Mangala Devi Temple: Story of Kannagi

 

In the hill district of Idukki stands a centuries old temple made in rock & stone which has a beautiful story to tell. The temple, only open during the annual festival of Chitrapournami, is out of bounds as it stands within the most protected Periyar Tiger reserve, so the permission of the Forest officials is imminent. The temple of Mangala Devi or Kannagi temple is also unique in terms of how it is revered by people of both Tamil Nadu & Kerala. The temple is also taken care of by the Archeological department of Kerala due to its historic value. The temple vistas also provide one the views of the Periyar tiger reserve with all its pristine beauty.

Tamil language is rich with literature & is said to be the oldest dialect. Tamil literature also is adorned with many beautiful poetic epics & one among them is the famous poem called Silappathikaram believed to have been composed somewhere between the 1st & 4th century. The poem celebrates the story of Kovalan & Kannagi, a couple who lived in the town of Poompuhar close to Madurai. Kovalan was a merchant who loved his wife Kannagi & they lived a simple life together. It so happened that a dancer by the name of Madhavi charmed Kovalan & he under her influence lost interest in business, leading to huge losses. Kovalan no longer was able to support himself & so the dancer moved on leaving him in distress. Kovalan returned to Kannagi who was pleased to forgive him for his deeds. They could not continue in their village & so Kannagi with her husband came to Madurai hoping for a turnaround in their fortunes. In Madurai, they had to start a new business & so Kannagi who was from a wealthy family gave her anklet to be mortgaged with a goldsmith. Kovalan approached the village goldsmith who suspected the anklet to be the same that was stolen from the queen some time back. The goldsmith informed the palace & guards immediately arrested Kovalam on charges of theft. The King Nedunchezhiyan without any trial orders the beheading of Kovalan which is conducted in haste. Kannagi upon hearing the news, sad & outraged comes to the palace, asks the King & Queen to describe the anklet stolen. The queen said her anklet had pearls on it, when the king saw the anklet that was with Kovalan, they had emeralds on it. The king realised his monumental mistake & out of guilt suffered a heartache collapsing on his throne. The queen who could not bear the loss of her beloved collapses on the throne next to him. Kannagi’s rage did not end with the death of the rulers, her anger towards every person in the village made her burn down the town of Madurai. Kannagi came to terms after a while & she was unable to handle the grief and anger inside her so she left Madurai, walking for over 14 days she is said to have reached the hills of where the temple now stands. Here she meets Kovalan & they ascend to heaven together. The story of Kannagi is sung & celebrated around the south of India in different languages as it makes one understand the grit & power of chastity in a woman. The Chera King Senguttuvan upon hearing the poem of Silapathikaram from the celebrated poet Illango Adiyar was touched by the devotion of Kannagi & so decided to build a temple at the same place from where she left for heavenly abode. 

The temple architecture is based on Pandyan style & huge stones are used to build the Sanctum. The boundary walls & the passage are all built using stones which is quite an efficient engineering feat as transporting these stones up the hill would have been a herculean effort. The temple compound is a set of temples with the main sanctum dedicated to Kannagi as Mangaladevi, there are also temples for Karuppuswamy, Lord Shiva & Ganapathy. The rectangular stones used to build the temples are stacked without mortar. The idol of Mangaladevi was made of silver & over the period the temple went into ruins which made the Kings worry about the precious idol. The idol was removed from the temple & placed at Kambam, brought to the temple only during the annual festival which is still followed. The temple compound also has many small passages which are today inaccessible but as per legends, they are said to have been pathways to the Pandya kingdom. Another great feat of architecture is the presence of 4 stone pillars over 10ft tall, one does not know why this structure was made, some believe it to be a mandapam. There are no official records of when the temple was built but one can certainly confirm that the temple is over 1500 years old. The Shiva temple is the biggest among the four temples & it is interesting to know that priests from Kerala conduct rituals here while priests from Tamil Nadu have the right to perform rituals at the MangalaDevi temple. There are no elaborate rituals conducted, no opulent processions of elephants like other South India temples. The devotees offer porridge to the goddess like most other temples in South India. Kannagi is considered to be the incarnation of Goddess Bhadrakali herself & is worshipped as Devi in Kodungallur & Attukal while she is revered here as Mangala Devi. One can also see inscriptions on the walls of the temple made from the 11th century by Emperor Rajaraja Cholan.

The annual festival at the temple during the time of Full moon is when people congregate at the temple after enduring a tiring hike up the mountains. There are jeeps which ferry pilgrims up the dense forest roads but the last section of the hike has to be done on foot. There is a long standing dispute over ownership of the temple between Kerala & Tamil Nadu which has stayed unresolved for years & so both governments conduct the festival as a joint event. The festival is a sight of its own as a place that was left unaccessed for the whole year suddenly becomes the venue for people who come to see Mangala Devi & pray for her blessings. The idol on the day of Chitrapiurnami is adorned with flower garands & ornaments for all to see the beauty of Goddess. Women devotees perform Pongala & married women pray for the wellbeing of their husbands by conducting pooja of their Thaali. 

The temple is a place of beauty but one has to be careful before deciding to visit as proper permission is needed to ascend the hills. The place is a part of heritage & so its upkeep is important for all who visit the temple. The temple is a place to remember Kannagi & every person who comes here has to accept the importance of women in their life. The beauty of the temple & its landscape is also a reason one should come here.