Origins

Meenkulathikkavu is the oldest temple in Pallasena. Tradition has it that centuries ago three families belonging to the Veerasaiva

Siddhanta Shikhamani

Siddhantha Shikhamani is a religious scripture of Panchacharyas, Veerashaivas, regarded as Dharmagrantha of Veerashaivism/Lingayatism.Siddhantha Shikhamani was written by sri Shivayogi Shivacharya in around 8th century in Sanskrit language....

 Mannadiar clan worshipped the goddess Meenakshi

Meenakshi

Minakshi is an Avatar of the Hindu Goddess Parvati - and consort of Shiva - who is worshipped mainly by South Indians. She is also one of the few Hindu female deities to have a major temple devoted to her - the far famed Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu...

 as their deity. An acute drought in Chidambaram

Chidambaram

Chidambaram is a fast growing industrial city in Eastern part of Tamil Nadu and the taluk headquarters of the Cuddalore district. It is located in 58 km from Pondicherry, 60 km from Karaikal, and 240 km south of Chennai by rail...

 (Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

) drove them to seek greener pastures. One of them took a stone from there along with their other possessions. Worshipping their stone as their friend, philosopher and guide, they trekked to several places before reaching Pallasena. Enchanted by the forests surrounding the villages they settled there and prospered in the diamond trade. Whenever they went on business, they offered their customary prayers to the family deity. An aged member of their clan went for his customary bath before leaving on a trip home. He left his valuables and a palm leaf umbrella in the care of two youths. When he came back, he was shocked when he could not lift the things he had left with the youths. An astrologer said that Meenakshi had manifested herself under the umbrella and that was why it could not be moved. Huge crowds came there to witness the miracle. The place came to be known as Kudamannu.

The present Meenakshi temple and the adjacent temple tank were constructed over the next four centuries. A Thirumandiram was written as a testimony to the event. The Mannadiar clan has grown into 110 manais (veedus) . They conduct Navarathri

Navarathri

Navratri, Navaratri, or Navarathri is a Hindu festival of worship of Shakti and dance & festivities. The word Navaratri literally means nine nights in Sanskrit, nava meaning nine and ratri meaning nights. During these nine nights and ten days, nine forms of Shakti/Devi are worshiped...

, Pongal

Pongal

Thai Ponggal is a harvest festival celebrated by Tamils in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Indian Union Territory of Pondicherry and in Sri Lanka. Pongal coincides with the festival Makara Sankranthi celebrated throughout India. Pongal in Tamil means "boiling over" or "spill over". The boiling...

 and Bhairava

Bhairava

Bhairava , sometimes known as Bhairo or Bhairon or Bhairadya or Bheruji , Kaala Bhairavar or Vairavar , is the fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva associated with annihilation...

 festivals.

Buildings

The structure is built in the Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

 style. It is constructed in such a way that the shadow of the wall never falls on the ground. There are two entrances, one in the north and the other in the west. The temple tank is next to the western entrance.

Crossing the dhwajasthambha made of teakwood and covered with copper

Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...

. The garbhagriha

Garbhagriha

Garbhagriha or Garbha griha is the small unlit shrine of a Hindu temple.Garbhagriha or ' is a Sanskrit word meaning the interior of the sanctum sanctorum, the innermost sanctum of a Hindu temple where resides the murti of the primary deity of the temple...

 contains a large idol of Meenakshi Amman. Devotees are not allowed to wander around the garbhagriha. Around the main idol, the saptha maathas

Matrikas

Matrikas , also called Matara and Matris , are a group of Hindu goddesses who are always depicted together. Since they are usually depicted as a heptad, they are called Saptamatrikas : Brahmani, Vaishnavi, Maheshvari, Indrani, Kaumari, Varahi and Chamunda or Narasimhi...

(several female deities - Brahmi

Brahmani

In Hinduism, Brahmani is a kind and benevolent aspect of Devi, the Divine mother. Brahmani is associated with the Hindu creator god, Brahma as His consort or Shakti . She is one of the seven Mother Goddesses called Matrikas.-As Kuldevi:Many Kshatriya clans consider Her to be their Kuldevi...

, Maheswari, Kaumari, Vaishnavai, Indrani, Chamundi and Varahi) are installed. There are separate shrines for Ganapathi, Veerabhadra

Veerabhadra

Veerabhadra is a Telugu film released on 29 April 2006 and was directed by AS Ravi Kumar Chowdary. Balakrishna plays the lead role. For the first time, Tanushree Dutta appears in a Telugu film. Sada plays the Second Heroine in the movie.One of the Biggest disasters of Tollywood and Bala krrishna...

, Durga

Durga

For the 1985 Hindi Film of Rajesh Khanna see DurgaaIn Hinduism, Durga ; ; meaning "the inaccessible" or "the invincible"; , durga) or Maa Durga "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a lion...

, Shiva

Shiva

Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

, Bhairava

Bhairava

Bhairava , sometimes known as Bhairo or Bhairon or Bhairadya or Bheruji , Kaala Bhairavar or Vairavar , is the fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva associated with annihilation...

, Brahma

Brahma

Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...

 Rakshas and Ayyappa. In the adjacent hill called Vamala there are shrines for Muruga, Ganapathi, Siva

Shiva

Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

, and Shasta

Shasta (deity)

Shasta or Sastha is the name of a number of Hindu deities in South India. Shasta is a generic Sanskrit term for a teacher. In South India, Shasta or Aiyanar-Shasta is attested from the 3rd century C.E in Tamil Nadu state. In Kerala where the Shasta cult is well developed, he is attested from 855...

.

Events

Navarathri

Navarathri

Navratri, Navaratri, or Navarathri is a Hindu festival of worship of Shakti and dance & festivities. The word Navaratri literally means nine nights in Sanskrit, nava meaning nine and ratri meaning nights. During these nine nights and ten days, nine forms of Shakti/Devi are worshiped...

, Karthigai, Mandala

Mandala

Maṇḍala is a Sanskrit word that means "circle". In the Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions their sacred art often takes a mandala form. The basic form of most Hindu and Buddhist mandalas is a square with four gates containing a circle with a center point...

 Vilakku, Maasi

Maasi

Maasi is a village in Orissaare Parish, Saare County, on the eastern part of Saaremaa Island, Estonia....

 Thiruvizha, Pallivettai and Bhairava

Bhairava

Bhairava , sometimes known as Bhairo or Bhairon or Bhairadya or Bheruji , Kaala Bhairavar or Vairavar , is the fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva associated with annihilation...

 Pooja are the most celebrated events in the temple. The eight-day maasi

Maasi

Maasi is a village in Orissaare Parish, Saare County, on the eastern part of Saaremaa Island, Estonia....

 festival includes Ottamthullal

Ottamthullal

Ottamthullal or Ottanthullal is a type of performing art from Kerala, India. The art form was created during the 18th century by legendary Malayalam poet Kalakkaththu Kunchan Nambiar...

 and Kathakali

Kathakali

Kathakali is a highly stylized classical Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion...

 programs depicting scenes from the Ramayana

Ramayana

The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...

 and Mahabharata

Mahabharata

The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

. It is customary that the deity's sword and lamp are taken in procession by the descendants of the youths who stood guard over the valuables and the palm leaf umbrella.

Though the Mannadiar clan is given a privileged place in the activities of the temple, members of the entire community participate in the conduct of the temple festivals. The unique structure of the temple and its mode of worship have gained immense popularity among the natives of the village. Devotees firmly believe that the bath in the tank (known for its abundant fish) rids one of all chronic ailments.