The Lord Sastha Temple at Kulathupuzha near Thenmala in Kollam District
of Kerala is an important shrine visited by Ayyappa devotees especially
during the Mandala-Makaravilaku season. This Shasta shrine is located on
the banks of Kulathu Puzha, a tributary of Kallada River, and is inside the
reserve forest. The deity here is of the manifestation of a small child.
There are two main
deities in this small temple – Lord Shiva and Lord Sastha. Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of Shiva Linga and that of Sastha is a stone image. The shrine also houses an elaborately carved idol of Lord Vishnu. There are also shrines of Lord Ganapathi and Goddess Devi in the compound.
There is an interesting legend regarding the origin of the temple at Kulathupuzha. Once an elderly Brahmin returning from his Rameswaram pilgrimage camped on the Kallada river bank. His servants started the preparation for the evening meal and they looked out for stones to make furnace for cooking.
There is an interesting legend regarding the origin of the temple at Kulathupuzha. Once an elderly Brahmin returning from his Rameswaram pilgrimage camped on the Kallada river bank. His servants started the preparation for the evening meal and they looked out for stones to make furnace for cooking.
They found a fixed stone nearby and brought two stones to create the furnace. But the fixed stone was bigger than the two stones. The servants placed two stones on top of other to adjust the height. Suddenly, the first stone grew a bit taller. The poor servants raised the level of the two stones again but the fixed stone again grew a bit taller. This exercise of adjusting the height continued for a while.
Finally frustrated with the fixed stone, one of the servants hit the fixed stone with another stone. Suddenly blood gushed out of the fixed stone and the scared servants ran and reported the matter to the Brahmin. The Brahmin sprinkled some sacred water which he brought from Rameshwaram on the bleeding stone. Soon, Lord Sastha appeared in the form of a child before the Brahmin and his servants. The local chief who came to know about this incident built a temple for the deity.
Kulathupuzha town is situated on the Thiruvananthapuram - Shenkottai road. Kulathupuzha is 60 km north-east of Thiruvananthapuram and 64 km east of Kollam. It is one of the famous abodes of Lord Sastha in Kerala and is also considered as a sacred destination during the Sabarimala pilgrimage.
