The visit of Parvathi and Shiva to Agasthya’s home on the southern bank of the Pamba River is significant. It is believed that Parvathi got her first menstruation during this visit, marking the onset of her menarche. The fundamental foundations of the temple are thus anchored in this divine event, raising the celebration of a girl’s journey into womanhood to a key celebration.
Intriguingly, the temple’s annual celebration, “Thriputharattu,” centres upon Goddess Parvathi Devi’s menstruation.. This festival begins when the goddess’s vestment, the “enapudava,” exhibits indications of menstruation. Once the temple priests spot these telltale symptoms, they carry the precious robes to the wise matriarchs of Thazhamon Madom, Sabarimala’s spiritual leaders’ residence. In this scenario, the matriarch’s sharp awareness is crucial in establishing the menstrual flow. Upon confirmation, the temple authorities close the goddess’s sanctuary sanctorum, signalling the start of the Thriputharattu celebration. Goddess Devi is moved from her sacred chamber to the “thriputhu room,” nestled quietly in the nalambalam’s corner. The celebration unfolds like a religious story, a coordinated symphony of devotion and tradition. During these four days, the temple’s head priest addresses his prayers to Lord Shiva, while a Sabarimala-appointed priest performs rituals honouring the goddess. During the festival, two women, regarded as “thozhi” or assistants, stand vigil before the goddess’s room, symbolizing women’s significant role in this sacred dance. Women from the Pattaru community present the exquisite dance form of “thiruvathira” within the naalambalam on the festival’s third day, seeking the goddess’ divine blessings. The grand finale takes place in the early morning hours of the fourth day. Goddess Devi’s statue goes on a sacred journey, carried aloft by an elephant and escorted by elephants, hordes of women, priests, and devoted men, leading to Mithrapuzha Kadavu, a sacred location one kilometre away on the banks of the Pamba River. The “aarattu,” or purifying ceremony, will take place here. After the ceremony, Goddess Devi returns to the temple, and a procession unlike any other begins. Lord Shiva emerges from the temple on an elephant to meet Devi. They encircle the temple three times, signifying the sacred union. As the magnificent procession concludes, Shiva enters the shrine through the eastern portal, followed by Devi through the western portal. Until 2012, believers could take home the vesture with the clear marks of Thriputhu, believing it would bring them prosperity. However, astrologers’ judgment won and urged the swift destruction of these sacred robes after the madom’s matriarch verified menstruation. The menstrual rituals at Chengannur Temple remain a curious amalgam of the ages, customs, and mysticism. While raising controversy and debate, these traditions are an ongoing witness to the temple’s rich past, challenging assumptions and inspiring research into the nexus of faith, tradition, and the divine feminine. K Rajaram IRS 3624 4624 On Mon, 3 Jun 2024 at 21:00, 'gopala krishnan' via Thatha_Patty < [email protected]> wrote: > CHENGANNUR MAHADEVA TEMPLE > > COMPILED AND FORWARDED > > Dear friends, > > My late mother was an ardent devotee of Chengannur Devi. Though Siva > temple, importance is for Devi in the temple. Chengannur is about 12 KM > north of Pandalam in the MC Road. The temple is about 1 KM from Bus stand. > So mostly we availed Taxi to visit the temple. Even in my college days, my > mother was specific to go to Chengannur temple once a month. She used to > get some sort of relaxation after visiting the temple and worship Devi. > > Whenever I visit native or on important occasions, I used to visit the > temple with my family and relations in home. > > The temple is actually on top of a very small hill. So from MC road, the > way to temple is steep. Hence taxi is most preferred. Nowadays auto also > ply. > > Normal Entrance is through west nada. > > The speciality with the temple is the Devi here is having occasional > menses, nowadays. I have heard it was monthly menses at one time. > > I have compiled the information from different sources. The temple website > is copyright. So only one can read from there. > > Gopalakrishnan 4-6-24 > > 1 Chengannur Mahadeva Temple- Introduction > > Affiliation Hinduism > > District Alappuzha > > Deity Mahadeva (Shiva) > > Bhagavati (Bhadrakali, Kannaki, or Parvati) > > Festivals Varshikotsav (yearly festival) > > Shivaratri, Chitrapournami, > > Special- Thripputhu > > Architecture Dravidian architecture Kerala architecture > > Creator Perumthachan > > Chengannur Mahadeva Temple (also called Bhagavathy Temple) is a prominent > Hindu temple, dedicated to Shiva and located in the town of Chengannur in > the South Indian state of Kerala. The temple is one of the major Shiva > temples in Kerala, along with the Ettumanoor Mahadevar Temple, Kaduthruthy > Mahadeva Temple, Vaikom Temple, Ernakulam Shiva Temple and Vadakkunnathan > Temple > > There are shrines for Ganesha, Dakshinamurti, Subrahmanya, Shasta, > Krishna, Nilagriva, Sthalisha, Hanuman, Ganga, and serpent deities inside > and outside the temple complex. > > > > The temple is considered one of the major Bhadrakali temples in Kerala. > > The temple celebrates a rare menstruation festival for Bhadrakali, called > Thripputhu (Malayalam: തൃപ്പൂത്ത്), during which the temple is closed for > three days for the irregular menstruation of the deity. > > There are five daily pujas done in the temple, three sribalies for Shiva > and three for Bhadrakali. Tantric worship is led by a member of the > Thazhamon Madom family. The yearly festival (vaarshika ulsavam) is > celebrated from December to January and lasts 28 days. The temple is > administered by the Travancore Devaswom Board. > > 2.Legend > > As per Hindu legend, Bhadrakali is considered the goddess of Kerala and > protector of the masses. It is believed that Parvati, the consort of Shiva, > came here after marrying him in the Himalayas. Sage Agastya, who could not > witness Shiva and Parvati's sacred marriage, was visited by the pair > afterwards. Since Parvati was menstruating, she waited for 28 days to give > darshan to the sage. > > 3 Architecture > > The temple is located in the heart of Chengannur, very close to the Pamba > River. The town is considered one of the 32 Namputiri town in Kerala, and > Mahadeva (Shiva) is believed to be the god of the town. The presiding deity > Mahadeva in the form of a lingam faces east, while the image of his consort > Bhadrakali is located behind it facing west. The temple is approached > through a temple tower, built in Kerala style, and by passing a golden > flagstaff, both of which are axial to the central shrine. There are shrines > around the temple in the second precinct for Shasta and Nilagriva, while an > image of Ganesha is seen in the first precinct. > > The image of Bhadrakali is made of panchaloha, an alloy of five metals. It > is believed that Perumachuten brought the image to the temple. > > The temple is built in Kerala-style architecture, which is common in all > temples in the South Indian state of Kerala. The temple has a two-storeyed > gopuram or gateway tower, with the upper storey having wooden rails > covering the kottupura (a hall of drum beating during festivals). A > rectangular wall called the kshetra-madilluka, pierced by gateways, > encloses all of the temple's shrines. The metal-plated flagstaff or > dvajasthambam is located axial to the temple tower leading to the central > sanctum, and there is a deepastambha, which is a lamp post. The > chuttambalam is the outer pavilion within the temple walls. > > The central shrine and the associated hall are located in a rectangular > structure called nalambalam. Between the entrance of the nalambalam and the > sanctum, there is a raised square platform called a namaskara mandapa which > has a pyramidal roof. Thevrapura, the kitchen used to cook offerings to the > deity is located on the left of the namaskara mandapa from the entrance. > Balithara is an altar used for making ritualistic offerings to demigods and > the festive deities. The central shrine called the sri-kovil houses the > image of the presiding deity. It is on an elevated platform with a single > door reached through a flight of five steps. Both sides of the doors have > images of guardian deities called Dvarapalakas. The sanctum is circular. > Both Lord Siva and Devi are housed in the same sanctum, separated in > middle, with a door. Through this door, the priest comes to both deities. > > As per Kerala rituals, only the main priest called Thantri and the second > priest called Melshanthi can enter the sri-kovil. > > The central shrine has a circular plan with a base of granite, > superstructure of laterite and conical roof made of terracotta tile > supported from inside by a wooden structure. The roof projects in two > levels to protect the inner structure from heavy rains during monsoon > seasons. The roof of the temple and some of the pillars have lavish wood > and stucco carvings depicting various stories of ancient epics, the > Ramayana and Mahabharata. > > 4 Festival and worship practises > > There are five daily pujas done in the temple, three serialise for Shiva > and three for Bhadrakali. Tantric worship is done by a member of the > Thazhamon family. The temple celebrates a rare menstruation festival for > Bhadrakali, called Thripputhu, during which the temple is closed for three > days during the irregular menstruation of the deity. The appearance of a > stain in the white garment is considered an aspect of devotion. > > As per accounts of the temple officials, in modern times, the feature is > observed once in three or four months, while it was regularly observed > during the olden times. The ceremony usually resembles the puberty ceremony > of high class girls in Kerala. The sanctum is closed during the three > days and opened after a purification ceremony is performed during the > fourth day. > > 5 Thiruppooth Arattu > > Thiruppooth Aratt is a festival celebrated in the temple at least thrice > a year when the festival images of Mahadeva and Bhadrakali are taken in a > procession on decorated elephants to the Pamba River. A holy dip, called > arat is offered to the images and the decorated images are taken back to > the temple. Women devotees carry traditional thalappoli lamps during the > procession. The procession is accompanied by a temple orchestra and > panchavadyam. The major festivals in the temple are flag hoisting on the > Thiruvathirai month of Dhanu and Aaraattu during the Thiruvathirai month of > Makaram. The yearly festival is celebrated from December to January and > lasts 28 days. > > 6 Chengannur Mahadeva Temple (Addition) > > This temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathy, is believed to > have been built by the legendary traditional architecture and sculpture > Perunthachan over 1,500 years ago. Thriputharattu is the main festival of > this temple. It is associated with the menstruation of Goddess Parvathy. > The four-day unique festival is celebrated when the sign of menstruation is > seen on the vesture of the Goddess. > > The temple has stunning Mandapams (pavilions) and a mesmerizing > mukhamandapam (frontage of the sanctum), covered with exquisite woodwork. > > Another peculiarity of the temple is that the idol of the Goddess here is > made with an alloy of five metals (Panchaloham). Chengannur Mahadeva Temple > is situated near Chengannur Railway Station in Alappuzha district, Kerala. > > 7Legends( Addition) > > There are many legends about the consecration of the Goddess here. > According to Devipuanam, it is connected with the Yaga performed by > Daksha, the father of Sathy Devi. Though Daksha invited everybody else he > left out his daughter and her husband Lord Siva. Devi wanted to attend the > Yaga. Siva warned her that she would be humiliated there. Still, she went > there. The father not only ignored her but also spoke ill about Lord Siva. > Enraged by this Sathy Devi immolated herself in the sacrificial fire. > Hearing about it Siva sent Veerabhadra to destroy the clan of Daksha. Then > Siva rushed to the Yaga and started dancing vigorously with the body of > Sathy in his hands. Seeing the sorrow of Siva, Vishnu sent his Sudarsana > Chakra and cut the body of the Devi into several parts. *The Arakettu > (loins) is believed to have fallen where the Chenganoor temple stands > today.* > > According to Aithihyamala, a famous book of legends, Vishnu, Brahma, all > the Devas, Gandharvas, Sages and Gods went to the Himalayas to attend the > wedding of Siva and Parvathy. *Then Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara > requested Sage Agasthya to sit on Shronadri on the southern bank of the > Pamba River in order to prevent the earth from sinking to the northern side > due the weight of all those assembled on the Himalayas*. > > Though Agasthya agreed to do it, he was disappointed at not being able to > witness the wedding. So, Siva and Parvathy appeared before him immediately > after the wedding. The Devi started having her menstrual period at that > time and stayed there till the period was over. The place where Agasthya > stayed, Shronadri in Sanskrit became Chenkunnu in Malayalam and later it > came to be Chenganoor. > > According to the Silapathikaram, Kannaki who is believed to be an > incarnation of Sathi Devi, killed Pandya Raja, the King of Madurai who had > killed her husband. Then she came to Chenganoor and meditated on top of the > hill. Her husband Kovalan appeared before her and the two of them ascended > to heaven. The people who had seen the Devi meditating there built a temple > at the spot with the help of their king, Cheran Senkuttuvan. This monarch > is believed to have brought a piece of stone from the Himalayas, carved the > image of the Goddess and consecrated her there. > > 8 Sanctum (addition) > > Chengannur Mahadevar Temple is one of the oldest and famous temple, > situated in Allappuzha dist. (Kerala). It is a sprawling temple complex > with a circular Sanctum. Lord Shiva and Parvathi Devi are the main > investitures of this temple. Differing from other temples, there are two > deities are with in the same sanctum in this temple. Lord Shiva facing > East and Devi facing west. The main shrine is a conical copper plated one. > Devi’s main Idol is made with an alloy of five metals (PANCHALOHAM). The > Shivalingam, is covered with a gold plate bearing an image of > Ardhanareeswara - or the Shiva-Shakti manifestation of Shiva. > > The other sub-investitures of the temple are Ganapathi, Shasta (Lord > Ayyappan), Chandikeswaran, Neelagrivan, Ganga, and Naagar. There is also a > shrine of SreeKrishna nearby. > > 9 Temple fire and reconstruction > > The temple was constructed centuries back in accordance with an > architectural design evolved by the famous Perunthachan. > > In the 18th Century the temple complex was damaged by fire and renovated > later by Vanghipuzha Thampuran except the KUTHAMBALAM (Performance Hall). > > This could not be restored to its original position as it had been > designed and constructed by Perunthachan. The structure of the Kuthambalam > originally constructed by Perunthachan was in such a manner that the shadow > of the performer would not fall on the stage if all the lamps were lit on > each of the post of the Kuthambalam. > > The mukhamandapam in front of the temple and other mandapams in this > temple are full of exquisite woodwork. > > 10 TRIPUTHARATTU > > Compared to other temples, this temple has a peculiarity of its own, quiet > distinct from other temples. The interesting belief and festival of this > Temple is TRIPUTHARATTU which is considered as a symbol of fertility. > This festival is connected with a menstruation ceremony, which is observed > periodically in the temple. That is why this temple is also considered as > Shakthi Peedam > > 11 Legends of the Temple(Western nata sathyam) > > During very old days, a person telling truth or not was tested at Western > gate. On the wall there is a hole. One has to insert his hand and tell > the truth. If the person was telling truth, nothing happened. If he was > telling lie, a cobra inside will bite his hand. > > > > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Thatha_Patty" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/2035544476.892897.1717466441634%40mail.yahoo.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/2035544476.892897.1717466441634%40mail.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CAL5XZoppKTxPW%3Dg1h8msqQA8q0kOiXsGdZc90sXk%2Bx1joeTivg%40mail.gmail.com.
