kirAtharUpinI durgA katampuzhA bhagavathI(My trip to Kerala)--Part-1

[Guest guest]

Dear All,

I had certain family affairs to attend to in Kerala and also went on certain piligrimage and tAntrIka purpose.

 

 

(The temple is down down below in a cave,this is the entrance atop the small gorge which takes to kAtampuzhA Bhagavathy)

A scene in the temple-town of katapuzhA...

 

The steps lead down to the bhagavathI in a gorge cave formation which has been now converted to a temple.The devi is believed to be present in dhyAna form(human form) inside a small hole(aperture) below the garbhagrihA and the hole is covered with a leaf as per customs.

(Recent political controversy:

There was predictable chaos when Janasakti, a Marxist dissident publication, reported that the wife and son of the state's Communist Home Minister, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had performed the Shatrusamhaara puja at Kadampuzha temple. In the divided house that is the Kerala CPI(M), it didn't take long for conspiracy theories to surface. At first, the minister tried to wash his hands off, saying it was a deliberate attempt to blacken the Red Flag in Kerala. But when things turned worse, a desperate Balakrishnan played the ultimate atheist card. He said he had not even performed the last rites of his mother. As home minister, he then exercised his option to ask the state crime branch to unearth the conspiracy against him.

For now, the fratricidal Kerala CPI(M) has rallied around the minister. Its explanation: Kodiyeri Balakris-hnan, in whose name the puja was performed on August 6 last year was not the powerful state home minister but a lowly high school teacher who went by the same name. No, say temple authorities. "I am absolutely certain that the people I received at the temple were the minister's wife and other members of his family accompanied by a circle inspector and personal staff," says Vijayakumar, member of the Kadampuzha Temple Trustee Board.Marxists, of course, can be atheists in public and believers in private.It matters little to the ordinary Keralite if the Marxist he voted for was a closet believer. What galls him is the subterfuge)

katampuzhA bhagavathI was one of the deities we had seen.Most powerful,most curative,most puissant in delivering results instantly for those with faith.Many go there for shatru-samhArA or for putrabhAgyA or for getting some obstacle in their work or life removed.

katampuzhA, a remote village in Malappuram District in Kerala(in erstwhile South Malabar) has now become a famous centre for bhagavathI worshippers.

I had a divine message to visit this temple while in Kerala.So, visited the punykshetrA.

 

(GuruvAyUr temple front view...We had the goodfortune/luck due our looks,vasheekarana or physical appearance(we don't know) to take even a video(all this is banned mind you.)But obviously due to me being a privacy-seeker,cannot come out with the video here.)

I was drinking the hot rose coloured water placed before me in a GuruvAyUr hotel.(In kerala many hotels especially of the guruvAyur-thrissUr-AlampuzhA region have this rose-coloured hot water served with food,instead of ordinary water.The rose colour is due to Dahasamini(also called sahyAdri dAhasamini--the word is actually from the samskruthA word "dAhashamanI" which means "thirst quencher") they use karangali root/bark and rAmAcham(vettiver) a medicinal plan't bark which is powdered and added as a pinch to the boiled water to remove the tastelessness of boiled water and also act as a medicinal ingredient.Not even the Malayalis there know these facts except a few old-timers).

As I was drinking a few gulps of the rose brown-coloured water,I had one voice call me, "Come my child to kAtanpuzhA" I never heard that name before and suddenly asked my wife about this place and she inturn asked my father-in-law and DANG! next day we were in an autorickshaw dozing our way to katanpuzhA from guruvAyUr!Now, such experiences to others might be miraculous but I have become accustomed to it right fromvery young age and it is as if I have a cellphone conversation with ethereal sources that such things happen often.

 

 

 

 

 

katanpuzhA Bhagavathy--the vigrahA is really small and is placed nearby a small hole which covered with a hibiscus silver leaf(more on this next part)

It is a very ancient temple and the devI here is kirAtharUpini(forest-hunter-woman form) durgA(something similar to vanadurgA).

1974 ashtamangala prasnA(devaprasnA form) conducted by eminent astrologers for the temple revealed that this temple was really ancient and the current form of the temple was built roughly in first temple century A.D.

Consequently, pUjAs are performed as per the kirAtharUpinI durgA form.No kerala style-drumming(kerala melam),music,festivals or for that matter even ornamental gates or "Gopuras" exist for the temple.The worship is over by sunset and the temple is closed as bhagavathI comes to that place in human form and meditates during the night and thus, She is not to be disturbed by human intervention during that time.Some smart alecks who tried to see Her in the temple after sunset, promptly lost their lives in the attempt.

The rush of the temple is very great during Tuesdays and Fridays and the first days of every such malayAli month and nowadays even on Sundays and other government holidays.Many sabarI devotees come to see the temple during mandalA season.

Seeing the deity during Tuesday was mostly a big ordeal for us,that too with the mandalA devotees.But miraculously,I alone had a very fast darshanam..I will coem to that later,but no such luck for my poor wife,who had to stand in the queue with coconuts for the Muttarackal pUjA.(She stood for a massive 4.5 hours!! but still she engaged her mind chanting lalithA SahasranAmA over and over again).

Both of us were dressed typical Kerala style attire and looked like real Kerala actors from Mollywood.She having her roots in Kerala, adjusted fairly well to the white-kerala style pattu coloured saree and with her hairbun left with a nAgajadA behind and srIgandha on her forehead.Since she has an uncanny resemblance to kAvya MAdhavan actress many thought she was some actress from Mollywood and some even mistook her for kAvya!Manyold ladies sitting took special interest in her and asked if she was married!(Huh?!!)

Well, I had no such Bollywood or Kollywood or Tollywood luck.But I managed to grab the attention of all with the ever-slipping Mundu and neriAthu and adjusting the same and cut a sorry figure before my father-in-law who was hiding his smirks all the while.

Well, jokes apart; the stand i temple queue proved to be unbearable, the coconuts were washed by my wife and she carried it but then unfortunately the temple was closed in the afternoon and she had to wait in a marathon queue to get o the muttaracukal pUjA.

I was cursing the rose-coloured-dahasamani water as I was standing in a queue for males.(My father-in-law being old and having some body complaints, did not participate in all of this affair and stood outside waiting for us!).I thought, "Maybe they put some kerala vashya mAntreekam to attract customers in the hotel, else what the HECK am I doing here in this stupid queue in this hot sun or hours together.Somehow I doubted my own vision/voice.*Whatever*!!

As I was engaged in such thoughts my Neriathu slipped and fell in the dirty slushy waters of the queue-up area.Whattheheellllll....I thought.The beautiful Gold zaried border now had a characterisitic dark brown stain.Maybe Devi was asking me to behave or maybe blessing me to like the kirAtharUpA! The thought of admonishment from devi was not tasteful so I stuck with the later blessing part which I had fantasized and lifted the cloth with a smile.I spoke in malayAlam to one devotee to release my ennui and lo-behold! He was gujarAthi! and knew not ven a speck of English too! With his Gujarathi Hindi we spoke to relieve the combined ennui.I asked him what is a Gujarathi doing in such a remote place and that too in a state like Kerala where the only language you see all around is Malayalam? He had his stories of miracles and how he chanced upon this deity when in guruvAyur enthralled me to no end.It was most heartening to note that people from other states do come to Kerala and pay their respects to the deities here.

Let me whirr back the scene to Thrissur station a bit like a deft Cine-camera man panning the camera for a flashback!:

We had landed in the station.The station was really neat and tidy.They have a no-smoking policy in stations in Kerala.I felt once happy that India had made a big stride in cleanliness and sense.

While waiting for the taxi,I saw one woman coming to me in white saree(This was early morning) and telling me something,"Vaa mone'!!"(Come my child)...I had jerked out of my sleep...."Oh a hallucination! I guess!" maybe too much of sleepless night in the jerky train and some tasteless insipid chAyA luckily provided by my wife from a flask was making me burp these dreams.

But the voice which becokned me over the hot rose water was the same voice.So, this time I had no doubt...

I also thought, Oh..oh...I have a past birth connection with this place.I already had known from lot of spiritual people and nAdi jOshiyA that I have been connected to keralAm in past births.Infact, both myself and my mother have been connected.

So, I prayed to bhagavathI."Amma! Please save me from this long long winding queue my feet is blistered with stones and walking long distances in guruvAyUr yesterday.I will post one posting about you and the temple online in my group.My small deal with you...Is it a deal Amma? Deaal yaa no deaaal?" I was musing thus humourously with Amme' BhagavathI.

Suddenly, from nowhere my wife called me.She cut her queue(She was afterall Kavya Madhavan KuttyaAllo? so naturally people would keep her place,while she can majestically come outbut if I come out of my queue, Gujju before me seemed to call all his kith and kin in that place.) and signalled me from a distance.My father-in-law had arranged by talking with one Devaswom board member to coem out of the queue as I had no coconut, see the deity fast and go! Wow! Amme' I love you, I love You, I love you...I will post one posting about you for sure....It will run into 2 parts...I said.

Adjusting my darkbrown stained Neriathu and lifting the Mundu aka Mallu hero ishtyle, I came out like Mohanlal(atleast in my mind).Hey! I was no less a Mollywood hero! Ain't I? The Gujju before me complained openly, "So much of neopotism! My God, the country is going bonkers!"

I for once felt guilty to coem out like a VIP to see the Goddess...but then I remembered the DEAAL! Yeah, I had a deal with Devi din't I?

So, here goeth the first part in promise of the Deal....

<Hereafter I would be posting and answering all emails of the Group and all people,except official ones on Saturday alone.Please excuse me as I'm attending some classes and courses and am really busy>

Yours Yogically,

Mythreya.

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Dear brother,

 

Last month I had been to Guruvayoor. My kerala friend, briefed me about

Kadampuzha devi and how to remove our muttoo (obstacles) in our life, by

breaking coconuts. Due to paucity of time, I could not avail the chance of

getting Mother's darshan at that time. However I am daily praying in my house

for the removal of muttoos. I got very little information about the temple from

the internet. I am longing for her darshan and blessings.

 

By God's grace, I saw the first part today (auspicious Friday)

Expecting more details.

 

Thank you very much

 

N.S.Venkhataraman

 

, " para_anuloma " <para_anuloma wrote:

>

>

> Dear All,

>

> I had certain family affairs to attend to in Kerala and also went on

> certain piligrimage and tAntrIka purpose.

>

>

>

>

>

> (The temple is down down below in a cave,this is the entrance atop the

> small gorge which takes to kAtampuzhA Bhagavathy)

>

> A scene in the temple-town of katapuzhA...

>

>

>

> The steps lead down to the bhagavathI in a gorge cave formation which

> has been now converted to a temple.The devi is believed to be present in

> dhyAna form(human form) inside a small hole(aperture) below the

> garbhagrihA and the hole is covered with a leaf as per customs.

>

> (Recent political controversy:

>

> There was predictable chaos when Janasakti, a Marxist dissident

> publication, reported that the wife and son of the state's Communist

> Home Minister, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had performed the Shatrusamhaara

> puja at Kadampuzha temple. In the divided house that is the Kerala

> CPI(M), it didn't take long for conspiracy theories to surface. At

> first, the minister tried to wash his hands off, saying it was a

> deliberate attempt to blacken the Red Flag in Kerala. But when things

> turned worse, a desperate Balakrishnan played the ultimate atheist card.

> He said he had not even performed the last rites of his mother. As home

> minister, he then exercised his option to ask the state crime branch to

> unearth the conspiracy against him.

>

> For now, the fratricidal Kerala CPI(M) has rallied around the minister.

> Its explanation: Kodiyeri Balakris-hnan, in whose name the puja was

> performed on August 6 last year was not the powerful state home minister

> but a lowly high school teacher who went by the same name. No, say

> temple authorities. " I am absolutely certain that the people I received

> at the temple were the minister's wife and other members of his family

> accompanied by a circle inspector and personal staff, " says Vijayakumar,

> member of the Kadampuzha Temple Trustee Board.Marxists, of course, can

> be atheists in public and believers in private.It matters little to the

> ordinary Keralite if the Marxist he voted for was a closet believer.

> What galls him is the subterfuge)

>

> katampuzhA bhagavathI was one of the deities we had seen.Most

> powerful,most curative,most puissant in delivering results instantly for

> those with faith.Many go there for shatru-samhArA or for putrabhAgyA or

> for getting some obstacle in their work or life removed.

>

> katampuzhA, a remote village in Malappuram District in Kerala(in

> erstwhile South Malabar) has now become a famous centre for bhagavathI

> worshippers.

>

> I had a divine message to visit this temple while in Kerala.So, visited

> the punykshetrA.

>

> [dsc01397.jpg]

> <http://anjaliraman.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/dsc01397.jpg>

>

> (GuruvAyUr temple front view...We had the goodfortune/luck due our

> looks,vasheekarana or physical appearance(we don't know) to take even a

> video(all this is banned mind you.)But obviously due to me being a

> privacy-seeker,cannot come out with the video here.)

>

> I was drinking the hot rose coloured water placed before me in a

> GuruvAyUr hotel.(In kerala many hotels especially of the

> guruvAyur-thrissUr-AlampuzhA region have this rose-coloured hot water

> served with food,instead of ordinary water.The rose colour is due to

> Dahasamini(also called sahyAdri dAhasamini--the word is actually from

> the samskruthA word " dAhashamanI " which means " thirst quencher " ) they

> use karangali root/bark and rAmAcham(vettiver) a medicinal plan't bark

> which is powdered and added as a pinch to the boiled water to remove the

> tastelessness of boiled water and also act as a medicinal ingredient.Not

> even the Malayalis there know these facts except a few old-timers).

>

> As I was drinking a few gulps of the rose brown-coloured water,I had one

> voice call me, " Come my child to kAtanpuzhA " I never heard that name

> before and suddenly asked my wife about this place and she inturn asked

> my father-in-law and DANG! next day we were in an autorickshaw dozing

> our way to katanpuzhA from guruvAyUr!Now, such experiences to others

> might be miraculous but I have become accustomed to it right fromvery

> young age and it is as if I have a cellphone conversation with ethereal

> sources that such things happen often.

>

>

>

> [see full size image]

> <http://www.hariharasudhan.com/temple-images/kadampuzhabhagavathi.jpg>

> [see full size image]

> <http://www.hariharasudhan.com/temple-images/kadampuzhabhagavathi.jpg>

> [see full size image]

> <http://www.hariharasudhan.com/temple-images/kadampuzhabhagavathi.jpg>

> [see full size image]

> <http://www.hariharasudhan.com/temple-images/kadampuzhabhagavathi.jpg>

> [see full size image]

> <http://www.hariharasudhan.com/temple-images/kadampuzhabhagavathi.jpg>

>

katanpuzhA Bhagavathy--the vigrahA is really small and is placed nearby

> a small hole which covered with a hibiscus silver leaf(more on this next

> part)

>

> It is a very ancient temple and the devI here is

> kirAtharUpini(forest-hunter-woman form) durgA(something similar to

> vanadurgA).

>

> 1974 ashtamangala prasnA(devaprasnA form) conducted by eminent

> astrologers for the temple revealed that this temple was really ancient

> and the current form of the temple was built roughly in first temple

> century A.D.

>

> Consequently, pUjAs are performed as per the kirAtharUpinI durgA form.No

> kerala style-drumming(kerala melam),music,festivals or for that matter

> even ornamental gates or " Gopuras " exist for the temple.The worship is

> over by sunset and the temple is closed as bhagavathI comes to that

> place in human form and meditates during the night and thus, She is not

> to be disturbed by human intervention during that time.Some smart alecks

> who tried to see Her in the temple after sunset, promptly lost their

> lives in the attempt.

>

> The rush of the temple is very great during Tuesdays and Fridays and the

> first days of every such malayAli month and nowadays even on Sundays and

> other government holidays.Many sabarI devotees come to see the temple

> during mandalA season.

>

> Seeing the deity during Tuesday was mostly a big ordeal for us,that too

> with the mandalA devotees.But miraculously,I alone had a very fast

> darshanam..I will coem to that later,but no such luck for my poor

> wife,who had to stand in the queue with coconuts for the Muttarackal

> pUjA.(She stood for a massive 4.5 hours!! but still she engaged her mind

> chanting lalithA SahasranAmA over and over again).

>

> Both of us were dressed typical Kerala style attire and looked like real

> Kerala actors from Mollywood.She having her roots in Kerala, adjusted

> fairly well to the white-kerala style pattu coloured saree and with her

> hairbun left with a nAgajadA behind and srIgandha on her forehead.Since

> she has an uncanny resemblance to kAvya MAdhavan actress many thought

> she was some actress from Mollywood and some even mistook her for

> kAvya!Manyold ladies sitting took special interest in her and asked if

> she was married!(Huh?!!)

>

> Well, I had no such Bollywood or Kollywood or Tollywood luck.But I

> managed to grab the attention of all with the ever-slipping Mundu and

> neriAthu and adjusting the same and cut a sorry figure before my

> father-in-law who was hiding his smirks all the while.

>

> Well, jokes apart; the stand i temple queue proved to be unbearable, the

> coconuts were washed by my wife and she carried it but then

> unfortunately the temple was closed in the afternoon and she had to wait

> in a marathon queue to get o the muttaracukal pUjA.

>

> I was cursing the rose-coloured-dahasamani water as I was standing in a

> queue for males.(My father-in-law being old and having some body

> complaints, did not participate in all of this affair and stood outside

> waiting for us!).I thought, " Maybe they put some kerala vashya

> mAntreekam to attract customers in the hotel, else what the HECK am I

> doing here in this stupid queue in this hot sun or hours

> together.Somehow I doubted my own vision/voice.*Whatever*!!

>

> As I was engaged in such thoughts my Neriathu slipped and fell in the

> dirty slushy waters of the queue-up area.Whattheheellllll....I

> thought.The beautiful Gold zaried border now had a characterisitic dark

> brown stain.Maybe Devi was asking me to behave or maybe blessing me to

> like the kirAtharUpA! The thought of admonishment from devi was not

> tasteful so I stuck with the later blessing part which I had fantasized

> and lifted the cloth with a smile.I spoke in malayAlam to one devotee to

> release my ennui and lo-behold! He was gujarAthi! and knew not ven a

> speck of English too! With his Gujarathi Hindi we spoke to relieve the

> combined ennui.I asked him what is a Gujarathi doing in such a remote

> place and that too in a state like Kerala where the only language you

> see all around is Malayalam? He had his stories of miracles and how he

> chanced upon this deity when in guruvAyur enthralled me to no end.It was

> most heartening to note that people from other states do come to Kerala

> and pay their respects to the deities here.

>

> Let me whirr back the scene to Thrissur station a bit like a deft

> Cine-camera man panning the camera for a flashback!:

>

> We had landed in the station.The station was really neat and tidy.They

> have a no-smoking policy in stations in Kerala.I felt once happy that

> India had made a big stride in cleanliness and sense.

>

> While waiting for the taxi,I saw one woman coming to me in white

> saree(This was early morning) and telling me something, " Vaa

> mone'!! " (Come my child)...I had jerked out of my sleep.... " Oh a

> hallucination! I guess! " maybe too much of sleepless night in the jerky

> train and some tasteless insipid chAyA luckily provided by my wife from

> a flask was making me burp these dreams.

>

> But the voice which becokned me over the hot rose water was the same

> voice.So, this time I had no doubt...

>

> I also thought, Oh..oh...I have a past birth connection with this

> place.I already had known from lot of spiritual people and nAdi jOshiyA

> that I have been connected to keralAm in past births.Infact, both myself

> and my mother have been connected.

>

> So, I prayed to bhagavathI. " Amma! Please save me from this long long

> winding queue my feet is blistered with stones and walking long

> distances in guruvAyUr yesterday.I will post one posting about you and

> the temple online in my group.My small deal with you...Is it a deal

> Amma? Deaal yaa no deaaal? " I was musing thus humourously with Amme'

> BhagavathI.

>

> Suddenly, from nowhere my wife called me.She cut her queue(She was

> afterall Kavya Madhavan KuttyaAllo? so naturally people would keep her

> place,while she can majestically come outbut if I come out of my queue,

> Gujju before me seemed to call all his kith and kin in that place.) and

> signalled me from a distance.My father-in-law had arranged by talking

> with one Devaswom board member to coem out of the queue as I had no

> coconut, see the deity fast and go! Wow! Amme' I love you, I love You, I

> love you...I will post one posting about you for sure....It will run

> into 2 parts...I said.

>

> Adjusting my darkbrown stained Neriathu and lifting the Mundu aka Mallu

> hero ishtyle, I came out like Mohanlal(atleast in my mind).Hey! I was no

> less a Mollywood hero! Ain't I? The Gujju before me complained openly,

> " So much of neopotism! My God, the country is going bonkers! "

>

> I for once felt guilty to coem out like a VIP to see the Goddess...but

> then I remembered the DEAAL! Yeah, I had a deal with Devi din't I?

>

> So, here goeth the first part in promise of the Deal....

>

> <Hereafter I would be posting and answering all emails of the Group and

> all people,except official ones on Saturday alone.Please excuse me as

> I'm attending some classes and courses and am really busy>

>

> Yours Yogically,

>

> Mythreya.

>