Perunna Subrahmanya Swami temple, located at the heart of Changanassery, in Kottayam district, is more than 1200 years old and is the one and only Lord Muruga Temple where Lord Muruga idol is portrayed as holding his divine spear (Vel) upside down and is believed that Lord Muruga is in a disposition in which he had just killed Tharakasura. Lord Muruga is worshipped here as Devasenapathi (the supreme commander of the army of Devas, the demi-gods). The deity is thus seen in a furious mood and is one of the rare temples where Lord Muruga is worshipped in such a form.
Changanassery was one of the five (some say, ten) capitals of Thekkumkoor kings and they built a palace in Puzhavathu. The 'kulappura maalika (bath house of the royals), still exists in the same name, to the north of the Puzhavathu Bhagavathy Temple. At the time of the last king of Thekkumkoor, western parts of Changanaseri i.e., Vazhappally and Puzhavath (originally called Pizhavath), but excluding Perunnai were mostly owned by the Nampoothiri family of Changazhimattam which was a relic of the Pathillathu system. Not only was Changazhimattam Potti a powerful landlord, but he was also a close friend of the last Raja of Thekkumkoor. The ten Pathillathu Nampoothiris, Chengazhimattam, Kainikkara, Eravimangalam, Kunnithidasserry, Athrasserry, Kolencherry, Kizhangazhuthu, Kannancherry, Kizhakumbhagam and Thalavana. These local Pathillathu Brahmins probably controlled or dominated the political scene south of Kottayam, covering a huge area under Vazhappally temple. The inscription called Vazhappally Cheppedu was found from Thalavana Illam.
When the temple was opened to all Hindus, as per the Temple Entry Proclamation of His Highness Sri Chithira Thirunal Balaramavarma, Mahatma Gandhi visited the temple as it is the first one of its kind and followed by which, a grand meeting was held on the East gate of the temple.
According to lores, some 500 years back, there was a village called Umbizhi, near Perunna. This village, like Perunna, was a Brahmin settlement. Although both the villages where similar, Perunna Brahmins were more ascetics and perform only good deeds and hence called as 'satwiks' (those who do not practice Atharva veda) but Umbizhis performed some unholiestic deeds as they practice atharva veda. Perunna brahmins were devotees of Lord Shiva and had a small but powerful Lord Shiva temple (Keezhkulangara Mahadeva temple on the east nada of perunna temple) for their worship. As their peace and prosperity increased day by day because of the blessings of Lord Shiva, it made Umbizhi Brahmins more jealous and they started performing some evilish tantric practices against Perunna brahmins. They also attacked the Keezhkulangara temple and destroyed the temple complex but, fortunately, Perunna Brahmins were able to save the idol.
Perunna brahmins and other hindus were shocked by this incident and a person from Idamana Illam, a nampoothiri illam from Perunna Padinjattumbhagam, started a pilgrimage seeking the remedy for their problems. He had traveled all the way to Pazhani (the famous Lord Muruga Temple in Pazhani) in Tamil nadu, stayed there in the temple and started a special worship in seek of a solution. After some weeks he had a vision of Lord Muruga of Palani in which the Lord advised the Nampoothiri to go to Kodunthura river which is now in the Pathanamathitta District, and search for an idol hidden in the river which was once worshipped by great sages. Idamana nampoothiri came back to Kerala and he went to Kodunthura and took out the idol from the river.
On the day of consecration itself villagers of umbizhi smelled their defeat. They have done a very rare evilish ritual and send a very powerful deity to destroy the Perunna Temple. When Idamana nampoothiri heard about this, he started walking toward east in the direction of umbizhi illam, and on the way found a very bright ball of fire (deity disguised as a fire ball) coming toward their direction. His companion, a nair, sacrificed himself to the deity and Idamana nampoothiri suddenly performed some counter rituals which made him able to control the deity. He consecrated it and the place later became famous as Maranathu Kavu Temple at NSS Head Quarters, the former Ezhanthi Illam (Maranam refers to the demoness deity, in some version of the story it is called as 'Krithika' and hence the name Maranathu kavu).
Eventually, Umbizhi Villagers were totaly destroyed and the place where the said village was situated became a dense forest. Upto about 55 years back, Perunna Subrahmaniya Swami's Aarattu, at the time of festival, was performed at this place. Later the Govt. of Kerala took control over that place and handed over to Indian Railways and is now where the Changanassery Railway Station is situated. The main festival occurring in the Malayalam month of Makaram (January-February) on the Pooyam day around Pournami (Full Moon) is celebrated as Thaipooyam. Lord Muruga destroyed Tharakasura on the Pooyam day in the Tamil month of Thai and hence Thaipooyam is celebrated in all Murugan temples. Generally, people take a vow to offer the Lord a Kavadi and is called as the Thaipooyakavadi.
Lord Mahaganapathi, Lord Ayyappan, Lord Krishna, etc. are the sub-deities worshipped in this temple. Like Harippad and Ulloor Muruga temples, peacocks are domesticated in Perunna temple too. 'Panchamrutham' offered at Perunna temple is truly delicious and is considered highly sacred by the devotees.
Perunna Inscription (Perunna Sasanam by the King Kulasekhara) is engraved on the west nada of the Lord Muruga temple and is in Vattezhuthu lipi, which was drafted on the 10 th centaury. This shows the details of temple history and was written on the date AD 753.
The mural paintings on the wall of the sanctum sanctorum are simply awesome. The sequence begins with Lord Brahma trying to arouse the emotion of Kama in Lord Siva. He requests Kamadeva (Kama, god of love and sex, is visualized as sitting in a chariot drawn by parrots), to aim Kama baana (five arrows with tips having five flowers like Chembaka, Chootha etc.) at Lord Shiva.
Panels also portrays Lord Shiva tests Devi Parvathi. Lord Shiva disguised as an old man, asks how the tender jeweled-hands of Parvathi can clasp the one of Shiva with twined serpents. These sort of tainting her beloved, annoys Parvathi. Brahma wanted to create Lord Subrahmaniya as the child of Shiva and Parvathi, the objective of which is Soorasamharam (to vanquish demon Soora). The portrayal of the birth of six babies in six lotuses, having 108 petals each, of Saravana Poika (pond) is highly delicate. Devi Parvathi perceive all of them as her children and embraces them together and six children became one with six heads (Shan-mugha). The panels of Siva learning the meaning of Omkara from Lord Muruga as an obedient pupil (Lord Muruga as Swaminatha) and in turn Shiva presenting him the trident (vel) are catchy ones. Elaborately embodied Girija Kalyanam (marriage of girija or Parvathi who is assumed as the daughter of himavan (also called as giri which means hillock and hence the name girija) is quite marvelous and thus the mural paintings of Perunna Subrahmanya Swami temples are exquisite and a visual treat in all means.
NB:- In another version of the story of Maranathukavil devi, the rivals were Pezhanthel Bhattathiri of eastern village and Kumaramangalam Namboothiri of western village. Pezhanthel Bhattathiri sent a demoness deity called 'Krithika' to kill Kumaramangalam Namboothiri, but he appeased the deity with powerful rituals and deity inturn destroyed the eastern village and the house of Pezhanthel Bhattathiri who fled by this time to save himself from the deity. The deity sat at the Thulasi thara in front of the house of Pezhanthel Bhattathiri after destroying his house and is the place where Maranathukavil devi is still worshipped. In this version of lore, it was not Nair who sacrificed his life, but a person called Perumthrikovil Sankara warrier, who was the companion of Kumaramangalam Namboothiri and he offered his blood to deity. No sooner had the deity drank warrier's blood and became pleased with Namboothiri than Warrier fell dead.
No comments:
Post a Comment