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Mankada
Kootil Sivakshethram
Melethrikkovil
Temple
Narasimhamoorthy
Temple
Palakkottu
Sivakshetram
Ramapuram Sreerama
Kshetram
Thekkineadath
Temple
Thiruvazhiyode
Bhagavathy Kshethram
Thiruvazhiyode
Vayilya Kunnilappan
Vadakkiniedam
Temple
Angadipuram
Tali Temple
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Thiruvazhiyode
Vayilya Kunnilappan
The
Deity here was installed by Vararuchi about 1500years ago. This is a small
temple and must have been renovated a few times. It is standing on a hill
and by the side of this temple there is a temple for Thirumandhamkunnu
Bhagavathi.
King
Vikramadithya once asked Vararuchi as to which passage in Ramayana is
the best. He replied that the advice given by Urmila to her husband Laxmanan
was the best. It is reproduced below.
"Consider Rama as if he were your father, Seetha as your mother and
the forest as Ayodhya."
He received a number of presents from Vikramadithya . He also had a premonition
that he will marry a Paraya girl and that he could also identify his future
wife in a child. He picked up the child, put her in a boat and floated
her in a river. He then came to south to avoid the girl.
One day, many years later, Vararuchi, during one of his travels, went
into a poor Brahmin’s house for food. When Vararuchi set some preconditions
(in code language) for taking food there, a girl from inside assured that
all the conditions will be met.
Impressed by the intelligence of the girl who could understand the complicated
conditions he had put forth and the perfect arrangements she made for
him, he was attracted to her and married her. Vararuchi soon realised
that the girl he married was the same paraya girl, he wanted to avoid
marrying and was sent afloat in the river, and that none can change the
course of fate. It was a Brahmin lady who saved her from Bharatha Puzha
at Thrithala, and brought up as a Bhramin.
Thereupon Vararuchi proclaimed ex-communication for himself from the Brahmin
community and along with his wife, started on a pilgrimage. During Vararuchi's
travels along the Nila river, (Bharathapuzha) his wife gave birth to
12 children. Each time she delivered a child, he asked her if the baby
had a mouth. If she said yes, he would say, "God will feed it if it has
a mouth", and would ask her to leave the child there.
Grieved by these, when the 12th child was born, she lied and reported
that the baby did not have a mouth, upon which he permitted her to take
the child along. But when she was about to breast-feed it, she found that
the baby actually did not have a mouth.Vararuchi
then deified the child on a hill, which is called "Vaayilyakkunnilappan"
(Hill Lord without mouth), at Thiruvazhiyode near Kadampazhipuram (in
the present Palakkad district). The children left out in the forest were
subsequently found, adopted and raised by families belonging to different
communities, recognised one another as they grew up, and used to get together
at the Illam (residence) of the eldest son, Mezhathol Agnihothri,every
year on their father Vararuchi's death anniversary (Sraadham).
According to legend, these 12 sons were: Mezhathol Agnihothri (Brahmin),
Paakkanaar (Parayan), Rajakan (Washerman), Naaraanathu Bhraanthan (Elayathu),
Kaarakkal Maatha (high caste Nair), Akavoor Chaathan (Vysyan), Vaduthala
Nair (Nair soldier), Vallon (Thiruvalluvar) , Uppukottan (Mlecha), Paananaar
(Paanan), Perumthachan (Carpenter ,who built a no of temples), Vaayillaakkunnilappan
(deity).
Some of these twelve families still exist in the southern part of Palakkad
district (Shornur, Pattambi and Thrithaala areas). Recently, on November
30, 1997, most of them met in Vemanchery Mana, the Illam (residence) of
Mezhathol Agnihothri, near Thrithaala. (Source: Namboothiri Website)
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Copyright 2002
MCK Raja
For suggestions contact
MC Kunhunni Raja of Mankada Covilakam at
kunhunni@yahoo.com
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