Kaduthuruthy Thaliyil Shri Mahadeva Temple — Attraction in Kerala

Kaduthuruthy Mahadeva Temple or the Thaliyil Shiva Temple is one amongst the trio of most legendary Shiva Temples in Kerala. The Mahadeva temple was installed by the demon Khara (of the Khara Dhooshana demon duo mentioned in the famous epic Ramayana) along with Ettumanoor and Vaikom temple shrines. The idols at Vaikom and Ettumanoor temples are believed to be installed at the same time by the demon Khara. As there are replicas of Vaikom & Ettumanoor Shiva shrines in the temple, it is believed a visit here before noon is as good as a visiting all the three important Shiva temples (Vaikom, Ettumanoor, and Thaliyil Mahadeva) on the same day at the same time. Visiting the three Shiva temples at Vaikom. Kaduthuruthy and Ettumanoor on a single day will bring prosperity and the blessings of Shiva. Karthaveerarjuneeyam – the mythological story is depicted in carvings at the temple.

This is a complete guide with lots of useful information. You can jump straight to these sections to touch on the specifics.

The legend behind Kaduthuruthy Mahadeva Temple

The legend of the Kaduthuruthy temple is linked with the great epic Ramayana. As per legend, Kharasura – mentioned in Ramayana installed the Shiva lingam. An ardent devotee of Shiva he performed strict penance at Chidambaram. Impressed by his Tapasya Shiva granted him a boon & 3 Lingams. He traveled southward & carried one in each hand and the third in his mouth. Overcome by the weight of the Lingams, he tried to rest at Vaikom & then at Ettumanoor and the Lingams got installed at each place. The last Shiva Lingam installed was from his mouth & the site got the name “Kadichiruthy Prathishta.” (Kadichu – bite, thuruthy – to be placed). Hence it is believed that darshan of all three Lingams before noon on a single day fulfills wishes.

History of Kaduthuruthy Mahadeva Temple

Kaduthuruthy Shiva Temple was under the jurisdiction of the Vadakkumkoor dynasty. It is said that nearly 300 years ago the temple was consumed by fire, but the mandapam, with its beautiful carvings, was spared. As the fire was spreading out, the chief priest of the temple clasped the idol at his breast and gave up his life to protect it. The idol of this chief priest is erected at the northern part of the shrine to commemorate the event.

A Rajah of the Vadakkumkoor dynasty used to worship the three deities at Kaduthuruthy, Vaikom, and Ettumanoor on the same day but as he became old, he could not continue it. Hence, he arranged for the replicas of the deities at Vaikom & Ettumanoor to be installed at the Kaduthuruthy temple. It is believed that by worshipping the deity at the Kaduthuruthy temple, the devotees will get the benefit of visiting both Vaikom & Ettumanoor temples.

When the place was under the reign of Vadakkumkoor dynasty a festival lasting for twenty-eight days was celebrated at the temple. Soon it gradually came to an end. Maharani Sethu Lekshmi Bai revived the festival and enforced orderliness and punctuality in the temple observances. Later the Vadakkumkoor dynasty merged into Travancore & the family deity fell into misfortune for about a century. The priests found it hard to meet with the daily expenses of the temple, but two families Mangalathur (Panicker) and Thazhathu (Kaimal) came forward with financial help to maintain the decorum of the temple. Today Kaduthuruthy Shiva Temple has risen to be one of the major temples under the Travancore Devaswom Board.

Physical Structure of Kaduthuruthy Mahadeva Temple

Architectural elegance marks the Kaduthuruthy Shiva Temple! At the temple, you can find medieval Kerala Temple architecture at its best! The mandapam in front of the shrine has on display a fantastic collection of wood carvings depicting the story of “Karthaveerarjuneeyam.”

Prathishta at Kaduthuruthy Mahadeva Temple

The presiding deity of the Kaduthuruthy temple is Lord Shiva. The Sivalinga at the temple is only 3” tall & is the smallest of the three Sivalingas that was installed by Kharasura. It faces to the east.

Upadevatha (Sub Deities) at Kaduthuruthy Mahadeva...

The lore behind the origin of the Thali Mahadevar Temple as well as the historical facts are attraction enough to drag the interested traveller to Kaduthuruthy on the Kottayam- Kochi highway. Despite strong rain, one Sunday morning found us on the road to the small town situated almost midway between the Vaikom and Ettumanoor Shiva temples on the Pala-Vaikom road. Historians are of opinion that the place derives its name from "kadal (sea) thuruthu (island or promontary)", as several centuries back the sea had extended upto the place, making it a famous port. 10th C texts point to close links with the Pandya kings, though later the Vadakkumkoor and Thekkumkoor dynasties, vassals of the great Kozhikode Zamorin, held sway here. Zamorin's maritime power and prowess are well known. "Kadal thuruth" was the capital and port city of Vadakkamkoor. Later King Marthanda Varma annexed it to Travancore. An interesting pointer is the reference the place gets in "Unnuneeli Sandesham", the first "Sandesha Kavyam" (poem in the form of a message to the loved one, Unnuneeli here being the loved one of a Travancore royal who was banished to Kaduthuruthy) in Malayalam. The poem has a wonderful description of the grandeur of the port town. Unfortunately no historical records remain of the cataclysm that had pushed the sea back.

Popular belief connects the three Shiva temples of Vaikom, Ettumanoor and Kaduthuruthy with Kharasura. His penance pleased Shiva so much that he was presented with three Shiv Lingas by the Lord himself at Chidambaram. Carrying the three lingas, one in each hand and the third around his neck, he made his way across the mountains. He put them down while he rested, but afterwards he couldn't lift them up, try as he might. Divining the Lord's wish, he built temples there itself, the Vaikom temple housing the linga he carried in his right hand, Ettumanoor the left-hand one, while the linga around the neck was installed by the Asura by lifting it with his teeth ("kadichu" = biting; "iruthy" = made to sit). This, believers say, accounts for the equi-distance between the three temples, and the idea that visiting all three temples in a single day before "ucha pooja" (pooja before noon) is very auspicious and probably as good as a visit to the Lord's abode at Kailas.

Another interesting rarity is that one finds small sanctums for Vaikkathappan and Ettumanoorappan in the temple compound. It is said that ne Vadakkumkoor Raja used to worship at all the three temples every day. But in his old age he couldn't cntinue the practice and so had installed Vaikkathappan in the north side and Ettumanoorappan in the south side. This is a windfall for the pilgrim as darshan at Kaduthuruthy has triple benefits!

Some 300 years ago the temple was engulfed by fire. The only thing that survives today is the magnificent "mukha mandapam" with the beutiful carvings depicting stories from the Ramayana. Rock pillar bases outside the present structure are the only indicators of the huge temple that was. The chief priest had wrapped himself around the linga to protect it from the fire, giving up his life in the attempt. Today one can see the icon installed in his honour.

The temple, rebuilt later in a smaller scale, is a beautiful example of the traditional "thachan's" (master carpenter) art. A "bonus" for the architectural aficionado is the small, yet elegant and beautiful traditional structure in the compound where the Kings rested while coming for darshan. Though tasteless additions have marred its beauty, it retains the beauty of its proportions and integrity, leaving one wondering about the high level of perfection attained by the master carpenters of yore. It is sad that there are no efforts to preserve or document such quintessential examples of our heritage.

While Vaikom and Ettumanoor temples overwhelm one with their size, fame and meticulous rituals, Kaduthuruthy offers unmatched spiritual calm and quietude. A must visit, and probably best to devote half a day fully to absorb the atmosphere of the place and be "re-charged'...

The temple is situated mid-way between Vaikom and Ettumanoor. Kaduthuruthy is a small town, the northern and western parts of which are spread over by Vembanattu backwaters. During the tenth century this place was under the administration of Pandya Kings. However, it was divided into Vadakkumkoor and Thekkumkoor. Kaduthuruthy became the headquarters of Vadakkumkoor dynasty. The rulers were the supporters of Zamorins. When Marthanda Varma conquered Vadakkumkoor, he showed respect to the rulers by giving them pensions. Gradually this dynasty was declined and removed from the pages of Kerala history.

As it has been mentioned earlier, when describing the history of the Vaikom temple, Kharasura had got three idols of which the one he took in his mouth, had been placed at Kaduthuruthy, marking the origin of a temple on the top of a small hill. Now this temple comes under the Travancore Devaswom Board.

The Sivalinga of the temple faces to the east. It is the smallest of the three Sivalingas, only 3” tall. The mandapam in front of the shrine has got an array of wood carvings. The story of ‘Karthaveerarjuneeyam' has been carved and displayed here with architectural elegance. About 300 years ago most part of the temple was consumed by fire, but the mandapam, with its splendid carvings, was remained unhurt. While the fire was spreading out, the chief priest clasped the idol at his breast and cried aloud, but the flames of fire had put an end to his life. An idol of this chief priest had been erected at the northern part of the shrine in order to commemorate the event. At the southern side there stands an idol of Sree Ganapathy. Besides, Dharma Sastha, Goddess Durga had also been placed at the temple.

One Vadakkumkoor Rajah used to worship the three deities at Kaduthuruthy, Vaikom and Ettumanoor on the same day but because of his old age he could not continue it. Instead, he made arrangements at Kaduthuruthy temple for the placement of the other two deities also. As a result, Ettumanoorappan was placed at the southern gate and Vaikathappan at the north. So it is believed that the devotees will get the triple benefit by worshipping the deity at the Kaduthuruthy temple.

A ceremonial 10 day festival is conducted at the temple every year, but it is not so famous as the one at Vaikom or Ettumanoor. In olden days when the place was under the rule of Vadakkumkoor dynasty and anna festival lasting for twenty eight days was celebrated at the temple, but gradually it came to an end.

In fact, it was under the reign of Maha Rani Sethu Lekshmi Bai that the festival had been revived. She enforced orderliness and punctuality in the temple observances. Though in the eighteenth century Vadakkumkoor dynasty had become the part of Travancore, the family deity of the Rajah had fallen into misfortune. It was difficult for the priests to meet with the daily expenses of the temple, and this condition lasted for nearly a century. But a change had occurred when the two families Mangalathur (Panicker) and Thazhathu (Kaimal) came forward and helped financially to maintain the decorum of the temple. Consequently much progress had been achieved. Now it is one of the major temples that come under the Travancore Devaswom Board

Experience- A peaceful temple not much crowded. Allover a...