Sarkara Devi Temple
Encyclopedia
Sarkaradevi Temple is one of the most important temples in South India
. It is situated South of the Chirayinkeezhu
Taluk (in the North-West of Thiruvananthapuram district
).
The nearest town is Varkala
and Attingal
. Tradition accords a remote antiquity to this temple. Its main deity is Bhadrakali
. The Sarkaradevi Temple assumed a significant status for many reasons and rose to historical importance mainly with the introduction of the famous Kaliyoot festival by Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma
, the Travancore
sovereign, in 1748.The Sarkaradevi Temple have some basic attachment with Nakramcode Devi Temple which located in Avanavanchery,Attingal.
Swarupam, the Attingal Ranis where entrusted by the Travancore
Raja with the conduct of the elaborate festival of Kaliyoot. The Attingal Rani being related to the Travancore royal family through adoption from the Kolathunadu
royal family. From the time of Venad
Kings, had enjoyed independent rights in several respects over the neighbouring regions and temples and at times even over the entire Venad. Even the King Marthanda Varma
annexed Attingal to Travancore, soon after ascending the throne Marthanda Varma decided to assume direct control over Attingal 'estate'. The Ranis seem to have been allowed to continue in their independent status in many respects. Hence it was no wonder that when the former decided to introduce Kaliyoot festival in the Sarkaradevi Temple of Chirayinkeezhu
Division, he entrusted the responsibility to the Attingal Ranis, even though the finances came directly from the Travancore royal treasury.
The Attingal Ranis in the turn bestowed the members of the military family of Ponnora Panickers (When two princesses were adopted from Kolathunad, some senior members of the Ponnara family are said to have accompanied them as bodyguards to Attingal, where the former were settled by the Venad Kings. The descendents of the family are still residing there, with the responsibility of supervising the grand festival. Even now the responsibility is continuing with the descendents of the Ponnara family. One of the most important peculiarities of this temple is that it is the only temple in South Kerala where such elaborate Kaliyoot festival is conducted. Another festival which makes the temple the center of attraction is the Meenabharani mahotswavam which is conducted for ten days in the month of March–April every year.
and Darika
the representatives of good and evil
respectively, their confrontation and later the extermination of Darika in devotional terms and with rhythmic footsteps.The fact the Kaliyoot is a synthesis of older agrarian art tradition is a further established by the fact that the time chosen for performing Kaliyoot after Makara Koithu (the Malayalam month of Makaram corresponds to March and in the season of the second harvest season in kerala. Koithu is a Malayalam term for harvest ) and that Kali appears under the guise of a pulaya (the pulaya caste is the traditional agricultural labouring community in Kerala.) girl in the Kali drama.
The object of Kaliyoot festival is to offer the elementary harvest to the Amma (the divine Mother), the defender of the land.The ritual art of Kaliyoot was originally celebrated in North Malabar to propitiate Goddess Kali was brought to Travancore and that too to the Sarkara Temple by King Marthanda Varma
(1729–1758). There is a historical legend connected with it.For expanding the domain of this kingdom, Marthanda Varma Maharaja tried to capture kayamkulam
province several times.(A.P. Ibrahim Kunju, Rise of Travancore, A study of the Life and Times of Marthanda Varma . All his efforts were in vain and he felt disappointed. But he did not give away his ambition. His one and only motive was the defeat Kayamkulam Raja. With the unyielding desire he was forced to make another arrangement for a war
. On his way to Kayamkulam
it is said that he chose the big ground near the Sarkara temple to take rest.
Learning the arrival of Maharaja in their mace, that leaders of the place or Karakkar and Kalarigurukkars (The grand teachers of military techniques at the Kalari.) assembled together to have a glimpse of the Maharaja. Hearing the Raja's stories of defeat at Kayamkulam, they suggested that the only way to his triumph was to offer a Kaliyoot to Sarkaradevi. In conformity with their suggestion the Maharaja decided to offer Kaliyoot to Sarkaradevi and finally became successful in the war.
Kaliyoot festival is usually celebrated in the month of February/March.It is a 9 day long festival with rituals and traditional ceremonies conducted in the temple premises.The first 7 days ceremonies are dramatic visualisations of stories leading to the war between Bhadrakali and Darika.The ceremonies takes its peak with the 8th and 9th day ceremonies,"Mudi uzhichil" and "Nilathil poru" respectively.
On the 8th day of ceremonies,Bhadrakali herself goes out in search of Darika,but returns at the end of the day without find the deamon king.This function is one of the most important ritual associated with the festival as on this day the deity offers blessings to the devotees directly.
The famous "Nilathil poru"(ground fight) takes place at the 9th and last day of ceremonies which visualises the killing of deamon king Darika by Bhadrakali and thus spreading the prevalence of truth over the evil.
The 8th and 9th day functions in the Kali drama festival are a visual treat and the colorful ceremonies takes hours for completion.The men from the ponnara family are assigned with the kali,durga and darika costumes.
It is believed that there is a basic text titled Kaliyoot Mahotmyam (It is said that the text composed by Kannassa Panicker.) authored by Kannasa Panicker ceremonies connected with Kaliyoot as a devotional offering.After the construction of the stage for the chief performance the pernu and the invoking of the spirit of the Goddess into lamps, the chief rites of the first days begin.
orders were given for the elaborate conduct of the festival and the expenses like paddy, incurred for the same were recorded.(Mathilakam Records, churana 937,ola, 1639, 1750–51, kerala State Archives, Trivandrum) The festival of Meenabharani is celebrated for ten days and it is believed that on the tenth day the benevolent Goddess appesrs and showers her blessings on the devotees. The Meenabharani festival generally starts with Kodiyettu (flag hoisting), nine days before the asterism of Bharani which is considered as the birth star of Sarkaradevi. It ends on the tenth day with Arat (holy immersion) of the deity in the temple tank. There are very interesting ceremonies connected with this festival. On all days recital of the exploits of the Goddess is staged by special teams of people. On the ninth day an important function is conducted in this temple known as Pallivetta. It is believed that during this function Sarkara devi disappears from the temple and she went for hunting. The Goddess is taken in procession as for hunting with the accompaniment of five caparisoned elephant
s and firetorches to the Bhagavathy palace. Through this hunting she tried to avoid powers of malice and maintain peace and security in this vicinity. During the earlier period animal sacrifice
s were conducted along with this performance. However, animal sacrifices were avoided during the later periods. Now this function ends with the return procession of the deity and the cutting of a coconut
with a bow and arrow
. After that the ceremonial Arat of the deity is conducted.
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
. It is situated South of the Chirayinkeezhu
Chirayinkeezhu
Chirayinkeezhu is a village in Thiruvananthapuram district situated in the Indian state of Kerala.This is the birth place of the Malayalam actors Shri. Prem Nazir and Bharath Gopi.-Places:The Sarkara Devi Temple is situated at Chirayinkeezhu...
Taluk (in the North-West of Thiruvananthapuram district
Thiruvananthapuram district
Thiruvananthapuram District is the southernmost district of the Indian state of Kerala. It came into existence in the year 1957. The headquarters is the city of Thiruvananthapuram which is also the capital city of Kerala....
).
The nearest town is Varkala
Varkala
Varkala is a coastal town and municipality in Thiruvananthapuram district situated in the Indian state of Kerala. It is located 50 kilometres north-west of Thiruvananthapuram and 37 km south-west of Kollam city.Varkala is the only place in southern Kerala where cliffs are found adjacent to...
and Attingal
Attingal
Attingal is a town and a municipality in the Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala state, India, bounded by the Mamom and Vamanapuram rivers. It is situated 30 km to the north of state capital of Thiruvananthapuram.-Demographics:...
. Tradition accords a remote antiquity to this temple. Its main deity is Bhadrakali
Bhadrakali
Bhadrakāli , is one of the forms of the Great Goddess mentioned in the Devi Mahatmyam. In Sanskrit, the word Bhadra means "blessed", "auspicious", "fair", "beautiful", "good", "fortunate", "prosperous"....
. The Sarkaradevi Temple assumed a significant status for many reasons and rose to historical importance mainly with the introduction of the famous Kaliyoot festival by Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma
Marthanda Varma
Marthanda Varma , was the founder of the Indian Hindu feudal kingdom of Travancore from Venad SwaroopamHe ruled from 1729 till his death in 1758, having succeeded his maternal uncle Dharma Raja.King Marthanda Varma is usually credited as the "founder of Kingdom of Travancore" from...
, the Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
sovereign, in 1748.The Sarkaradevi Temple have some basic attachment with Nakramcode Devi Temple which located in Avanavanchery,Attingal.
History
Chirayinkeezhu Taluk being directly under the immediate administration of the AttingalAttingal
Attingal is a town and a municipality in the Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala state, India, bounded by the Mamom and Vamanapuram rivers. It is situated 30 km to the north of state capital of Thiruvananthapuram.-Demographics:...
Swarupam, the Attingal Ranis where entrusted by the Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
Raja with the conduct of the elaborate festival of Kaliyoot. The Attingal Rani being related to the Travancore royal family through adoption from the Kolathunadu
Kolathunadu
Kolathunādu was one of the three most powerful feudal kingdoms on the Malabar Coast during the arrival Portuguese Armadas to India along with Zamorin's Calicut and Venad. Kolathunād had its capital at Ezhimala and was ruled by Kolathiri royal family and roughly comprised the whole northern...
royal family. From the time of Venad
Venad
Venad Swarupam was one of the three prominent late medieval Hindu feudal kingdoms on Malabar Coast, south India, along with Kingdom of Calicut and Kingdom of Cannanore. In the early 14th century, Venad ruler Ravi Varma Kulasekhara had established a short-lived supremacy over southern India...
Kings, had enjoyed independent rights in several respects over the neighbouring regions and temples and at times even over the entire Venad. Even the King Marthanda Varma
Marthanda Varma
Marthanda Varma , was the founder of the Indian Hindu feudal kingdom of Travancore from Venad SwaroopamHe ruled from 1729 till his death in 1758, having succeeded his maternal uncle Dharma Raja.King Marthanda Varma is usually credited as the "founder of Kingdom of Travancore" from...
annexed Attingal to Travancore, soon after ascending the throne Marthanda Varma decided to assume direct control over Attingal 'estate'. The Ranis seem to have been allowed to continue in their independent status in many respects. Hence it was no wonder that when the former decided to introduce Kaliyoot festival in the Sarkaradevi Temple of Chirayinkeezhu
Chirayinkeezhu
Chirayinkeezhu is a village in Thiruvananthapuram district situated in the Indian state of Kerala.This is the birth place of the Malayalam actors Shri. Prem Nazir and Bharath Gopi.-Places:The Sarkara Devi Temple is situated at Chirayinkeezhu...
Division, he entrusted the responsibility to the Attingal Ranis, even though the finances came directly from the Travancore royal treasury.
The Attingal Ranis in the turn bestowed the members of the military family of Ponnora Panickers (When two princesses were adopted from Kolathunad, some senior members of the Ponnara family are said to have accompanied them as bodyguards to Attingal, where the former were settled by the Venad Kings. The descendents of the family are still residing there, with the responsibility of supervising the grand festival. Even now the responsibility is continuing with the descendents of the Ponnara family. One of the most important peculiarities of this temple is that it is the only temple in South Kerala where such elaborate Kaliyoot festival is conducted. Another festival which makes the temple the center of attraction is the Meenabharani mahotswavam which is conducted for ten days in the month of March–April every year.
Kaliyoot
The chief festival in the temple is the festival of kaliyoot, which falls on the Malayalam month of kumbham (March).Kali, the Mother of goddess is the deity of farmers. It is evident from the inclusion of the fictitious interpretations of agricultural art traditions in the rituals of the art form of Kaliyoot. Kaliyoot is the dramatic presentation of the genesis of BhadrakaliBhadrakali
Bhadrakāli , is one of the forms of the Great Goddess mentioned in the Devi Mahatmyam. In Sanskrit, the word Bhadra means "blessed", "auspicious", "fair", "beautiful", "good", "fortunate", "prosperous"....
and Darika
Darika
Darika is a character in Mudiyettu, a ritualistic dance from the Bhagavathi or Bhadrakali cult, usually performed only in the Kali temples of Kerala...
the representatives of good and evil
Evil
Evil is the violation of, or intent to violate, some moral code. Evil is usually seen as the dualistic opposite of good. Definitions of evil vary along with analysis of its root motive causes, however general actions commonly considered evil include: conscious and deliberate wrongdoing,...
respectively, their confrontation and later the extermination of Darika in devotional terms and with rhythmic footsteps.The fact the Kaliyoot is a synthesis of older agrarian art tradition is a further established by the fact that the time chosen for performing Kaliyoot after Makara Koithu (the Malayalam month of Makaram corresponds to March and in the season of the second harvest season in kerala. Koithu is a Malayalam term for harvest ) and that Kali appears under the guise of a pulaya (the pulaya caste is the traditional agricultural labouring community in Kerala.) girl in the Kali drama.
The object of Kaliyoot festival is to offer the elementary harvest to the Amma (the divine Mother), the defender of the land.The ritual art of Kaliyoot was originally celebrated in North Malabar to propitiate Goddess Kali was brought to Travancore and that too to the Sarkara Temple by King Marthanda Varma
Marthanda Varma
Marthanda Varma , was the founder of the Indian Hindu feudal kingdom of Travancore from Venad SwaroopamHe ruled from 1729 till his death in 1758, having succeeded his maternal uncle Dharma Raja.King Marthanda Varma is usually credited as the "founder of Kingdom of Travancore" from...
(1729–1758). There is a historical legend connected with it.For expanding the domain of this kingdom, Marthanda Varma Maharaja tried to capture kayamkulam
Kayamkulam
Kayamkulam is a town and a municipality in Alappuzha district of the Indian state of Kerala. It is an ancient maritime trading centre. One of the largest power plants in Kerala, run by the NTPC, is located in Kayamkulam. Krishnapuram Palace is located nearby and an old cashew factory.Kayamkulam is...
province several times.(A.P. Ibrahim Kunju, Rise of Travancore, A study of the Life and Times of Marthanda Varma . All his efforts were in vain and he felt disappointed. But he did not give away his ambition. His one and only motive was the defeat Kayamkulam Raja. With the unyielding desire he was forced to make another arrangement for a war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
. On his way to Kayamkulam
Kayamkulam
Kayamkulam is a town and a municipality in Alappuzha district of the Indian state of Kerala. It is an ancient maritime trading centre. One of the largest power plants in Kerala, run by the NTPC, is located in Kayamkulam. Krishnapuram Palace is located nearby and an old cashew factory.Kayamkulam is...
it is said that he chose the big ground near the Sarkara temple to take rest.
Learning the arrival of Maharaja in their mace, that leaders of the place or Karakkar and Kalarigurukkars (The grand teachers of military techniques at the Kalari.) assembled together to have a glimpse of the Maharaja. Hearing the Raja's stories of defeat at Kayamkulam, they suggested that the only way to his triumph was to offer a Kaliyoot to Sarkaradevi. In conformity with their suggestion the Maharaja decided to offer Kaliyoot to Sarkaradevi and finally became successful in the war.
Kaliyoot festival is usually celebrated in the month of February/March.It is a 9 day long festival with rituals and traditional ceremonies conducted in the temple premises.The first 7 days ceremonies are dramatic visualisations of stories leading to the war between Bhadrakali and Darika.The ceremonies takes its peak with the 8th and 9th day ceremonies,"Mudi uzhichil" and "Nilathil poru" respectively.
On the 8th day of ceremonies,Bhadrakali herself goes out in search of Darika,but returns at the end of the day without find the deamon king.This function is one of the most important ritual associated with the festival as on this day the deity offers blessings to the devotees directly.
The famous "Nilathil poru"(ground fight) takes place at the 9th and last day of ceremonies which visualises the killing of deamon king Darika by Bhadrakali and thus spreading the prevalence of truth over the evil.
The 8th and 9th day functions in the Kali drama festival are a visual treat and the colorful ceremonies takes hours for completion.The men from the ponnara family are assigned with the kali,durga and darika costumes.
It is believed that there is a basic text titled Kaliyoot Mahotmyam (It is said that the text composed by Kannassa Panicker.) authored by Kannasa Panicker ceremonies connected with Kaliyoot as a devotional offering.After the construction of the stage for the chief performance the pernu and the invoking of the spirit of the Goddess into lamps, the chief rites of the first days begin.
Meenabharani Festival
The Meenabharani festival is the second great annual festival in the temple of Sarkara Devi Temple. This festival often falls on the occasion of the annual special poojaof Attavishesham. During the period of king Dharma Raja and his success or Marthanda VarmaMarthanda Varma
Marthanda Varma , was the founder of the Indian Hindu feudal kingdom of Travancore from Venad SwaroopamHe ruled from 1729 till his death in 1758, having succeeded his maternal uncle Dharma Raja.King Marthanda Varma is usually credited as the "founder of Kingdom of Travancore" from...
orders were given for the elaborate conduct of the festival and the expenses like paddy, incurred for the same were recorded.(Mathilakam Records, churana 937,ola, 1639, 1750–51, kerala State Archives, Trivandrum) The festival of Meenabharani is celebrated for ten days and it is believed that on the tenth day the benevolent Goddess appesrs and showers her blessings on the devotees. The Meenabharani festival generally starts with Kodiyettu (flag hoisting), nine days before the asterism of Bharani which is considered as the birth star of Sarkaradevi. It ends on the tenth day with Arat (holy immersion) of the deity in the temple tank. There are very interesting ceremonies connected with this festival. On all days recital of the exploits of the Goddess is staged by special teams of people. On the ninth day an important function is conducted in this temple known as Pallivetta. It is believed that during this function Sarkara devi disappears from the temple and she went for hunting. The Goddess is taken in procession as for hunting with the accompaniment of five caparisoned elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s and firetorches to the Bhagavathy palace. Through this hunting she tried to avoid powers of malice and maintain peace and security in this vicinity. During the earlier period animal sacrifice
Animal sacrifice
Animal sacrifice is the ritual killing of an animal as part of a religion. It is practised by many religions as a means of appeasing a god or gods or changing the course of nature...
s were conducted along with this performance. However, animal sacrifices were avoided during the later periods. Now this function ends with the return procession of the deity and the cutting of a coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
with a bow and arrow
Bow (weapon)
The bow and arrow is a projectile weapon system that predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.-Description:A bow is a flexible arc that shoots aerodynamic projectiles by means of elastic energy. Essentially, the bow is a form of spring powered by a string or cord...
. After that the ceremonial Arat of the deity is conducted.