Thrikkariyoor Mahadeva Temple, Kothamangalam – Legends

Thrikkariyoor Mahadeva Temple, Kothamangalam – Legends

108 Shiva Temples of Kerala:

According to Hindu mythology, Lord Parasurama created the land between Gokarna and Kanyakumari. Parasurama the sixth avatar of Maha Vishnu, he was youngest son of sage Jamadagni and Renuka. It is said that Kerala was reclaimed from the ocean using his axe for donating to Brahmins after killing of King Kartavirya Arjuna and other Kshatriyas. He split this land in to 64 villages (64 gramas). Out of these 64 villages, 32 villages are in between Perumpuzha and Gokarnam and the spoken language was Tulu.

The remaining 32 villages were in Malayalam speaking area between Perumpuzha and Kanyakumari. According legends, after donating the land to Brahmins108 Maha Shiva Lingam and Durga Idols were installed in these 64 villages. These 108 Shiva Temples are mentioned in the Shivala Stotram and song is written in Malayalam language. Of the 108 Siva Temples, 105 temples are situated in Kerala state, 2 temples in Karnataka and 1 in Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu.

Among these temples, the Lord Shiva of Gokarnam Mahabaleswara Temple in the north and Goddess Kumari of Kanyakumari temple in the south were considered as the protectors of Kerala. The first temple created by Parasurama was the Thrissur Vadakkunnathan Temple and the last one was the Thrikkariyoor Mahadeva Temple. This Temple is considered as one of the 108 Shiva Temples created by Lord Parasurama.

Bhootathankettu:

Lord Shiva was pleased by the devotion of the villagers. Bronze grains were grown in the fields due to the blessings of Lord Shiva. Angered, evil spirits (Bhoothathan) planned to submerge the Thrikkariyoor temple by making a dam in the Periyar river and flooding the area. One night, the evil spirits started building the dam. Sensing the danger, Lord Shiva made a rooster sound to indicate the dawn was approaching. The evil spirits got fear of sun light fled the place. Thus, the village got saved from the danger. The dam built by the demons came to be called as Bhootathankettu.