Kidangoor
Encyclopedia
Kidangoor is a village in Kottayam district
, near Pala, India
. It is strategically located between the two major towns in Kottayam District, Kottayam
and Pala. The Meenachil River
flows through the heart of Kidangoor village. The village is mentioned in many old manuscripts and is believed to have been extant at least from the 4th century AD. This village is situated in Kidangoor Panchayath and is the birthplace of three famous people - P.K. Vasudevan Nair, better known as "Comrade PKV", a former chief minister of Kerala and Gopalakrishnan Nair, former General secretary of the NSS and P.R.Krishna Warrier (Unni Sir) former President and Former General Secretary of the Warrier Samajam. The River Meenachil divides this village into Kidangoor North and Kidangoor South. It is the birthplace of V.T. Bhattathirippadu. Dr Joseph Padinjath, who was the first president of Kerala Knanaya Congress, is also from here.
community. Little Lourdes hospital in Kidangoor, run by the Visitation Nuns, is a famous hospital on the Pala Highway. The hospital and the nunnery beside it was the area of Sr. Aleyamma Cheruvallil, a warm and kindhearted nun who served the people of the region.
One more story is associated with the formation of Subramanya temple. The temple was created to do the 'pratishta'(positioning the idol) for lord Vishnu. The same day morning when the 'pratishta' was supposed to happen, a person (believed as lord Subramanya) was asking for lift to cross the Meenachil river and to reach the bank of the river where the temple is located. A person who was carrying salt in his 'Vanchi'(wooden boat used for travelling in water) gave lift to him. The temple people who arrived to do the 'pratishta' saw lord Subramanya inside the Sreekovil and they decided to do Subramanya prathista there and a new Sreekovil is been constructed later for the Vishu 'pratishta'. It is believed that the Subramanya idol is in standing position because the god is been seen by the priest before he get enough time to sit. The story also say that the salt inside the boat which Subramanya used to cross the river was not ending upon measuring it.
The Temple houses a Koothambalam -Bharata Muni's concept of Natya Shastra is evident in the sculptural work inside the Kuthambalam. So this is different from all other Kuthambalams of various temples of Kerala. It is believed that the Kuthambalam was constructed by Perunthachan. The scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharatha are beautifully sculptured on the Rangamandapam of the Kuthambalam. There is a huge pillar curved out of the wood of "Kurumthotti" - a medicinal plant. Inside the hall there is a vigraha of Devi Bhuvaneswari. Women are not allowed to enter the Kuthambalam and the 'Nalambalam'. 'Koothu' and 'Koodiyattom' are perfonned inside the Koothambalam. A special perfonnance of 'Brahmachari Koothu' is conducted only in this temple and this is for the benefit of those who have no childfen. Mahamaya Devi, enshrined in the Kuthambalam facing south is well known as Kuthambalathil Amma. 'Guruthi' is perfonned for the Devi inside the Kuthambalam by devotees for the removal of all their problems and for the destruction of enemies. During the Annual Festival, Chakiyar Koothu is conducted regularly.
Kottayam district
Kottayam is one of the 14 districts in the state of Kerala, India. The district has its headquarters at Kottayam town, located at 9.36° N and 76.17° E. According to the 1991 census, it is the first district to achieve highest literacy rate in the whole of India...
, near Pala, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is strategically located between the two major towns in Kottayam District, Kottayam
Kottayam
Kottayam is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative capital of the Kottayam district. Kottayam Kottayam (Malayalam: കോട്ടയം) is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative...
and Pala. The Meenachil River
Meenachil River
The Meenachil river flows through the heart of Kottayam district of Kerala state, India. The river, 78 km long, flows through Poonjar, Teekoy, Erattupetta, Palai, Ettumanoor and Kottayam before emptying itself into the Vembanad Lake at Kumarakom, the famous tourist place of Kerala.The...
flows through the heart of Kidangoor village. The village is mentioned in many old manuscripts and is believed to have been extant at least from the 4th century AD. This village is situated in Kidangoor Panchayath and is the birthplace of three famous people - P.K. Vasudevan Nair, better known as "Comrade PKV", a former chief minister of Kerala and Gopalakrishnan Nair, former General secretary of the NSS and P.R.Krishna Warrier (Unni Sir) former President and Former General Secretary of the Warrier Samajam. The River Meenachil divides this village into Kidangoor North and Kidangoor South. It is the birthplace of V.T. Bhattathirippadu. Dr Joseph Padinjath, who was the first president of Kerala Knanaya Congress, is also from here.
Education
The village was once a centre for education for the nearby villages as it had one lower primary school and two high schools 75 years ago. The first library in this village was established in 1927 by socialist Irittukuziyil Paramupilla who built NSS high school. The literacy rate is very high as this small village has three secondary schools and three lower primary schools in the vicinity. There is also an engineering college here called College of Engineering Kidangoor (CEK) under CAPE following CUSAT syllabus .Religion
There is also the famous Knanaya Catholic church (St Mary's Church), a Catholic church. St. Sebastian's Church Mangalaram (Pala Diocese) and an ancient and famous Subramanya Swamy Temple, believed to be more than 1500 yrs old are also located in Kidangoor.St. Mary's Church
Northern Kidangoor has St. Mary's Church which is also very old. Kidangoor St. Mary's Church is the parish forane of the KnanayaKnanaya
The Knanaya also known as Q'nanaya, Q'nai, Kanai, or Thekkumbagar, are endogamous Jews who settled in Kerala, India. Their origins are unclear and are hotly disputed by academic scholars...
community. Little Lourdes hospital in Kidangoor, run by the Visitation Nuns, is a famous hospital on the Pala Highway. The hospital and the nunnery beside it was the area of Sr. Aleyamma Cheruvallil, a warm and kindhearted nun who served the people of the region.
Subramanya Swamy Temple
Southern Kidangoor has the Subramaniya Swamy Temple, a very old temple on the banks of the river. It is believed that the idol of Subramanya Swamy came out of the 'Kamandulu' (pot) carried by Maharshi Gauna when it tilted and the water flowed out. Along with the flow of the water, the vigraha was carried away to the Vishnukshetra in Kidangur. Inside the temple where a new Sreekovil was built for Lord Vishnu, the temple officials felt the presence of Subramanya Swamy and so they kept the Subramanya Vigraha there instead of Vishnu. So, along with the Vishnu Vigraha on the northern side, the Subramanya Vigraha was also consecrated in the new Sreekovil.One more story is associated with the formation of Subramanya temple. The temple was created to do the 'pratishta'(positioning the idol) for lord Vishnu. The same day morning when the 'pratishta' was supposed to happen, a person (believed as lord Subramanya) was asking for lift to cross the Meenachil river and to reach the bank of the river where the temple is located. A person who was carrying salt in his 'Vanchi'(wooden boat used for travelling in water) gave lift to him. The temple people who arrived to do the 'pratishta' saw lord Subramanya inside the Sreekovil and they decided to do Subramanya prathista there and a new Sreekovil is been constructed later for the Vishu 'pratishta'. It is believed that the Subramanya idol is in standing position because the god is been seen by the priest before he get enough time to sit. The story also say that the salt inside the boat which Subramanya used to cross the river was not ending upon measuring it.
The Temple houses a Koothambalam -Bharata Muni's concept of Natya Shastra is evident in the sculptural work inside the Kuthambalam. So this is different from all other Kuthambalams of various temples of Kerala. It is believed that the Kuthambalam was constructed by Perunthachan. The scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharatha are beautifully sculptured on the Rangamandapam of the Kuthambalam. There is a huge pillar curved out of the wood of "Kurumthotti" - a medicinal plant. Inside the hall there is a vigraha of Devi Bhuvaneswari. Women are not allowed to enter the Kuthambalam and the 'Nalambalam'. 'Koothu' and 'Koodiyattom' are perfonned inside the Koothambalam. A special perfonnance of 'Brahmachari Koothu' is conducted only in this temple and this is for the benefit of those who have no childfen. Mahamaya Devi, enshrined in the Kuthambalam facing south is well known as Kuthambalathil Amma. 'Guruthi' is perfonned for the Devi inside the Kuthambalam by devotees for the removal of all their problems and for the destruction of enemies. During the Annual Festival, Chakiyar Koothu is conducted regularly.