The Malliyoor Sree Maha Ganapathi Temple is the sacred abode of Lord Ganesha worshiped as 'Vaishnava Ganapathi' (the only one of its kind in India as far as I know, except the Kollam Pandakassala Govinda Ganapathi) which now becomes one of the most coveted destinations of lakhs of pilgrims from all over India. The temple is situated at Kurupanthara in Kottayam district between Ettumanoor and Vaikom. The endearing Lord Ganesha, the son of Lord Shiva and Devi Parvathy, enjoys prime place among all the gods in the Hindu pantheon. He is none other than Parabrahma incarnate, the God of Wisdom and Learning, the remover of all Obstacles and is worshipped first, any other god.
The Malliyoor Sree Maha Ganapathy Temple is incomparable in conception of the presiding deity as "Vaishnava Ganapathy", with Sree Krishna seated on the lap of Lord Ganesha. This unique and powerful infusion of the Vaishnava spirit in the Ganesha idol having shaiva spirit, is the supreme achievement of the devoted penance of the much-revered main priest of the temple, Brahmasree Bhagavathahamsam Malliyoor Sankaran Nampoothiri.
The Malliyoor Maha Ganapathy Temple is believed to have come into existence much before the Perumals exercised their sway over the southern peninsula. The pre-Perumal historical records have many references to the importance of this place of worship.
The story goes that a deeply devout and saintly Brahmin brought the idol over here from an unidentified and unspecified pilgrim centre some where in the North, centuries back. The family-deities Anthimahakalan and Yakshi worshipped by the once-powerful administrators of the temple also find a place inside the temple complex. The temple is jointly administrated by two families, the Aryappally mana and Vadakkedam Mana. In course of time the two families were merged to Malliyoor and the Temple when went through a period of misfortune and penury, the Malliyoor family bearing a brunt of it. But they worshipped Lord Ganapathy with unwavering devotion even when the temple was without a root over the sanctum sanctorum and the family having a hand to mouth extensive.
For quite some time in the past there was no structure except the sanctum sanctorum. A thatched shed served as the temple kitchen. But when that was eaten away by the elements, the priest concerned cooked rice in his home kitchen and brought it to the temple for offering. This arrangement too later crumbled along with the priest's own adobe. For about seven years after that, the temple was opened only once in a month to light the lamp and offer cooked rice to the deity.
Once again a small house came up for the priest on a piece of plot donated by Brahmasri Kaithamattom Nampoothiri. Finally, the priestly family managed to have a hand-to-mouth existence, but the temple continued to be in its dilapidated state.
In 1136, Brahmasri Sanakaran Nampoothiri's father passed away. In the following months of his penance and abstinence, the renovation of the temple was taken up under the supervision of 'Uamplakkad' Nampoothiry, as per the architectural specifications of Palakkad Krishna Varier. The sanctum sanctorum thus got a roof. A fairly wide structure came up around the sanctum sanctorum. A kitchen, pantry and a short wall enclosing all these was soon completed. Then the work languished. These frequent interruptions might be indicative of a divine message. Astrologers were called in. It was found that Durga was demanding a place for herself in the temple. So a separate abode was erected for Durga Devi. Propitiatory and other traditional rituals were performed in the following days.
[ Figure above depicts Kollam Pandakassala Govinda Ganapathi, another rare form of Vaishnava Ganapathi, located in the heart of the Kollam city ]
The pious Sankaran Nambpoothiri then prostrated himself at the feet of supreme deity of grace and bounty, Sree Guruvayoorappan. He started to recite the holy text, 'Sree Maha Bhagavatham' in front of Ganesha and offering to his Lord. His intense prayer and the total supplication resulted in the infusion of the spirit of Mahavishnu into the idol of Ganesha.
The deity here is conceptualised as Beeja Ganapathi, the trunk-twisted, right-ward and carries on its tip a lemon, the hands hold an axe, a rope, a horn and a laddu, cradling little Sree Krishna in his lap. The Vaishnava spirit permeates the entire atmosphere. Today thousand of devotees flock to the feet of Vasihnava Ganapthy at Malliyoor seeking eternal salvation form the bonds of Karama and solace from the evils of Kaliyuga.
THE LIFE OF BHAGAVATHAHAMSAM
Sankaran Namboothiri, who devoted his life to rendering and exposition
of Bhagavatham, was born as the first child of Parameswaran Namboothiri
and Arya Antharjanam on February 2, 1921. Once wealthy, his family had
fallen on lean days by the time he was born. Unlike many of his
contemporaries, he was not sent to school, but was trained to take the
spiritual path by his father. However, his spiritual quest was marked by
long years of illness and suffering.
After the ‘Upanayanam' and ‘Samavartham' ceremonies in the traditional
manner, Sankaran Namboothiri helped his father in his poojas for a short
while at the Narasimhaswamy temple at Kurumapuram. He took to serious
Sanskrit studies only after he turned 14. By this time he had lost his
mother and he was plagued by a host of health problems, which affected
his studies.
The turning point came when Sankaran Namboothiri met eminent Sanskrit
scholar Padappa Neelakantan Namboothiri at Guruvayoor and became his
‘shishya.' On the advice of the ‘guru,' he took up rendering of
Bhagavatham in total surrender to Guruvayoorappan. Things started to
turn for the better and Sankaran Namboothiri never left the path shown
by his guru.
His Bhagavatham rendition, known for its lucidity and erudition,
attracted devotees from across the country. He was awarded the title
‘Bhagavathahamsom' by Guruvayoor Bhagavatha Vijnana Samithy after his
successful completion of 2,500 ‘Bhagavatha Sapthaham.' He was bestowed
with ‘Poonthanam Puraskaram' by Akhila Bharatheeya Guruvayoorappan
Bhaktha Samithy.
Sankaran Namboothiri also received the Njananppana Puraskaram from the
Guruvayoor Devaswom and the Bhagavatha Sevaaratna Puraskaram from the
Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam.
He focused his activities in the last few years at the Malliyoor Mahaganapathy temple, the name that became synonymous with him.
