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Legend of Raja Mandhata

Raja Mandhata was a scion of Surya Vamsam, the dynasty of Sri Rama of The Ramayana. After a successful reign, he renounced the throne of Ayodhya and started roaming Bharathvarsha (India) as a Sanyasin (wandering monk). His travels took him South of the Vindhya mountains to Kerala, the land of the Malayalees. He reached a deep forest full of wild animals and thick vegetation. Legend has it that in those forests, all the animals lived in perfect peace.

Naturally the ruler-turned-monk was attracted by the beauty of the place. To Mandhata Maharshi the place appeared divine. The symphony of the sweet chirping of birds, the musical rustling of tree leaves in a light breeze, the tintinnabulation of a miniature water-fall, where a stream with crystal clear water tumbled over uneven rocks, all made him love the place. He climbed a small hillock in the middle of the verdant scene and settled there to do Tapas--a rigorous penance intended to burn away the sins--thus enhancing the divinity of the place.

After several years of this Tapas, Lord Shiva appeared in front of Mandhata and asked Mandhata Maharshi what his wish was. Note that the years of penance had given Mandhata the title of Maharshi – or Great Ascetic. Mandhata said he wanted nothing. However, he said, if the Lord wanted to give him anything at all, then what he wanted was the best Shivalingam of the world to worship daily. Shiva replied, flustered, "The best Shivalingam is with Parvathi (Durga), how can I give it to you?" But Mandhata Maharshi insisted that he wanted nothing else.

One of Shiva’s traits is that he is incapable of refusing a devotee anything. So, without the knowledge of Parvathi, he gave the same Linga to Mandhata Maharishi. With extreme devotion, the Maharshi installed the lingam on the hill.

The next morning, Shri Parvathi found the Lingam missing. Shiva said he had handed it over to a devotee and couldn’t take it back. However, he permitted Parvathi to repossess it if she could. Parvathi immediately ordered Bhadrakali to go and retrieve the Lingam. Bhadrakali, a fierce avatar of Parvathi, led her Bhoothagan (Ghost Soldiers) to Angadipuram and tried to persuade the Maharshi to return the Lingam. When she failed, she decided to use force. The soldiers rained arrows on the Maharshi. When the Maharshi's disciples retaliated by throwing some wild fruit(Aattanga) at the Bhoothagan, each fruit seemed to be Shivalinga and thus they ran away.

Bhadrakali took matters into her own hands and tried to physically snatch the Lingam. The Maharshi held on to it tightly, and in the tug-of-war, the Lingam split into two.

At this point, the Divine Trinity of Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva appeared in front of Mandhata Maharshi and blessed him. The broken Shivalinga can still be seen at the Angadipuram Temple. The legend of the battle between Bhadrakali and Mandhata continues with a ritual re-enactment of the battle in mid-October on the first day of the Malayalam month Tulam(November). Two groups take their stances, one at the top and the other at the bottom of the temple hillock to throw fruits (Attanga) at each other.  

After the Maharshi took Samadhi and passed away, the place remained neglected for a long time, the area returning to thick jungle.

Long after these events, some forest dwellers were passing through the same area. One of them began sharpening his knife on a stone there and a few drops of blood oozed out of it. The group immediately ran to the King of Valluvanad (the area that Angadipuram fell into) and informed him about this mystic incident. The King, with his assistants, immediately rushed to the spot and on investigation by those skilled in such matters, he found that Devi's (Durga) presence existed in the place.

The King arranged for daily puja at the spot, entrusting this work to two Brahmin families--Panthalakode and Kattilamittam. When the temple (Thirumandham kunnu – The hill of the Holy Mandhata) was erected later, these two families were made the Thanthris of the Temple – which meant they had the powers to decide about the pujas and the ways of worship.

Copyright 2002
MCK Raja

For suggestions contact MC Kunhunni Raja of Mankada Covilakam at
kunhunni@yahoo.com