traveling through Kerala and he led them by the side of a beautiful lake, filled completely with Lotus flowers. Lord Shiva, who was doing penance there, told Guru and Vayu(aka Pavana) to install the idol at a spot near the lake and blessed that the site will thenceforth be known as 'Gurupavanapuram'.
Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi left for Mammiyur which was on the opposite lakeside. The present pond called 'Rudratheertha' is only a miniature of the original lake. When devotees go round the Sri Krishna temple, from a certain spot they look in the direction of the Mammiyur Mahadeva temple and pray to Lord Shiva. A trip to Guruvayur is said to be incomplete without praying to Lord Siva at Mammiyur.
Some says that Mammiyoor Mahadeva was the family deity of Punnathoor Swaroopam, who reigned Guruvayoor in the past, with Mammiyoor as their capital which was later shifted to Kottappadi.
The sub-deities of the temple are Ganapathi, Muruga, Ayyappa, Bhagavathi, Rakshassu and Naga(Serpent God). Tantric rights of the temple are vested with Chennas Namboodiris. Shiva Ratri is considered auspicious along with Ashtami Rohini in this temple. In the olden days temple was governed by 72 Brahmin families. Later Samoothiri grabbed power to manage the temple and is now being governed by a committee.
