Chilanthiyambalam: A temple for spiders & healing

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Most people fear a spider more than a snake bite as the sight of the eight-legged insect is enough to send a person into a phobia. So imagine if you are bitten by one. In Kerala there is a temple which heals spider bite & is possibly the only temple in the world which is dedicated to a spider. This beautiful simple temple is in Kodumon, a small town close to Pathanamthitta. So how did spiders become the cause of such divinity at the temple? There are many legends to this belief.

The temple is around 1300 years old & was not conceived by anyone in the current form but some incidents brought about the formation of such a temple. The most believed legend is related to the erstwhile sovereignty of the Chenneerkara Swaroopam, the king by the name of Ravindran Vikraman. He was said to be a great Ayurvedic physician & was knowledgeable about different medicines which could heal venomous bites. People from all over came to him for treatment & he took good care of all. The king had three daughters & longed for a son as he believed that his knowledge in healing could only be inherited by a male descendant. His fear of others getting hold of his herbal medicines made him dig a huge pit around the palace & dump all his herbs in them. The King died & some years later his elder daughter tragically died of small pox & his second daughter unable to bear the sorrow committed suicide. The youngest daughter decided to give up all earthly fortunes & locked herself in the Palace palliyara. She put herself to rigorous meditation & did not break her oath till she attained Samadhi. No one in the palace dared to enter the room for months. The palace was abandoned by all & it fell to dilapidation. One day the doors of the palliyara opened on its own & people looked inside to find the form of the lady covered in cobwebs & spiders all over. The people realised there was a divine aspect to this sight & hence called her Palliyara Devi. The presence of the spiders around her also made people call the temple Chilanthiambalam, where Chilanthi means Spider.  Another story associated with the importance of the temple is its association to Sree Shakthibhadra who is the author of “Ascharya Choodamani '' a full fledged Sanskrit Play.  It is believed that he may be the person who would have built the temple in dedication to his daughter.

The legend of how the temple came into being may not be easy to substantiate but the healing prowess of the temple has many valid explanations. It is said that any person who is believed to have been poisoned by a spider bite can come to the temple & conduct Malar Naivedyam, cover himself with the bhasmam given by the temple & drink water from the well inside the temple to ward one off the poison. The water in the well is said to have healing properties & is believed to be from the herbs or medicinal twigs that Ravindran Vikraman dug around. The reason may be earthly, divine or just natural but many people over the centuries have relied on the temple to protect them from any venomous bites. Even today devotees come to the temple to pray for their health & believe in the healing prowess of the temple.

Though many temples around the country have stories & legends associated with them, somehow this temple with its simple structure & conduct attracts all to know more about the place & pray.

Location: Kodumon, Kerala, India

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