Kanjirangad - At the abode of the Lord of all diseases

Kanjirangad Vaidyanatha temple is located in the district of Kannur at Kanjirangad, in Taliparamba - Aalakode route. Lord Shiva is being worshipped here as Vaidyanathan aka Karaskaresan(The lord of medicine and diseases). Thousands of devotees visit this temple for getting rid of their diseases which are hard to be cured. People pray and do offerings in this temple for relief from their ailments. The lord here is considered similar to the God of Tanjore, Vaitheeswarathappan.

According to legends, this very place was once the abode of Karaskarasura, son of Bhasmasura. Once upon a time, Parasurama was travelling through this forest and Karaskarasura had an encounter with Parasurama. Karaskasura was killed by the end of the battle. Parasurama found out a phenomenal Shivalinga inside a fountain there and asked Narada, who appeared before him at that time, about the origin of the Shivalinga. Narada narrated that when Surya(Sun God) had contracted Leprosy, he was pacified by Garuda. Garuda told Surya that while churning Palazhi aka the ocean of milk, a devastative poison named Kalakooda did surface and Lord Shiva, considering the safety of others, engulfed it. Then he created an Atma Linga, called Vaidyanathan, which itself is one of the manifestations of Lord Shiva. Both Lord Shiva and Devi Parvathi worshipped this Linga for a long time. Shiva was cured of all the ill-effects of the poison.

Shiva gave Surya the Linga and told him to install it in a holy place, away from a graveyard and pray before it, for the immediate cure of his illness. Surya obliged and got complete cure of the disease. The very same idol worshipped by both Lord Shiva and Surya is seen now inside the sanctum sanctorum of Kanjirangad Vaidyanatha Temple.

Thiruvathira and 18th of 'Dhanu' are important festivals of the temple. Women folk gather in huge numbers on these days to worship the Lord. Lord Rajarajeswara of Taliparamaba is believed to bless Kanjirangad temple by his holy presence on these days. All Sundays are considered important for visiting this temple, but Sundays falling on the 6th of the Malayalam month are considered more auspicious for worship. It is believed that Lord Shiva of Kanjirangad possesses the radiance of Surya. Doing 'Surya Namaskaram' in this temple is considered to be special and one could see many devotees performing this act here.

Sun worship, which is said to come from Iran, is now a part and parcel of Hinduism. Surya is worshipped as Surya Narayana by Vaishnavites while Shaivaites worship Surya as Marthanda Bhairava. For Saktheyaites, Surya is none other than Gayatri Devi and they praise Surya with Gayatri Mantra.

Shiva Linga is seen on the third cabin inside the Sanctum Sanctorum, fixed to an elevated pedestal. It is having a height of approximately three feets. The linga is adorned with Vilwa leaves and Thumba garlands. One could also see a golden cresecent, three divine eyes, a nose and also a golden covering on the Linga.

It is believed that the temple tank has three wells full of herbs and a dip in the holy tank would cure of all the diseases.The drinking water served inside the temple should not be boiled as it may lose its herbal properties. There is a 'Kanjiram' (Karaskaram) tree in front of the temple whose leaves are not bitter. It is believed that, Kunthi, mother of Pandavas, did penance here for the victory of her sons in the battle of Kurukshetra. Vayu told the news of their victory in the great war to Kunthi while sitting under this tree. She soon circumvented the tree and blessed it.

Two Theyyam deities are also performed in this temple - Ullattil Bhagavathi and Katakulangara Bhagavathi. These Theyyams are believed to be the watch and ward staff of Sri Karaskaresan. Ullattil Bhagavathi performing her duty while always on move and the other Bhagavathi always sitting stable in her seat.

Mammiyoor - Lord who gave abode to Guruvayoorappa

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.