Vaikom Temple: The ancient Shiva Temple

 

One among the powerful trisome of Shiva temples, the Vaikom temple or the place of Vaikathappan as the deity is fondly called is one of the oldest temples in Kerala. The other temples which complete the trisome are in Ettumanoor & Kaduthuruthy. As per legends, a devotee can fulfil all his desires if one completes a visit to these three temples before noon. The temple is also revered by both sects of Hinduism – the Shaivaites & Vaishnavaites. The temple is a place of a beautiful story & great spiritual divinity. The temple has been present here from the time of Treta yuga & so the exact date of its construction is not clear. The presence of the vembanad lake near the temple also adds to the beauty of this ancient temple

The legend of the temple is related to the story of Kharasura who was a demon considered to be an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. Once he performed a penance to please his God & acquire boon from him. Lord Shiva fulfilled his penance & appeared before him to grant his wishes. Lord Shiva also presented him with three idols & promised him to be present in them forever. Kharasura was pleased by this present from Lord Shiva & walked south from Himalayas carrying one idol in each hand & the third idol tied around his neck. Upon reaching the forests of Kottayam, he is said to have felt tired & slept on the ground while keeping the idols down. Upon finishing his sleep he tried to pick the idols but they would not budge making him realise that Lord Shiva wanted to stay at this place. The idol which was in his right hand is said to be where the Vaikom temple now stands. Kharasura attained moksha with this task & he happily entrusted the idols to Maharshi Vyaghrapada who was following Khara from the Himalayas. Sage Vyaghrapada continued performing the rituals at the temples till Lord Parasurama came upon request of Lord Vishnu to consecrate the temple. Lord Parasurama is said to have himself performed the Linga pooja here & wrote the pooja rituals before handing over the duties of the temple to a Brahmin family from the Taruna village. The involvement in the consecration of the temple by Lord Parasurama is the reason why the temple is revered by both the Shiva & Vishnu devotees. Lord Shiva is worshipped in the temple in three forms depending on the time of the day, as Dakshinamoorthy in the morning, Kirathamoorthi in the noon & Shakti in the evening.

The temple is a great work of architecture with many touches made in an impressive manner. The most striking is the unique shape of the Srikovil which looks circular from the outside but is actually an elliptical structure which is the only temple in Kerala to have such a design. The exterior of the sreekovil is adorned with beautiful mural paintings & has two structures within. The first area has the mukha mandapam which is built with a single stone & wood while the Sanctum Santorum is shaped in square & built completely in stone along with the roof. The Sanctum does not allow devotees to get a clear view of the Lord without passing the 6 steps in the gopuram which symbolises vikaras (emotions) of all which includes Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Madha & Mathsarya. The temple is surrounded on all sides by high walls, there is a namaskara mandapam which has episodes of Ramayana sculpted in the inner roof, the touches of beautiful craftsmanship of the most celebrated sculptor of Kerala – Perunthachan is seen in the basement of the Koothambalam. One unique feature of the temple is the presence of a closed door on the west entrance which takes one back many years when the duties of the temple were provided to 108 families. These families formed two groups opposing one another & quarrelled on petty issues. The chief of one of the groups decided to disrupt the rituals. He entered the temple chewing betelnut from the western gate; he placed his apron on the temple gate & spat on the nivedyam disrupting the pooja. As he walked out from the temple, collecting his apron from the gate, a poisonous snake bit him and he died at the door. After this incident, the door has stayed closed for all these years. The temple also has a place called the Vyaghrapada Sthana where the Maharishi is said to have seen Lord Shiva while performing rituals.

The temple celebrates the Vaikom Ashtami festival annually remembering the moment in the Malayalam month of Vrishchikam when Maharishi Vyaghrapada is believed to have seen Lord Shiva with his consort Goddess on the morning of Krishna Ashtami. The temple apart from its spiritual heritage is also a place which became the stage for social reform in the history of Kerala. Before Independence what plagued the social structure of Kerala was the existence of untouchability & casteism which stopped the lower caste from entering the temple or even standing near the walls of the temple. During the Independence movement the youth realised the importance of gaining equality to worship & this realisation resulted in one of the biggest movements called Vaikom Satyagraha which was led by social reformers Sree Narayana Guru, Mannath Padmanabhan & others. The roads around the temple became the venue for this agitation & understanding the need even Mahatma Gandhi joined the Satyagraha which made the Travancore Kings to sign the Temple Entry Proclamation considered a milestone in allowing people from all castes of Hinduism to enter the temple & worship. The Vaikom temple also became the first temple to accept this reform.

A visit to this temple once is what one needs to know the divine presence of Lord Shiva. It is also important for all to understand & know the heritage of this place which has played an important role in moulding the social structure of the state.