Vayillyam
kunnu Bhagavathi Temple
Vayillyam Kunnu Bhagavathi Temple is
located at Katampazhipuram, Kerala, 24 km (15 mi) away from Palakkad on the way
to Cherpulassery. The temple is dedicated to Thirumanthamkunnu Bhagavathy ( similar to one at Angadipuram and Kongad).
The spectacular annual festival - Vayillyamkunnu Pooram festival- of this
temple is celebrated during the Malayalam month of "Kumbham" (Feb
15-March 15) with much gaiety and splendour.
Legend behind the birth of this
temple points to the era way back to 13th century which says about the asylum
of a vaisya minister named Sankara Nayanar and his men of a local kingdom from
the bank of river Kaveri of then Cholamandalam to the king of Calicut
(Kozhikkode)- which was caused from the dispute arose from the decision of the
local king to marry the clever daughter of that minister who had found out a solution for a challenging problem which was haunting the
king for days together (refer Guptan). Minister along with people of four
gramams reached Calicut and impressed by their intelligence and straight
forwardness, Zamorin, King of Calicut, gave them permission to build 'nagarams'
in Valluvanad area and sent pathinaayirathil nair – The chieftain who can
arrange ten thousand warriors on demand by zamorin – along with them, for arranging
the places and support. Thus, the people belong to "Adithyapuram"
gramam in the group has selected the place "vayillyamkunnu" for their
livelyhood and developed "vayillyamkunnu"
nagaram. They have built a temple at the hill top for their
"Paradevatha-Bhagavathy". That is today's Vayillyamkunnu Bhagavathy
Temple.
The name of the place vayillyamkunnu
is related to "Vayillyam kunnil appan" of the 'parayi petta
panthirukulam'. Vayillyamkunnilappan Siva temple is located at down hill near
to the Vayillyamkunnu Bhagavathy temple. Power of goddess vayillamkunnu
Bhagavathy is very famous. As per legend, it is believed that bhoothagana of
bhagavathy had levelled the entire area of the desam surrounding the hill in a
single night to make it livable for her devotees.
Vayillyam kunnu devaswom is administered
by Temple Trustee board consisting of six traditional trustees (ooralans)
belong to five Guptan ancestral families and one Tharakan family.
Vayillyamkunnu Bhagavathy Temple along with Vayillyamkunnilappan Siva temple
and mele thrikkovil temples collectively come under vayillyamkunnu Devaswom and
it is part of Malabar Devaswom borad.
Annual
Pooram festival is the major temple festival and it falls in the pooram star of
malayalam month, Kumbham(Feb-Mar). Pooram is famous for the presence of Kerala's main elephants -around thirty- and
renowned Panchavadyam troops in its four desam velas
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