Muthukulam is a typical small backwater village in Alappuzha district with NH 47 on the east and the backwaters to the west is the location of the sacred Pandavarkavu Devi temple. A narrow strip of land comprising Aratupuzha village beyond the backwaters separates Muthukulam from the Arabian Sea. As the name suggests, the story of origin of the temple is related to the Pandavas of the Mahabharata. As the tale goes, the Paandavas, during their Vanavasa stint stayed at this spot for some time. Kunthi Devi, the mother of the Paandavas, laid sown her favorite deity, Goddess Durga, modeled in clay, here for worship. She presented the deity with Kadalippazham (a typical red banana) as Nivedya (offering). Even now, Kadalippazham is Devi's favorite Nivedya. It is probably the only temple in Kerala where deity is installed by Kunthi Devi. Paandava Temples are also included among the 108
Divyadesams praised by 12 Tamil Alvars.
This area, part of the Khandava forest,
as the Paandava's tale goes, had been destroyed by forest fire, but the idol withstood all that and when the area was once more populated, men found the deity and
built a temple for Durga worship. The idol of clay was covered with copper.
Five temples in central Travancore
region of Kerala, the famous Thrichitattu, Thiruppuliyoor, Thiruvaranmula,
Thiruvanvandoor and Thrikkodithanam are collectively called Paandava
Temples. I already scribbled about Thrichitattu and Thiruvaranmula temple in some of my elsewhere posts. To worship at all these
five temples on the same day starting from Paandavar Kavu Devi Temple is considered highly meritorious.
After Nirmaalyam (first worship of the day) at Paandavar Kavu Devi
temple in the early morning, devotees must visit Thrichitat Temple and then Thiruppuliyoor, followed by
Thiruvaranmula, Thiruvanvandoor and finally Thrikkodithanam temple. After visiting all these temples devotees has to return to Paandavar Kavu Devi Temple and offer Kadalippazham as Nivedyam to Goddess Durga which ends the worship. In olden days, devotees had to go by foot and only a few could complete the worship successfully and be blessed by Pandavarkavu devi. The sub deities of the temple are Ganapathi, Sastha, Khandakarnan (deity who has the power to cure small pox), Brahmarakshassu, Nagaraja, Nagayakshi, Maninagam and Yakshi.
The temple is run by the Travancore Devaswom Board and the pooja rites are for the Kizhakke Pullamvazhi illam. The festive season in Paandavar Kavu Temple begins with Pooyam in the Malayalam month of Kumbham. Pooram Aaraattu on the 4th day is an important event of the festival. It took place in Karunamuttam temple pond (a nearby Shiva temple). Utsavam ends with Thiru Aarattu in the above said temple pond on the tenth day late night.
