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AnjanaAshok

Solace for the Soul – Kizhur Shiva Temple

The silence of the surroundings and the loneliness of the scene create a mystique feeling. The road is accompaniedon either side by vast green paddy fields. Slightly further, you pass a playground in the middle of the field and for amoment the vibes of the joy of the children playing, resonates with the frequency of the nostalgia that has entwinedyou. The sounds of their carefree laughter and the splashing of mud under their feet are slightly muffled by thehowling winds that are announcing the arrival of a nice downpour. The sky is transforming into a dim grey, patch bypatch over the spotlessly green fields. The children are now excited, anticipating the rain.

You are onthe roadthat cuts offfrom thePayyoli-Perambraroad and itwill lead youto the evermajesticKizhur SreeMahaKshetram,the abode ofthe Lord ofthe land, thesavior ofhumankind,the mighty,all-knowingKizhur

Vaathilkappavar. Essentially Lord Siva in one of his rarest moods, Vaathilkappavar is deeply rooted in the history,geography, philosophy and in the daily life of Kizhur. Love and reverence for the Lord is instilled in the hearts of everysingle person and He rules over them, powerfully attracting them to Himself. The joy and sorrow of the people are allassociated with Him.

Oldest references to the temple dates back to the 18 th century Logan’s Malabar manual. The documents describe the

Kizhur Shiva Temple

temple to be legendary and thus the origin of the temple can be safely dated to a much earlier time. The story of thetemple goes thus. In Kizhur, lived a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva of the Muchukunnu temple. Out of love for theLord, he used to walk over ten kilometers everyday from Kizhur to Muchukunnu and used to have his breakfast onlyafter his visit to the temple. The routine continued for as long as the devotee grew so old that he couldn’t make it tothe temple. Also the flooded river on the way made his journey impossible. He cried out to the Lord from his home.And such was the effect of his devotion that a fire appeared on the wooden pillar in the central room of his house.

A coconutclimbernoticed thefire.Astrologersconcludedthat the firewas noneother thanThe GreatLord Shiva,and that Hehad come atthe call thisdevoteewho reveredHim withsuch willand piety. Incourse oftime, atemple wasbuilt on thesame spot,and the jointstructure ofthe sanctumsanctoram and Namaskaramandapa, which is a speciality, stands for the belief that a dwelling place was convertedinto a place of worship. The idol of the temple is phenomenal in many ways. It is the fire on the pillar that representsthe Lord and we worship the wooden pillar called Manithoonu. Later this was replaced by a wooden idol calledDaruprathishta. This sets the temple apart. Idols of wood are a rarity, and at the same time are exceptionally powerful.Thus a direct view of the idol is disallowed. On entering within the Naalambala from the west of the temple, we areallowed a darshan only through a corner on the northern side. There are several Upadevathas, Ganapathi, Ayyappa,Devi, Adithyan and Vettakkorumakan.

The temple stands magnificently on about two acres of land. The archway called the Kavaadam has an extremelyhandsome Lord Shiva meditating in a perfect Padmasana. On entering, one finds two stately Mandapas that proudlyaccompany the main temple. These are called the Padippura and Pattupura and are used for their own purposes.Then, there is a long hall called the agrasala, which is built in the traditional Keralite style, and act as the office,meeting place and the kitchen. The temple has a huge pond, beautiful, that is a deep green. The Poovedithara is alsoa part of the temple, and is situated in Kizhur town, like a proud welcome to the land of the Vaathilkappavar.

The annual festival, Utsavam is celebrated with religious as well as social fervor. All sections of the society join hands.The Utsava is declared on the 25 th date of the Thulam month of the Malayalam year (which falls in November). It

begins with the Nellalavu from the Padippura and Vettilakettuveppu from the Kovilakam, where the permission toconduct the Utsavam is sought with due respect. Then there is the Ilaneerkodukkal, or offering of tender coconutwater to those devotees who are taking strict religious fasting for the Utsavam. The Kodiyettam or flag hoisting for thefestival takes place exactly after a month, on the 25th of Vrishchika month (December). All rights to the temple ritualstraditionally lies with the Tharananellur family.The festival is six days long, and is marked by special Pujas and stagingof traditional Keralite dance and music forms in the Padippura of the temple. There is also an exclusive ritual calledThengerum-Pattum, where twelve thousand coconuts are offered to the Lord, shattering them with traditional folksongs in the background.

On the sixth night, the Lord comes out to the town to meet His people. He comes to the Poovedithara, riding on anelaborately ornamented elephant, amidst the exultations and admirations of the devotees. Poovedithara is an elegantsquare pyramidal structure. On reaching, Lord dismounts the elephant and sits on top of the Poovedithara to watchthe special fireworks that will begin as soon as He has arrived. He is pleased with the celebrations and returns to takea bath at the nearby Kannankulam. After the bath, He returns to the temple, and the Kodiyirangal or unflagging isdone. This announces the ending of the Utsava. It is an extremely refreshing experience, to be part of the Utsavam.The colours, sounds and smells of celebration blend with those of devotion and the presence of the All powerful canbe strongly felt.

The entire land waits until next year, looking forward with hope for the next Utsavam. Kizhur temple is one of thelegendary landmarks of Northern Malabar. Apart from the historic and social significance, the staggering beauty of thelandscape and above everything, the charisma and power of the Lord pulls anyone towards Kizhur.