Thirukachamkurissi Mahavishnu temple, an ancient place of worship, is situated at the foot of the Anamalai range of the Western Ghats, at the village of Payyalur, edging the township of Kollengode (3 km from Kollengode main bazaar), in Palakkad district. The place name ‘Payyalur’ has its origins in the Dravidian words ‘Py’(green), ‘Ayal’ (surroundings), and ‘Ur’ (land) – land of the green surroundings. Centuries earlier, before the woods and trees had receded, this shrine was situated, deep within the midst of whispering forests, in a land referred to in legend as ‘Gnanaranyam’- the Forest of Understanding. Historically, for many centuries, Thirukachamkurissi temple was under the custodianship of the Vengunad Rajas of Kollengode, along with the orthodox Nambudiri families of Cherampotta Mana and Cherukunnam Mana of Thrissur.
The deity of Thirukachamkurissi is ‘Chaturbahu’ Mahavishnu, holding Shankhu, Chakra, Gada and Padma. He is seen, seated on the coils of Serpant Anantha, in a majestic posture, akin to Sri Rama at his Pattabhishekham. Thus, devotees are known to have approached him over the centuries, both as Lord Mahavishnu and also as Sri Rama.
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The idol is Daaru Vigraham, made of wood (though wooden idols exist in the temples of Kerala, they are rare, the majority of images being of stone and metal). On the same pedestal as the deity, visible to the viewer only through reflective mirrors, are the images of Sridevi and Bhoodevi, consorts of Vishnu. There is also a smaller deity within the sanctorum, which is the ‘Abhishekha Murthy’, as well as a metal ‘Utsava Murthy’ which is taken out in procession thrice a day during the Sribali.
It is believed, that when Lord Parasurama threw his axe in an arc across the seas and created Kerala, he also cleaved the great Western Ghats with the same axe, dividing and sweeping them from left to right into two ranges the Thenmala and the Vademala. Geographically known as the Palakkad Gap, this place, in myths and legends, has been referred to as Vidharanabhoomi (the land that was split as under).
The sanctum sanctorum is circular and is two-storeyed and is also having a pyramidal Namaskara mandapam both of which are clear evidences of the age of the temple. Long, long ago, attracted by the serenity and breath-taking beauty of the hills and forests of these high ranges, Sage Kashyapa chose to meditate here atop Govindamala. Kashyapa was an ardent devotee of Vishnu, and as a result of his penance, the Lord is said to have appeared before him. Kashyapa’s desire was that Narayana would remain with him always in the calm and idyllic surroundings of this land. The idol of Mahavishnu at Thirukachamkurissi is said to have been consecrated by Sage Kashyapa himself. Through association with sage Kashyapa, did this temple become known as Kachamkurissi, as derived from Kashyapan-Kurissi (the Hill of Kashyapa). At the steep and precipitous hillock of Govindamala, where Kashyapa did penance, a mountain spring magically bubbles up with force and vigour when pilgrims chant ‘Govinda! Govinda!’
It was to this place of worship that Dharma Varman, a prince, from what is now central Kerala, came in search of a cure for a debilitating ailment. It is said that the dying Dharma Varman after undergoing many days of ritual penance at this temple, returned to his kingdom, completely cured. In the legends of this region, Dharma Varman’s story has both the easy rhythm of a ballad, and the complex richness of tapestry. Woven in its warp is the intense and burning faith of a prince whose life could so easily have ended in tragedy. Entwined in its weft, is the compassionate and welcoming hand of none other than the Lord Kachamkurissi Perumal.
Thirukachamkurissi’s association with the Soma Yaga goes back to that age in history, when the Rajas of Vengunad, based at Kollengode, by custom, had the sole right to symbolically grant permission for the yaga to commence, by gifting the mystic somalata (the moon-plant) to the yaagis. This ritual of gifting somalata as a signal for the commencement of the yaaga has been conducted over the centuries, from within the temple of Thirukachamkurissi, and continues to take place whenever a Soma yaga is conducted.
The existence of the soma plant and its variants has defined the patterns of Aryan migration to the South of India. Soma Yagis, or Soma worshippers, chose to settle in those places where variations or surrogates of this plant grew and thrived. William Logan, in his 19th century chronicle named Malabar Manual, refers to the ancient chieftainship of Vengunad having been the site of early Namboothiri settlements. These arya-brahmin settlers must then, have surely come in search of the somalata, the moonplant creeper that grew in the Anamalai range of the Western Ghats, the foothills of which the temple is located.
Thus, over the ages, Thirukachamkurissi Maha Vishnu Temple has played a crucial, pivotal and axial role in an ancient ritual that remains essential to Vedic spiritual practices in Kerala, a ritual so powerful and selfless, that the combined chanting of the Vedic metres has actually brought forth the rain. The Thirukachamkurissi temple is also famous for very rare mural paintings like the one shown below which depicts Hanuman.
