Mayapiran Perumal Temple, Puliyur, Alappuzha – Legends

Mayapiran Perumal Temple, Puliyur, Alappuzha – Legends

Mayapiran:

In days of yore, the region was under the rule of one Vrushadharbi, son of Emperor Sibhi. He was suffering from a severe disease due to some curse. His kingdom also came under severe drought and famine. During this crucial time, Saptha Rishis paid a visit to the place and called on the king. He told the Rishis that he would offer them Dhan (donation) only if they help eliminating the dangers before the kingdom and himself personally. The Rishis grew furious and told the king that they would be committing a sin if they received alms from him and went away.

Yet, the king sent gold and fruits through his ministers to them which they refused to accept. The angry king organized a yajna and sent an evil angel to kill the Rishis. They prayed to Perumal for protection. Lord sent Indira in the form of tiger (Puli in Tamil) and killed the evil spirit. This place is named Thirupuliyur after this event. Rishis said that Perumal alone is real and everything else in the world is but illusion – Maya. Lord thus came to be known as Mayapiran.

Built by Bheema:

It is one of the five ancient shrines in the Chengannur area of Kerala, connected with the legend of Mahabharata. Legend has it that the Pandava princes, after crowning Parikshit as king of Hastinapura left on a pilgrimage. On arriving on the banks of river Pamba, each one is believed to have installed a tutelary image of Krishna; Thrichittatt Maha Vishnu Temple by Yudhishthira, Puliyur Mahavishnu Temple by Bheema, Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple by Arjuna, Thiruvanvandoor Mahavishnu Temple by Nakula and Thrikodithanam Mahavishnu Temple by Sahadeva. It is said that this Sthalam is constructed and built by Bhima, one of the Pancha Pandavas. 

Temple for Duryodhana:

At Malanad near Kollam there is a temple dedicated to Duryodhana of the Kauravas of Mahabharata. A local community known as Kuravas offers worship at the Duryodhana temple. It is widely believed by the Kuravas that harm would befall them if they spent a night at Thirupuliyur housing the temple established by Bheema.

Brahma Rakshas:

There is a Brahma Rakshas worshipped at this temple.  It seems that once a Brahmin priest along with several Brahmins were killed in the sanctum sanctorum of this temple by a ruling family called Varayanna family. It seems some of the Brahmins went and hugged the Shiva idol but they were also killed. This incident is supposed to have happened in the end of 4^th century AD. Because of this the temple was not maintained properly for another 200 years.

Then the patrons of the temple did all rituals necessary to remove the effect of the sin committed inside this temple. The Brahma Rakshas represents the Brahmin who was killed, when he was hugging the idol. These rituals were done by the Saamiyar Madam of Thrissur (Adhi Sankara is supposed to have established this madam).  Some rights of the temple were also given to the chief of the Saamiyar Madam.

Food Offerings:

The food offerings made at the Thirupuliyur temple are vast in magnitude. At least 400 measures of rice are used in the preparation of special offerings, acknowledging the hearty appetite associated with Bheema the builder of the temple.

Puliyur:

This area was a huge forest in the past and hence it was called Puliyur (Puli means Tiger).