The glory of Sundereswara
The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is named as Sundareswara or the most beautiful being which has also been a symbol of upliftment of the backward in Malabar. The temple is one of the largest in Kannur and its one among the three temples consecrated by the revered Sree Narayana Guru in North Kerala. The temple was constructed in 1916 but the story behind its origin is of how Gurudevan had to be convinced in building this temple.
Sree Narayana was in the south of Kerala trying his best to work at the betterment of the backward & downtrodden who were suffering under the atrocities of the upper class. The Thiyya community of Malabar on the other hand were better off due to the rule of the British who facilitated the access of education & employment to them. Though their way of life was far better than those in the south, the spiritual upliftment could not be achieved as backward caste members were not allowed to enter temples. The members thus indulged in Buddhist rituals or found solace in occult practices which were based on superstitions & animal sacrifices. This way of life was hampering the social psyche and there was a need for an intervention.
A noble person by the name of Kaniyil Kunhikannan heard about the work of Sree Narayana Guru & wanted to meet him to discuss this situation in Malabar. After many efforts he was finally able to arrange a meeting with Gurudevan at Sivagiri in 1905. In the meeting Kunhikannan is said to have briefed Guru Devan about the situation in Malabar & asked for consecration of a temple in Kannur similar to how he did in other parts of Kerala. Gurudevan listened carefully and asked Kunhikannan why there was a need to construct a temple for the Thiyyas in Malabar as he had been made to understand that their social situation was better. Kunhikannan had a good debate and was successful in making Gurudevan understand why it was important to bring spiritual upliftment in Malabar for which Sree Narayana Guru agreed. He told Kunhikannan to find a place appropriate to construct a temple and promised him that he will consecrate the temple once the land is found. Kunhikannan came back to Kannur and with the help of other noblemen worked at collecting finances to buy land and build a temple. He also found prominent community members who worked at fulfilling this aim. Sree Narayana Guru as per his promise arrived at Kannur two years later and visited the land in Talap which was selected to build the temple, he was happy with the land and asked the members to form a committee to look after the process of construction. The construction of the temple took around 5 years and Gurudevan consecrated the idol in 1916 during the ascendancy of Pooyam star.
The temple's annual festival is one of the largest in Malabar which lasts for 8 days & the Arattu ceremony along the Payyambalam beach on the last day is an occasion of pomp and color. The temple allows people of all castes & religions which still follows the way of life of Gurudevan who believed in spiritual access to all.
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